Heads of the Japan Patent Office have recently completed an IP symposium with corresponding leaders in the Korean Intellectual Property Office (KIPO) and the State Intellectual Property Office of the People’s Republic of China (SIPO) in Kanagawa Prefecture. They have…
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Vancouver welcomed the LES Annual Meeting’s participants with a misty beauty this week. Starting with the powerful keynote speech by Ms. Robin Farmanfarmaian, it was very informative and a fantastic networking opportunity for the licensing community. Thank you to all…
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Question: Is there any renewal requirement in Japan? Answer: No. There is no specific renewal requirement in Japan. Upon paying the second part payment, the Japan Patent Office (JPO) issues the Certificate of Registration. When a Provisional Refusal is not…
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As of August 1, 2016, petitioners have filed over 1,000 post-grant opposition cases since April 1, 2015 under the 2014 amendment of Japan’s Patent Act. Whereas in the first half-year since April 2015 a third of the oppositions were against…
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The JPO has adopted an individual fee consisting of two parts. The application will be cancelled if the second part of the individual fee is not paid within the period indicated in the NOTIFICATION OF SECOND PART OF INDIVIDUAL FEE.
“Frank Miura,” a parody brand trademark that was overturned, was reinstated after its owner challenged the JPO’s invalidation of it. “Frank Miura” parodies the expensive Swiss watch brand “Franck Muller,” which sounds very similar when pronounced in Japanese. The watches…
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* Changes to the Patent Act of Japan, going into effect from April 1, 2023, make this article outdated for patent deadlines on or after that date. Please see our news article here for more information. Is it possible to…
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The Japan Patent Office (JPO) appeal board functions as the court of first instance, and appeal decisions made on an appeal against a Final Decision of Rejection made by the JPO are subject to review by the Intellectual Property High…
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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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The applicant must submit to the Patent Office directly or by mail an application for trademark registration having the following requirements: The applicant’s full name, address and nationality. Details of the mark. If the mark consists of only plain block…
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