This past winter and spring, people in Japan took the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) threat in stride with the stock of surgical masks they would have worn anyway. Then supplies ran extremely low and queues formed outside of drug stores. In recent weeks, a steady though limited (and pricey) supply of them is available.
Now, though, an unusually intense rainy season and intermittent days of heat have been causing concern about the side effects of wearing the masks–heat stroke and fatigue. Public advice has shifted from “Wear masks whenever you are out” to “Take off masks when you are able to keep social distance.” But how to keep one’s precious mask clean when it is off?
A printing company in Japan, Wakiprintpia, took advantage of the open license pledge issued by Nissan Motor Co., Ltd. and other Japanese corporations to help solve this problem. It used technology patented by Nissan for antibacterial coating to coat mask cases (like small folders).[1] The cases are being presented by the online store of the masks as a small way to help people breathe more easily and make it through the humid summer and some of the profits are going to be given to efforts to fight COVID-19.[2]
Nissan mask case image from online store
This is one of hopefully many applications large and small that innovators will make to fight COVID-19. To see what entities have open-licensed up their IP if it is used for fighting COVID-19, see the Open COVID-19 Declaration website (this is different from other similar open licensing efforts instituted in other countries).
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Taro Yaguchi.
Sources
[1] Koketsu Toshiya. “歴代 GT- R 抗菌マスクケースなど発売、日産が知的財産を開放 [Antibacterial mask cases featuring classical GT-Rs etc. on sale; Nissan had opened up its IP].” https://response.jp/article/2020/07/17/336659.html Response. July 17, 2020. July 15, 2020. Accessed July 21, 2020.
[2] PR Times. “日産自動車ライセンス商品、GT-R・パイクカー抗菌マスクケース発売。「知的財産に関する新型コロナウイルス感染症対策支援宣言」に基づくライセンス商品の発売。[Nissan Motors’ licensed products, GT-R and Pike Car antibacterial mask cases on sale; sale begins on products licensed under ‘Open COVID-19 Declaration’].” https://prtimes.jp/main/html/rd/p/000000049.000010574.html Accessed July 21, 2020.
Top image: Image by jlxp from Pixabay. Inline image: online store of masks, ChaLIFE.
