PATENTS
Patents/utility models
May Issue [Legal Affairs] Newsletter: Update to "Overview of the Design Accelerated Examination and Accelerated Trial System" In March 2026, the Japan Patent Office's website, "Overview of the Design Accelerated Examination and Accelerated Trial System," was updated. We have previously covered this system in our newsletter, but that only covered the accelerated examination aspect. This time, the Japan Patent Office website has been updated.
May Issue [General] Newsletter Examiner Consultations with the Korea Intellectual Property Office and the European Patent Office The Japan Patent Office (JPO) has been conducting examiner consultations with foreign intellectual property offices for many years. These consultations are conducted between the JPO and foreign intellectual property offices, through discussions between examiners from both sides regarding methods for prior art document searches and examination practices, thereby fostering trust.