Late last year, news came out that Nippon Steel, one of Japan’s great steel manufacturers, was suing Toyota and Toyota’s new supplier of non-oriented magnetic steel sheets, Baosteel, for patent infringement. Later, Nippon Steel even set its sights on longstanding…
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The United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) and Japan Patent Office (JPO) made a joint statement posting their goals to issue office actions in response to Patent Prosecution Highway (PPH) requests, making it easier for applicants to plan a…
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December 2021 Newsflash After deliberation in the background, Japan’s government is making more moves to enshrine secrecy measures for some intellectual property filed with the JPO and deemed dangerous from a military or other security perspective. Since the last announcement,…
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On October 12, 2021, Mitsubishi Electric went public with Open Technology Bank, a patent licensing clearinghouse for many of its patents. This “Open Technology Bank” (OTB) of Mitsubishi Electric touts various technologies the company is willing to license to others…
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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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Japan’s Patent Act Article 93 allows for enforced licensing of a patent for the public interest, but it has never been successfully used. However, that may change. Takahashi Masayo (Ph.D.) was the first to successfully transplant retinal cells generated through…
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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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What is it worth to fight over patent infringement in Japan? Depending on the field and technology, apparently 3.3 billion yen (about US$ 30 million) in August 2021. Gaming company COLOPL, Inc. (headquarters: Shibuya, Tokyo) developed a popular computer game,…
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How excited to you get about the grain you eat? Rice is central to traditional Japanese cuisine, and many Japanese farmers and famous rice-growing regions take great pride in their produce. One family company in Fukushima Prefecture, MIINE PRIMAL Co.,Ltd.,…
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Around the world, innovators are trying to find applications of present technologies to combat the trenchant spread of novel coronavirus COVID-19. Researchers in Fukushima Prefecture at Fukushima Medical University found hope in use of antibodies to help capture Covid viruses…
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