Post Issuance Proceedings In Japan (Presentation)

Japanese police have arrested an alleged first uploader on Nyaa, the torrent index at the heart of anime piracy, marking a strategic shift from blocking sites to targeting source distributors. Using attribution tools developed under CODA's Cross-Border Enforcement Project, investigators identified and detained a Kanagawa resident suspected of seeding an NHK drama and numerous other works. This case signals a new enforcement approach focused on chokepoints in the distribution chain rather than endless domain

The Japan Patent Office's 2026 Status Report reveals a significant 17% surge in patent applications driven by an unusual December filing spike, while registration rates and examination timelines remain stable.

This case concerns the similarity of characters that appear in online games. Although several characters were the subject of this litigation, the court ruled...

Each country has its own patent practice. The Japanese patent practice also has some unique aspects.

In this article, we will clarify the current status and challenges of technology transfer at Japanese universities, focusing on TLOs, and how research results at universities are utilized.

. . . However, the qualifying language, "unmodified existing," proved to be an unfortunate choice of words. . . .

On May 27, 2025, the Intellectual Property High Court of Japan awarded plaintiff Toray Industries, Inc. ("Toray") ¥21.76 billion (US$151 million; €133 million) in damages for patent infringement by defendants Sawai Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd. ("Sawai") and Fuso Pharmaceutical Industries, Ltd. ("Fuso").

Over the past several months, a debate over a website hosting free (pirated) manga (Japanese comic) content, Mangamura("Manga Village") and similar sites.

In Cytiva BioProcess R&D AB v. JSR Corp., No. 2023-2074, the Federal Circuit addressed obviousness challenges to multiple patents related to affinity chromatography, clarifying when a "lead compound" inquiry may be substituted with an "obvious-to-try" analysis and when the presence of inherent properties may obviate the need to demonstrate a reasonable expectation of success.

Because Japan applies a strict first-to-file rule, opportunistic filers often racing to register brands before the rightful owners can act. If you don't secure protection early, you risk rebranding...