PATENTS
Patents/utility models
April Issue [General] Newsletter The 6th Japan-ASEAN Patent Experts Meeting was held in Singapore on March 6th, with the Japan Patent Office (JPO) and the Intellectual Property Offices of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) member states participating. This meeting was the first to be held in person. At this meeting, as in the previous year, the focus was on the "pharmaceutical and biotechnology fields."
April Issue [Legal Affairs] Newsletter: "Unmanaged Copyright Arbitration System" to Begin in April 2026. The unmanaged copyright arbitration system will begin in April 2026. The previous arbitration system for cases where the rights holder is unknown was applicable when "it is unknown who the rights holder is or where they are," but the new system will provide relief in cases where "the copyright holder's contact information is known but they are not responding."
March Issue [Legal] Newsletter Ministry of Finance Announces "Status of Enforcement of Customs Law Violations by Customs Offices Nationwide in 2025" On February 17, 2026, the Ministry of Finance announced the status of enforcement of Customs Law violations detected by customs offices nationwide at airports, ports, etc. in 2025 (Reiwa 7).
March Issue [General] Newsletter Meeting between Parliamentary Vice-Minister of Industry, Commissioner of the Japan Patent Office and Deputy Commissioner of Patent Technology and Director General of WIPO On January 29, 2026, a meeting was held between Daren Tang, Director General of the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO), and Parliamentary Vice-Minister of Economy, Trade and Industry Ochi.
February Issue [Legal] Newsletter Japan Patent Office publishes "Explanation of Classification of Goods and Services [Compatible with International Classification 13-2026 Edition]" In January 2026, the Japan Patent Office published "Explanation of Classification of Goods and Services [Compatible with International Classification 13-2026 Edition]". This document aims to help users understand the classification of goods and services and their indication in trademark registration.
February Issue [General] Newsletter G7 Heads of IP Office Conversation Held On Friday, December 12, 2025, the heads of intellectual property offices of the G7 member countries (G7 IP offices) gathered together in an online conference format for the G7 Heads of IP Office Conversation. Italy
January Issue [Legal] Newsletter New Year's Greetings Happy New Year! Last year, while Israel's attacks on the Gaza Strip in Palestine came to an end, we saw an intensification of Russia's invasion of Ukraine, intensifying international friction between China and Japan over the Taiwan issue, and President Trump's high tariffs and US First policy.
January Issue [General] Newsletter New Year's Greetings Happy New Year! Last year, while Israeli attacks on the Gaza Strip in Palestine came to an end, we saw an intensification of Russia's invasion of Ukraine, intensifying international friction between China and Japan over the Taiwan issue, and President Trump's high tariffs and US First policy.
December Issue [Legal] Newsletter Amendments to the Madrid Agreement Regulations (effective November 1, 2025) Amendments to the regulations under the Protocol relating to the Madrid Agreement Concerning the International Registration of Marks have been adopted and will come into effect on November 1, 2025. The summary of the amendments is as follows: 1. When making various applications after international registration, the email addresses of the holder and licensee will be required.
December Issue [General] Newsletter EPO Guidelines 2026 The Working Group on Guidelines (WP/G), part of the Advisory Committee of the Assistants to the President of the European Patent Office (SACEPO), met on 14 October 2025 to develop guidelines for the European Patent Convention (EPC), the EPO Procedure under the Patent Cooperation Treaty (PCT-EPO) and the Unitary Patent (UP).