The Japan Patent Office, along with much of Japanese bureaucracy, has long held onto the custom of requiring official seals on documents. In 2020, partly in view of the novel coronavirus COVID-19 pandemic, it moved to abolish requirements for these…
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The litigation by Nobel Prize laureate Dr. Honjo Tasuku (professor at Kyoto University) against Ono Pharmaceuticals, which used his co-researched patent in the cancer drug Opdivo, reached a settlement on November 12, 2021. A third party IP specialist thinks this…
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Almost precisely one year ago, the JPO announced that it had registered the first graphic design Design patent–special illumination to surround a motorcycle and increase visibility and communication with other travelers.[1] This became possible under the Japan Design Act revisions…
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The recent IP chatter in Japan has shifted to Japan’s steel titan Nippon Steel’s suing Automaker titan Toyota. Nippon Steel announced on October 14 that it is suing Toyota, a business partner, and Chinese steel rival Baosteel, for infringing a…
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As reported back in May, the Japan Diet passed revisions to the Japan Patent Act that made remote video participation in some patent proceedings legal. Some of the changes started to go into effect from this October 2021, and on…
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We reported less than half a year ago that UNIQLO’s non-viual scanning kiosks were judged patent-infringing by the IP High Court in Tokyo. The victor, IT company Asterisk Inc., was pleased, but wary of a drawn-out IP battle. Indeed, although…
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* Originally published August 26, 2021. Updated September 9, 2021 in light of further news (in bold). In addition, there were reports on September 27 that the Daejeon Court finally ordered the sale of MHI’s siezed IP assets. Mitsubishi Heavy…
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Ishikawa Prefecture (northeast of Kyoto) took fourteen years to develop extremely highly rated grapes, and is in a tough battle to keep the variety “Ruby Roman” for itself abroad. It took fourteen years to develop the variety, with very large,…
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The Japan Patent Office announced in July 2021 that it had been operating in the red since 2014 and was planning to raise the annuities (maintenance fees) for patents, registration and renewal fees for trademarks, and filing and other fees…
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Goldfish, bred for centuries in Japan, are a major business in Nara Prefecture’s Yamato-Koriyama city. Barely used telephone booths are common around Japan. Modern artist Yamamoto Nobuki combined the two to promote water protection in his work “Message” in 2000,…
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