Earlier this year Professor Tasuku Honjo, Nobel Laureate, publicly criticized his development partner Ono Pharmaceuticals, claiming their renumeration (2.6 billion yen, about US$24 million) was far below what he and other researchers should receive, considering the value of the programmed…
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Toyota Motor Corporation announced in Tokyo on April 8 that it would be releasing its patents related to hybrid vehicle (HV) technologies, totaling over 23,000 patents, for free use up to 2030. These patents relate to the motor, power control…
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The Japanese government’s Subcommittee on the Patent Act System has been working on revisions to the patent litigation system in Japan since October last year. The Japanese patent system does not have a requirement like the United States power of…
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Japanese chemical giant Toray announced on December 19, 2018 that it is striking out at two competitors that it claims are violating its extended medical use patent for an anti-itch product, Remitch®. The Japanese business paper Nikkei Shimbun took up…
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Reuters has published its ranking of the 2017 Asia Pacific’s Most Innovative Universities listing 75 schools for technology and intellectual property. The ranking placed 19 Japanese universities, including Tokyo University, Tohoku University, Kyoto University, and Osaka University, but South Korean…
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The JPO recently issued the JPO Status Report 2017 (in Japanese and English) to give the public a better idea of how the JPO is working to improve its services. Commissioner Yoshinori Komiya expressed the prospects of the JPO in…
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Q. I have ready a Japanese translation for my application; can I have Keisen submit the translation as it is? A. In short, No. Generally speaking, a translation provided by an applicant cannot be filed as it is in Japan…
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The Japan Patent Office (JPO) continues to expand its Patent Prosecution Highway (PPH) network with pilot programs initiated with the National Institutes of Industrial Property (INPI) of Brazil and Argentina, respectively, from April 1, 2017. The JPO plans to start…
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The options and implications for post-issuance/grant proceedings and oppositions in Japan can be complicated, and you will need to take various factors into consideration. Our presentation gives you background and ideas for protecting or challenging issued patents. We would be…
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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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