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Japanese Law Revision

• 2011 amendments to the Unfair Competition Prevension Law to become effective on December 1
• The JPO to revise design examination criteria
• Publication of draft to revise part of the Unfair Competition Prevention Law
• Task for legislation concerning the patent system (1): encouraging use of the system
• Task for legislation concerning the patent system (2): appropriate protection of right holders
• Task for legislation concerning the patent system (3): increasing convenience for users
• Revision of the regulation of exclusion of trademark registration with regard to third parties’ trademarks within one year after lapse of trademark right
• A law partially amending the Japanese Patent Act, etc. (Act 63 of June 8, 2011)

JPO News

• Regarding the guideline on description of request and drawings, etc. in applications for design registration
• Regarding JPO's post-disaster measures
• METI agrees to commence PPH with China
• Cabinet approves “Government Ordinance to Partially Revise the Ordinance of Fees Related to the Patent Act”
• JPO prepares and publishes IP management planning book to support small and medium-sized businesses
• Regarding 2011 application and registration figures
• JPO includes Q&A regarding patent publications on its website
• JPO to strengthen IP risk measures regarding Japanese companies abroad
• JPO to build an Intellectual Property information databank (DB)
• Preparations for Patent Law amendments including the introduction of a legitimate opposition system and usurpation application relief under way
• JPO publishes statistics on major patent offices

Japanese Trends in Intellectual Property

• Chugoku Electric Power Company permits disaster-hit firms free use of its patents
• Chinese design evaluation reports
• Copyright violators using 'Share' receive warning emails from rights-holders group, starting December
• JPO begins "There's Love in the Genuine Article" anti-piracy and counterfeit goods campaign
• Implementation of industry-education cooperation at universities etc. in fiscal 2010
• Start of Patent Prosecution Highway with Norwegian Industrial Property Office and Irish Patent Office
• Fujitsu begins cloud service searching all countries' patents
• Will the TPP completely change the Japanese copyright system? Emergency symposium broadcast live online
• Hitachi develops bootleg-preventing “digital watermarking technology for video”
• Change of payment method from stamps to bank transfer would reduce patent expenses by 3.2 billion yen, says Board of Audit
• Regarding revision of design examination criteria
• Consumer Affairs Agency emblem closely resembles another mark, to be modified
• Japanese IP High Court rules the “Y Chair” is a three-dimensional trademark, judges that it possesses distinctiveness
• In parliamentary proceedings, the intellectual property strategy headquarters assembly settles on the 2011 plan for intellectual property advancement
• JASRAC announces support measures with regard to Tohoku earthquake and tsunami victims, will not collect royalties until end of September
• Japanese pharmaceutical company Takeda decides on large-scale acquisition as countermeasure against expiration of patents, V-shaped recovery not in sight
• Logo featuring “Homba Sanuki Udon” name granted a trademark registration
• Tsuburaya Productions engaged in a dispute over Ultraman rights of use outside of Japan
• JPO publishes information on its website regarding procedures and measures, etc., in response to the recent Tohoku earthquake
• JASRAC to exempt earthquake-affected businesses from royalties
• Japan Patent Attorneys Association (JPAA) plans to extend eligibility for patent application support to small- and medium-sized businesses
• Japan Customs: Track record in import and export injunctions for fiscal 2010
• Kobe Customs registers a record number of injunctions against imported copied goods
• Eisai aims to develop the field of generic drugs in emerging countries
• Laws on unfair competition prevention to be reviewed
• JPO expands international operations, to create new planning officer posts in the new fiscal year
• An amendment relaxing copyright law to be submitted to the Diet
• Amendment bill taking into consideration regulations on game backup devices and ripping to be submitted at a regular Diet session in 2011 at the earliest
• Transmission of television program recordings even based on users’ directions violates copyright - Japanese Supreme Court remands Intellectual Property High Court decision
• JPO begins campaign to eradicate counterfeited and pirated goods
• JPO to decrease examination request fees by 25%
• Businesses digitalizing books on behalf of end-users booming in Japan; writers, publishers, experts warn this is illegal
• “Awaji Island Onion” registered as regional collective trademark
• Drug companies cut MR personnel in anticipation of upcoming drug patent expirations
• Three arrested over unauthorized TV program distribution
• JST starts free lending service for patents owned by research bodies
• Cybercrime in Japan: police report shows increase in unauthorized network access and web-based copyright infringement
• Japan, China and Korea hold top-level congress on IP training

Japanese Legal Cases on Intellectual Property

• Intellectual Property High Court rejects claim of patent infringement in case of medicines prepared using different method
• Sony has final appeal rejected by Supreme Court, must pay 5.12m yen for Playstation-related inventions
• Major publishers warn digitizing agencies that "self-catering" is copyright violation
• Tokyo District Court acknowledges copyright of tattoo artists, orders publishing company which used images to pay compensation
• Japanese Supreme Court turns down appeal from the JPO; extension of patent right duration for drugs to be allowed
• Settlement to the Seiko Epson ink cartridge patent lawsuit
• Regarding import suspension of FEI Company-produced FIB/SEM instrument
• Intellectual Property High Court recognizes import and sale of Canon-made third party printer cartridge as patent infringement
• Toyota reaches settlement with an employee over job invention
• Supreme Court rules that famous manga does not infringe on novelist’s copyrights
• Tokyo District Court recognizes Miyoshi’s infringement of Tosoh’s patent rights
• Kitakata Ramen denied registration as regional collective trademark
• JPO trial decision to refuse the registration as a 3D trademark of Yakult’s plastic bottle declared illegal by IP High Court
• Canon ordered to pay 70 million yen to ex-employee as consideration for invention
• Company executives arrested for submission of false documents to the JPO

International Trends in Intellectual Property

• 22 EU countries sign Anti Counterfeiting Trade Agreement
• One-Blue, LLC announces new licensers
• Wikipedia goes offline for 24 hours in protest against proposed U.S. anti-piracy bill
• Registration begins for "New gTLD," allowing management of top-level domains for company names, etc.
• Concerns over TPP deepen - former agriculture minister Yamada on visit to U.S.
• IBM acquires most U.S. patents for 19th year running
• Amazon and others struggle to curb rampancy of pirate e-books
• Nintendo, Sony and EA withdraw support for SOPA
• Indian music and film industries say damages from piracy on the rise
• Major Chinese food manufacturer using character 'Crayon Shin-chan' as trademark becomes listed company
• Singapore Patent Office partially increases official fees from December 1
• USPTO hosts Steve Jobs exhibition
• New Zealand revises design regulations
• China overtakes Japan to become world no. 2 for investment in industrial R&D
• Google and Twitter express concern over the Stop Online Piracy Act
• Samsung announces a completely redesigned 'Galaxy Tab 10.1N' for the German Market
• China: corporate IP rights and foreign interests protection center to be established
• Thai intellectual property right application numbers
• Barnes & Noble requests an investigation into Microsoft's patent strategy by U.S. Department of Justice
• Assembly of Japan, U.S. and European Patent Office directors in France: calls for standardization of technical classification
• Damages from film piracy stand at 56.4 billion yen
• Amazon (U.S.) unveils free e-book lending service
• Copyright revenue in the U.S. exceeds 72 trillion yen - copyright industries "engine of growth for economy"
• Intellectual property rights and the TPP
• Regarding number of design registration applications in China
• Sony acquires full ownership of Sony Ericsson, obtains stocks for 1.05 billion euros
• U.S. company Mattel purchases Thomas the Tank Engine for approx. 51.8 billion yen
• Korean information: Apple and litigant Samsung to produce iPhone 5 processor
• Singapore: trends concerning Trademark system
• Microsoft concludes licensing agreement with Taiwanese vendor for Android devices, including Chrome OS
• Patent Prosecution Highway Pilot Program between Japan and China to commence on November 1, 2011
• Anti-counterfeiting Trade Agreement (ACTA) signing ceremony held
• Regarding Intellectual Property protection in China as reflected in railroad accident
• Regarding developments in Apple's law cases
• Regarding Apple and Samsung's dispute over patent infringement lawsuits
• Microsoft and Samsung conclude cross-license agreements, Microsoft to collect license fee for Android devices
• Microsoft and Casio conclude patent cross-license agreements concerning Linux, etc.
• Signs of court battle intensifying as Samsung considers trying to ban sales of iPhone 5
• Damage from patent trolls reaches 50 billion dollars
• Top-level negotiations between Google and Oracle fail to bring progress towards settlement
• Regarding alterations to European Community design product indications
• Google purchases over 1,000 additional patents from IBM
• At TPP IP negotiations, U.S.A. proposes measures for expanded access to medicines
• U.S. patent law reform to be enacted, President signs on September 16, 2011
• U.S. Senate passes Patent Act reform bill
• Microsoft and Acer conclude patent contract regarding Acer
• French MRAM-developing manufacturer buys NXP patent portfolio
• Openwave sues Apple and RIM over patent infringements
• Chile's accession to the Trademark Law Treaty takes effect
• YouTube reaches settlement with the NMPA, will distribute advertisement earnings to copyright owners
• Google reinforces Android through Motorola buy
• Interlink starts accepting reservations for .xxx domain for the purpose of trademark protection
• Google to digitize Hachette Livre’s French-language books
• Google (U.S.A.) criticizes Microsoft, etc. claims they “obstruct Android”
• Google obtains over 1,000 patents from IBM
• Louis Vuitton imitations most numerous among seized counterfeit brand products in Korea
• For the first time, software copyright registrations in China exceed 40,000 for first half of year
• Taiwan reduces design annuities
• Chinese high-speed railway files patent applications for Shinkansen technologies abroad
• India revises manual for examination of design applications
• Korea’s Fair Trade Commission to crack down on international cartels targeting Korean market
• Google to digitize 250,000 books from the British Library collection
• Does multi-touch belong to Apple?
• Design application trends in China
• Korea introduces amended Enforcement Decree of the Design Protection Act and amended Enforcement Regulations (April 1, 2011)
• Taiwan Trademark Law draft amendment approved
• Apple files application for trademark registration of “iCloud” in Europe
• U.S. Department of Justice examines Apple and Google with regard to Nortel patent bid
• Joint Patent Prosecution Highway between Japan and Sweden commences in June
• Microsoft CEO publicly criticizes China copyright infringements
• Proposal to minimize Internet regulations
• U.S. companies’ damages in 2009 due to IPR infringements in China amount to 48 billion dollars
• Start of registrations in the Korean-alphabet domain of “.한국（.korea）”
• China Internet Lab: use rate of pirated software in China is 12%
• Office of the United States Trade Representative (USTR) announces the 2011 Special 301 Report
• In China, world’s largest number of trademark applications for 2010 filed ; number of patent applications surpassed Japan’s to rank second globally
• U.S. Department of Justice limits purchase of Novell patents by Microsoft et. al.
• U.S. Cree and German OSRAM conclude crosslicense agreement with regard to LED-related patents
• YouTube to set up a copyright school for offenders
• Italy enforces trademark opposition proceedings
• Google to enhance its patent portfolio
• WIPO announces application numbers for 2010
• U.S. House of Representatives questions Google with regard to piracy countermeasures
• Number of applications filed with Europe's Community Trade Mark (CTM) and Registered Community Design (RCD) recovers
• China and EU announce intellectual property rights work project, intensified crackdown on piracy
• Apple files application for external battery patent
• Concerning the TPP summit for expansion negotiations: nine countries including U.S.A. unable to reach an accord on draft agreement
• Information regarding relief measures, etc. by Europe's Office of Harmonization for the Internal Market (OHIM)
• Malaysia amends its trademark regulations
• Apple Inc. files trademark application for Apple Corps’s apple logo in Europe
• U.S. Senate passes bill to review patent examination; a revision to implement the first-to-file rule after more than half a century
• USTR criticizes China's web search engine Baidu, Inc. in report
• India to withdraw mandatory submission of classified information on software
• 2010 rankings of numbers of trademark applications by foreign companies in Korea (Madrid System)
• MPEG LA looking for patents essential to VP8
• Ferrari takes Ford into consideration, changes name of new racer
• LG Electronics countersues Sony over patent infringement
• IBM and Samsung conclude a patent crosslicense agreement
• WIPO announces the number of 2010 international patent applications
• EU-Registered Designs and Trademarks
• Comic "ONE PIECE" also being used without authorization, pirate edition in App Store
• iPS cell patent rights made exclusive to Kyoto University; American company avoids disputes and accelerates development
• Montenegro revises its Trademark Law
• Microsoft challenges Apple’s trademark application for “App Store”
• IBM awarded greatest number of US patents for eighteenth year in a row, in 2010
• American company Amazon acquires patent for a service allowing people to refuse unwanted gifts and select other ones
• China-Japan talks on distribution to begin in March; trademark registration rules and other topics on the agenda
• TMview adds data on Bulgarian domestic trademark applications and registrations
• China to have world’s greatest number of patent applications in 2011
• A new revision of the Chinese Trademark Law: regulating malicious trademark registrations
• Chinese trademark registration applications expected to exceed 1 million
• Korea: revised guidelines on design protection law
• Google toughens up on copyright infringement
• China tops world trademark rankings
• Korean Army patents battle dress pattern, aims to shun unauthorized use
• India’s thriving generic medicine industry is under attack from the EU, claims leading NGO
• Pirated Chinese translation of Japanese best-selling novels available on Apple’s App Store
• Revised trademark law in Norway
• Domain name sex.com sold at auction for USD 13 million
• Chilean miner’s note from the underground granted copyright
• Free trade agreement covering IP matters between India and Malaysia
• Daimler unifies the IP departments of its Japanese subsidiaries
• Kyoto University and French pharmaceutical company sign first ever treatment-oriented licensing agreement over iPS cells
• JETRO releases Japanese translation of China IP laws
• Chinese company asked by Apple to stop producing iPhone look-alikes
• Microsoft signs patent licensing agreement with Access over smartphone technology
• Electronic filing of design applications in China
• Amazon obtains patent for paying book preview system
• Anti-Counterfeiting Trade Agreement between Japan, USA, Europe and others nearing finalization; China remains out
• Russia to join the WTO next year, following talks with the USA
• India adopts the 9th edition of the Nice Classification for trademarks(India)
• Toyoda Gosei and Epistar enter cross-license agreement over LED patents
• Osaka Customs disclosed disposal of IP rights infringing products.
• Negotiations will start for conclusion of treaty to tighten international control of trademark rights etc.
• Patent applications filed across the world showed growth of 2.6%.
• Uniloc sued 10 companies including Adobe.
• Peru has joined the Trademark Law Treaty
• Japanese university grants exclusive license to US company for patent over rare disease treatment
• Protection and utilization of IP rights discussed at APEC meeting
• Japan-Spain Patent Prosecution Highway to start in October 2010
• METI praises Chinese government’s new IP policy, collaborates on IP protection
• Chinese trademark law: SAIC issues examination guidelines for trademarks including the characters for “China” and for trademarks beginning with the character for “National”
• MPEG-LA extends its moratorium on AVC Patent Portfolio royalties
• Renesas and Acacia enter into a strategic alliance over patent licensing

International Legal Cases on Intellectual Property

• ZTE and Eriksson both withdraw patent litigation
• Samsung (Korea) loses case against Apple (U.S.) in first verdict in German courts
• Kodak (U.S.) brings lawsuit against Samsung (Korea) - seeks increase in revenue via application of patents
• Motorola "has not violated" Apple's patents - ITC provisional ruling
• Samsung fails to block sales of iPhone 4S in Italy
• Rambus and Broadcom reach settlements in patent infringement lawsuits, conclude 5-year licensing contract
• Apple sued over alleged violation of caller ID notification technology.
• German victory for Motorola in patent lawsuit against Apple
• Samsung vs. Apple patent war continues to fluctuate
• Apple loses lawsuit regarding 'iPad' trademark in mainland China
• Major LED Manufacturer Everlight Electric sues Nichia Corporation
• Ban on sales of Samsung tablet computers in Australia extended by one week
• Major semiconductor manufacturer NTC claims patents violated by Elpida, files lawsuit
• Apple has not violated S3 Graphics' patents - final ITC verdict
• Apple's "Slide to Unlock" obtains patent in the U.S.; impact on court battle with Samsung
• ITC provisional ruling: Apple has not infringed HTC patents
• CJ CheilJedang files lawsuit for invalidation of Viagra patent
• Request for injunction of sales against Apple products in the Netherlands dismissed
• LG Electronics (Korea) requests suspension of sales from BMW and Audi local offices
• VIA (Taiwan) sues Apple for patent infringement, probably related to A4 and A5 processors
• Apple files patent infringement lawsuit against Samsung in Japan
• Nichia files patent infringement lawsuit against Everlight in Japan
• Exhibition of Samsung-produced tablet computers suspended at German fair
• Apple obtains provisional order for injunction against Samsung smartphone sales in the Netherlands
• Apple demands injunction against GALAXY products in the Netherlands
• HTC sues Apple for patent infringement
• New Samsung Galaxy Tab sales may be resumed in Europe except for Germany
• ITC to examine Samsung in Apple patent infringement lawsuit
• Director George Lucas loses Star Wars-related case
• InterDigital files patent infringement lawsuit against Huawei and Nokia
• In Oracle Java lawsuit against Google, judge orders reduction of damage compensation
• U.S. ITC dismisses Apple’s appeal in Kodak patent infringement case
• ITC announces provisional decision in favor of Apple
• SAIC rejects Sanuki udon* trademark registration
• U.S. Apple checks Asian company over patent problems
• Concerning “App Store” trademark: Apple’s demand for provisional injunction against Amazon dismissed
• AU Optronics (Taiwan) files patent infringement countersuit against Samsung Electronics (Korea)
• Samsung Electronics (Korea) sues Apple (U.S.) in U.S. District Court over patent infringement
• Java patent infringement damage estimated at up to 6.1 billion dollars
• Dolby files lawsuits against Research in Motion for patent infringements, seeks injunction and monetary compensation regarding unlicensed Blackberry and Playbook devices
• Apple and Nokia reach settlement in patent dispute
• This time, Lodsys accuses Adidas, etc. of patent infringement
• U.S. Supreme Court determines that Microsoft should pay approx. 300 million dollars for Word patent infringements
• A settlement regarding Miffy and Kathy reached, legal expenses to be donated to the earthquake- and tsunami-affected areas
• Concerning LCD-related patents: Korea’s Samsung Electronics files lawsuit against Taiwan’s AU Optronics Corp. in the U.S.
• In trademark lawsuit, Apple asserts that “App Store” is not a general name
• ITC provisional decision: U.S. Kodak’s digital camera technology does not infringe Apple's patents
• Four companies including Microsoft oppose trademark registration of “App Store” in Europe
• Samsung Electronics files lawsuits against Apple for alleged iPad patent infringement
• Apple files lawsuit against Samsung, asserts that Galaxy infringes patent and trademark rights
• U.S. company files lawsuits against over one hundred companies (Apple, Microsoft, etc.) for patent infringements
• Apple and Microsoft use linguists in trademark dispute
• U.S. Apple files a suit against Amazon concerning App Store trademark infringement
• Microsoft files patent lawsuit concerning Android electronic book reader NOOK
• LCD patent infringement: Sony files a lawsuit against Korea's LG Electronics; U.S. ITC to conduct an investigation
• Concerning a patent suit filed by LG: Sony to resume shipment of PS3 to the Netherlands after provisional injunction was lifted
• Objection to Chinese company's "Imabari" trademark
• Characters resembling "Aomori" and apple pattern not acknowledged as a trademark in China
• Panasonic and U.S. Freescale reach a settlement in semiconductor patent dispute
• Kobe Steel, Ltd. wins lawsuit over trademark infringement concerning welding electrodes in Supreme Court of Thailand
• Kodak loses lawsuit on patent infringement in a provisional decision
• U.S. Apple files a lawsuit in the U.K. against Nokia concerning touchscreen scrolling patent
• Sony Ericsson accuses Clearwire of logo similarity, files a lawsuit for trademark infringement.
• Intel reaches settlement with NVIDIA and pays 1.5 billion dollars in a new license agreement
• United States Appeals Court overturns district court ruling ordering 250 million yen payment by Fujifilm over patent infringement
• Sony files against LG Electronics over patent infringement in smartphones—US news
• Opponent party of Otsuka Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd. appeals against patent suit regarding Otsuka Pharmaceutical’s “Abilify”
• Nokia sues Apple regarding British, French, and Dutch patents
• Taiwanese corporation’s trademark “Sanuki” annulled
• “Imabari Towel” not accepted for trademark registration in China
• US Supreme Court to review “Microsoft vs. i4i” infringement case
• Apple vs. Motorola: ITC launches its investigation of Motorola’s alleged infringement
• Otsuka Pharmaceutical earns court victory in infringement lawsuit over US drug patent
• Microsoft sues Motorola to obtain standard licensing fees
• Apple fights back with lawsuit against Motorola
• Sanrio to raise an objection against Dutch court decision over its character Cathy
• Astellas files lawsuit against Glenmark in the USA
• US jury orders individual to pay damages of USD 1,5 million for illegal music download
• Apple ordered to pay substantial damages in patent infringement case over iPhone interface
• Tessera takes Sony and Renesas to court for patent infringement
• Google calls for the dismissal of the Oracle lawsuit over Android
• Motorola sues Apple for patent infringement
• Apple vs. Nokia patent litigation battle expands into the UK
• Spanish Court dismisses claims that YouTube is responsible for infringing content
• OKI Data is infringing on Ricoh’s US patent, says ITC in preliminary ruling
• 3PAR, already caught in a bidding battle between HP and Dell, now faces patent infringement lawsuit
• Microsoft takes i4i’s patent infringement case to the Supreme Court
• Microsoft co-founder sues Apple, Google and others for patent infringement