The Japanese Examination Guidelines for trademarks has been updated again (rev. 12th ed.). This new edition’s standards will go into effect from April 1, 2016. The revisions clarify various types of allowable trademarks, as well as updated information based on…
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JPO Commissioner Hitoshi Ito has given a New Years message for 2016, commenting on the JPO’s recent progress in seeking to develop “the World’s Fastest and Highest Quality Examination System.” See the English translation of the message here. Last year,…
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Since April 1, 2015, the JPO has been accepting non-traditional trademark applications. Such applications are categorized as Sounds, Motions, Positions, Holograms, or Colors. Some of the first applications have been approved for registration as of October 27, 2015. If you…
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As of October 21, 2015, petitioners have filed 119 post-grant Opposition cases, which have been possible from April 1, 2015 under the 2014 amendment of Japan’s Patent Act. Of the Oppositions filed, 41 (34%) were filed against patents classified in…
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Starting from August 1, 2015, a pilot program is available to applicants who wish to benefit from streamlined sharing of search results between the United States Patent and Trademark Office and the Japan Patent Office, for approved U.S. and Japanese…
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The Supreme Court of Japan made a historic decision on Product-By-Process (PBP) claims on June 5, 2015 (Case Nos. Heisei 24 (Ju) 2658 and Heisei 24 (Ju) 2658.) Prior to the Supreme Court’s decision, the Grand Panel of Intellectual Property…
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TOKYO- In I-Tech Systems v. C.C.S., Inc., Taro Yaguchi, Senior Partner at Keisen Associates, representing the plaintiff, I-Tech Systems, won on appeal in a revocation action at the Tokyo IP High Court against the JPO’s decision to invalidate the plaintiff’s…
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By Miki Yamaguchi, Technical Advisor, Keisen Associates Starting this April, the Japan Patent Office (JPO) has implemented a change in the post-appeal rebuttal process. As a general rule, if a patent applicant receives a Final Decision of Rejection (FDR, Kyozetsusatei…
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*Note: A newer article published in February 2017, summarizing the content below, is available here. Requirements Then and Now: Patent applications have to be filed before a prior art disclosure. But what if the disclosure is the inventor’s own? Can…
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* You can read more recent articles and our strengths in reinstatement after a missed deadline at our Reinstatement portal page. “If I missed the 30-month deadline for filing a PCT Japan National Phase application, can I still reinstate it?”…
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