PATENTS
Patents/utility models
June Issue [Legal] Newsletter About the current status of protection of trademarks related to virtual space in each country We will introduce the survey on the current status of protection of trademarks in virtual space in each country and the trends of trademark applications conducted by the Japan Patent Office in 2024.
June Issue [General] Newsletter Results of the 2024 Survey on Technology Trends in Patent Applications by Field The Japan Patent Office selects technology themes that are expected to develop in the future, focusing on fields where new markets are expected to be created and fields that should be promoted as national policies, and conducts surveys on technology trends in patent applications. Patent information provides the latest information on the results of research and development at companies, universities, etc.
May Issue [Legal Affairs] Newsletter The Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications has published "Illegal Information Guidelines" for large-scale platform operators. On April 2025, 4, the "Information Distribution Platform Countermeasures Act" (commonly known as the "Information Distribution Platform Act"), which partially amended the Provider Liability Limitation Act, came into effect. The Information Distribution Platform Act is intended to deal with illegal and harmful information on the Internet, such as slander.
May Issue [General] Newsletter Selection of new priority areas for intellectual property support The Japan Patent Office, the National Center for Industrial Property Information and Training (INPIT), the Japan Patent Attorneys Association, the Japan Chamber of Commerce and Industry, and the Small and Medium Enterprise Agency have formed the "Intellectual Property Management Support Network" to strengthen and enhance intellectual property management support for small and medium-sized enterprises and to work to improve the earning power of local areas.
April Issue [Legal] Newsletter Japan Patent Office publishes Japan-Taiwan Similar Group Code Conformance Table The Japan Patent Office has published the Japan-Taiwan Similar Group Code Conformance Table (compatible with the Nice Classification [12th Edition] 2025). The Japan-Taiwan Similar Group Code Conformance Table is a list showing the correspondence between similar group codes used in trademark examinations in Japan and Taiwan.
April Issue [General] Newsletter The Japan Patent Office will exhibit at the Osaka-Kansai Expo The Japan Patent Office has set up a "Special Site for the 2025 Osaka-Kansai Expo" on its website. The title above is a declaration that is prominently displayed there. More information will be posted in due course, and at present the planned dates (Thursday, October 2, 2025 - January 2, 2025) are as follows:
March Issue [General] Newsletter US Patent Acquisition Ranking The United States Intellectual Property Owners Association (IPO) has announced its ranking of patent acquisitions by companies in 2024. According to the IPO, 324,042 patents will be issued in 2024 (a 4% increase from the previous year). In the ranking, Samsung Electronics
March Issue [Legal Affairs] Newsletter Japan Patent Office holds first regional collective trademark sales event In order to further popularize the regional collective trademark system, the Japan Patent Office will hold the first regional collective trademark sales event, "Discover the Charm! Regional Brand Festa," in the event space inside the ticket gates of Tokyo Station. The event will run from Friday, February 28, 2025 to Sunday, March 2, 2025.
February Issue [General] Newsletter "Global Intellectual Property Strategy Forum 2025" will be held The "Global Intellectual Property Strategy Forum 2025" will be held on February 21, 2025 at Kanda Square Hall in Tokyo, co-hosted by the Japan Patent Office and the National Center for Industrial Property Information and Training (INPIT).
February Issue [Legal Affairs] Newsletter Agency for Cultural Affairs: Announcement of project to support individual creators in exercising their rights against copyright infringement on the Internet In recent years, the increase in cases of copyright infringement, including pirated copies, and cases of suspected infringement on the Internet has caused great damage to individuals who hold copyrights ("individual creators").