In spite of novel coronavirus difficulties, we have moved our Tokyo office! As of February 8, 2021, we are now in Koji-maji (Nibancho), Chiyoda Ward, in the heart of Tokyo, in an ideal location to reach the Japan Patent Office…
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As countries struggle over intellectual property in this world rocked by novel coronavirus COVID-19, Intellectual property institutions need to forge ahead. The Japan Patent Office (JPO) has been conducting committee meetings aiming to improve its intellectual property environment, and issued…
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Japan’s Seto Inland Sea holds many islands, and Shodoshima, a larger one, boasts a variety of natural, agricultural, and cultural attractions. Its tourism website shows its efforts to attract visitors and gain a following. Shodojima found itself so popular that…
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Many Japanese people love to eat sea urchins. They also hate food that looks less-than-excellent. So when Kanagawa Prefecture (capital: Yokohama) faced a glut of starved sea urchins and reject-quality cabbages, what did it do? It filed for a trademark….
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On January 7, 2021, parts of the Tokyo metropolitan area were declared under a state of emergency by the Japanese government. The following day, the Japan Patent Office announced it would close its main entrance from January 12 and generally…
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* This is a follow-up article to earlier reports shared on October 8, 2020. In spite of earlier reports suggesting that the JPO might relieve all filings of the requirement for Japanese patent, trademark, and other IP filers to use…
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Greetings for the new year of 2021! 2020’s difficulties carry over into this year, but we are hopeful. Society and culture are shifting due to COVID-19 and global changes. Japan, often technologically advanced while administratively reactive, has been adjusting in…
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Further to the passing in the Lower House, the Upper House (House of Councillors) of Japan’s National Diet (parliament) debated and passed the revisions to the Plant Variety Protection and Seed Act (“Plant and Seed Act”) on December 2, 2020.[1]…
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Honda announced back in July (reported here) how it had seen good results from its AI-supported patent portfolio experiment. Now, it and Japanese robotic process automation (RPA) leader RPA Holdings have announced they are offering a similar program to others….
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What about Third party litigation funding for patents, in Japan? This topic is warming up in Japan, so here is some background information for you. Third Party Litigation Funding? Some may be well familiar with third party litigation funding (TPLF),…
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