The Chinese firm had apparently chosen the trademark classification covering towels.

Now JASRAC (Japanese Society for Rights of Authors, Composers and Publishers) has formally begun a further step in its mission to enforce copyright in a range of public space.

JASRAC, Japanese Society for Rights of Authors, Composers and Publishers, is again facing criticism. Recently it has received pushback from music schools and other establishments that use music...

Japanese tire company Bridgestone (headquartered in Tokyo) announced a victory over patent infringement by a Chinese tire maker in China's Shanghai Intellectual Property Court.

The Japan Patent Office (JPO) continues to open up avenues for patent examination result sharing with the Patent Prosecution Highway (PPH) for markets around the globe.

The Japan Patent Office (JPO) continues to expand its Patent Prosecution Highway (PPH) network with pilot programs initiated with the INPI of Brazil and Argentina, respectively, from April 1, 2017.

Kikkoman Corporation, a major producer of soy sauce in Japan, succeeded with its trademark application for its well-known sauce dispensing bottle.

The Japanese government's Subcommittee on the Patent Act System has been working on revisions to the patent litigation system in Japan since October last year

Applicants may want to file an Amendment to a Japanese patent application for a variety of reasons. However, it is important to be aware of the deadline when an amendment has to reach the JPO.

Is it possible to reinstate a lapsed application in Japan?

Applicants wonder about filing pre-examination amendments (for example, to delete claims) for the Japanese national stage of their Patent Cooperation Treaty (PCT) international applications.

Japanese translations of technical patent documents can be very costly. Are they necessary? Here are some possible ideas applicants may have to save money–and the risks associated with them.

The Japanese Trademark Act has been revised as of May 30. The changes force all divisional trademark registration applications filed from June 9, 2018 to stem ...

The Japanese Society for Rights of Authors, Composers and Publishers (JASRAC) is known for being strict, even (some would say) overbearing with those who perform music that is covered by...

In 2017, the JPO had been trying to institute a system of Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) to force patent owners and prospective licensees to reach positive resolution when negotiations failed.

The JPO published its JPO Status Report 2018 recently, including reports on the JPO's activities in promoting IP domestically and globally. Its "Facts and Events 2017" section highlights some of the standards in examination.

In spring 2018, Japan implemented a Revision to Unfair Competition Prevention Act that includes a change to the disclosure grace period (exception to lack of novelty of invention period) for filers of Japanese patent, ...

Japanese paperwork is exacting and precise. What happens, then, if you are an applicant or patent owner and your address as registered by the JPO is incorrect or outdated? Do you lose patent rights in Japan if the address on the Certificate of Patent is wrong?

In another article, we discussed how to fix various substantive errors in the description of a PCT application when entering the Japanese national phase

A patent's duration is fairly standard in Japan: 20 years from the filing date.