But when I actually came here, I found that it wasn’t like that at all.
There are people standing on the right side according to the rule which I had thought to be unbreakable, but there are also people standing on the left side, as well. And there are absolutely no old women poking people who stand on the left in their ribs with an umbrella!

I had been looking forward to the stand-on-the-right-side-rule, so it was a bit of a shock to me. My colleagues told me later that in Osaka they are pretty strict about it, but in Kyoto, you’re basically meant to stand on the right but it’s all very flexible and mostly decided by whichever side the person at the front stands on.
I wonder if that’s the way it is because of the many tourists from abroad who visit Kyoto? But anyway, I will definitely visit Osaka some time and experience the “absolutely right!” rule.

And I also look forward to finding these small ‘differences’ again.

However, usually the unexpected effect over the prior is not sufficiently supported in the specification.  As a result, invalidation of this kind of patent has been relatively easy if new prior art can be brought before the JPO.

Recently the IP High Court has become more patent friendly.  In keeping with this trend, the IP High Court did not consider whether the distinctive numerical limitation yielded the prominent unexpected effect when, on November 27, 2008, it found that the patent-in-suit should be maintained, overruling the JPO. In this case, the patented invention was directed to a process for creating a mud slurry by mixing construction soil from, for example, drilling during subway construction, with water, cement and so forth. The claimed process is different from the prior art in that the soil that is the main constituent of the slurry has been processed to contain approximately 55-65% water.  Although the prior art disclosed different water content percentages for the soil, the IP High Court found that the prior art itself did not suggest the idea of processing the main constituent to the appropriate condition (a water content of approximately 55-65%), and therefore the patented invention has an inventive step over the cited prior art.

Six members of Soei Patent & Law Firm applied to the race.
But as a result of the draw, only one member got to attend the race.
It is highly competitive. Surprisingly, the number of applicants was 8.9 times the number of participants!
What a lucky boy, Mr. Y!!

The race started at Tokyo Metropolitan Government Tower in Shinjuku,
The participants in Tokyo marathon ran through many tourist spots
like the Imperial Palace, the main street of Ginza, Kaminarimon at Senso-ji, and Tsukiji.
Then, the goal was Tokyo Big Cite at Tokyo-Bay area.
So you can enjoy Tokyo's various scenary just by watching a broadcast.

About two million people in Tokyo including
runners, volunteers, supporters, (and TV watchers?) attended the Tokyo Marathon.

Even though Tokyo Marathon has a short history,
it has become an established event in Tokyo.

The number of PCT applications is increasing in Japanese companies: Panasonic Corporation ranked at the top in the number of applications in 2009 by filing 1891 PCT applications (162 more applications than in 2008). NEC Corporation filed 1069 PCT applications (244 more applications than in 2008). Sharp Kabushiki Kaisha filed 997 PCT applications (183 more applications than in 2008). Canon Kabushiki Kaisha filed 401 PCT applications (121 more applications than in 2008). Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, LTD filed 373 PCT applications (158 more applications than in 2008). These Japanese companies appear to have strategically switched from filing foreign applications under the Paris Convention to filing PCT applications.

It appears that the nationalizations by Japanese companies via PCT route are likely to increase from now on, more than those via the Paris convention.

For details, please refer to the web page below:
International Patent Filings Dip in 2009 amid Global Economic Downturn
http://www.wipo.int/pressroom/en/articles/2010/article_0003.html

This is a “Dojima roll,” a very popular Swiss roll in Osaka.
It was in the news recently because of a dispute over its trademark, and Mr. K, the director of the Trademark and Designs Department, who is on a business trip to the Kansai area kindly decided to get one for us!
He said he just happened to pass by the main Dojima store, and was able to buy it waiting in line for only ten minutes. What a fruitful business trip!

So, we gratefully shared the roll among the members of the Kyoto office. It was full of whipped cream inside, but it had a light taste and went down very smoothly. One of our staff is preparing for his patent attorney examination, so we could have had a discussion about the use of trademarks, but we didn’t. Instead, we savored its delicious taste…

In fact, if you make an order in advance you can receive it at the store without having to queue up.

Thank you to Mr. K!

These are Konpeito (sugar candy) from Ryokujuan Shimizu.

It’s the only shop specializing in Konpeito in Japan. They are handmade here and it takes about 20 days to make.

What’s surprising when you first go into the shop is its wide variety of flavors. From the basic to the seasonal, you will see almost 50 different types of Konpeito being displayed.

There are even saki-flavored and brandy-flavored ones, and they let you try some of them, too.

Its size is large for a Konpeito, and when you crunch it up you can savor its lovely flavor. It also has a pleasant sweetness.

They are often used for wedding presents (to be given to guests at wedding ceremonies), and apparently if you keep them in a bottle they won’t go bad for 10, 20 years. At the shop, they’ve got 20-year vintage Konpeito.

It’s worth visiting as it’s fun just to have look!

Now it is February, so it is a little early for OHANAMI.
However, you can already enjoy seeing blooming trees in Tokyo.
The Japanese plum trees are blooming now.

Some parks around Tokyo are holding "the Plum Flowers Festival."
Compared to flowers of cherry-blossoms,
flowers of plums are smaller and are less in volume.
But I think they have more beautiful colors, brilliant pink and deep reddish pink.
When you see blooming plum flowers, you will admire the view of them.

I am planning to visit UMEMATSURI, and to enjoy the Japanese beauty.
I really hope it will be fine weather this weekend!

You can get some information of UMEMATSURI from the web page below;
http://gojapan.about.com/od/japanesefestivals/tp/Plum_Festivlas_in_Japan.htm

Sakamoto Ryōma (1836-1867), a legendary figure in the Meiji Restoration, has recently become popular in Japan.

Meiji Restoration is a revolution that overthrew the government under the Edo shogunate which enforced national isolation policy (Edo period: 1603-1868) and brought a modern Japanese government under the imperial rule (Meiji period: 1868-1911). To overthrow the Edo shogunate, Sakamoto Ryōma negotiated the alliance between Chōshū and Satsuma provinces. He also founded the first company in Japan (Kameyamashachū) which imported weapons. Such achievements greatly contributed to the realization of the Meiji Restoration.

Amidst this time background, in 1871, the patent system in Japan started under the new government. However, it did not fit with the society at the time and was abolished after a year. Then, “Patent Monopoly Act” was issued in 1885 and the first patent system substantially started in Japan. The trademark system started in 1884, the design system started in 1888, and the utility model system started in 1905.

In 1890, a new system that required the applicants to file applications through their representatives was implemented. At this time, anyone was allowed to be a representative. Then, the rule was changed in 1909; the new role stipulated that the procedures for an application to be filed before the Japan Patent Office must be handled by patent attorneys. Thus, our patent attorney’s system was born. Last year on July 1 (national day of patent attorneys), “110th year anniversary ceremony for the patent attorney’s system” was held in Tokyo.

If Sakamoto Ryōma’s contributions to the Meiji Restoration did not exist, our current patent system might not have developed as fast as it had done.

This hot spring is actually for the monkeys in Kyoto City Zoo. I’m afraid we humans are only allowed to watch and can’t join in.
It seems the hot water is brought over from a nearby public bath. They don’t have any heating facilities at the zoo to keep the hot spring warm, so I guess the hot water soon turns cold. I hope the monkeys don’t get too cold afterwards.

You can see a picture on the web page below(Mainichi.jp):

http://mainichi.jp/select/wadai/news/20100112k0000m040045000c.html

The forecast was right - it was the first snowy day in this winter.

Snow in Tokyo is so rare. It comes about once a year.

However, Japan has an elongated land area from north to south,
so the north area of Japan has a lot of snow all winter long.

So some Japanese people enjoy winter sports.

Soei Patent & Law Firm has a club called "Soei Snow Club."
Last week, they traveled to Hokkaido, which is a nothernmost prefecture in Japan.

A member said, "It was so, so cold! and the snow there was beautiful and powdery.
We really enjoyed skiing and snowboarding."

You can see a breathtaking scenery in the northern area like Hokkaido and Tohoku.
In fact, these areas are getting popular among foreign tourists.

Even though it is very cold, it is worthwhile to visit there in winter,
If you have a chance, I really recommend to go on a trip to the North!

I guess most people will think of Japanese sweets like nama-yatsuhashi (traditional cinnamon-flavored sweets) when they hear Kyoto, but there are some pastry shops that make great cakes.

Arinco Vanilla Rolls could make you addicted. It seems a lot of egg white is used for the sponge and it just looks pure snow white. The springy texture is also the key.

And the whipped cream inside tastes more like a rich cream with the full flavor of milk, than vanilla. It goes superbly with the springy sponge! I don’t normally eat sweets that much but my wife and I ate a whole roll between us (LOL).

Why not try one?

ARINCO:http://www.arincoroll.jp/

In the same meeting, the Trilateral Offices agreed to begin a pilot program in the Patent Prosecution Highway (PPH) framework utilizing PCT work products (international search reports, written opinions, and international preliminary examination reports).

This will allow the Trilateral Offices to share more work with each other in the examination and expedite the procedures for acquiring intellectual property rights.

For details, please refer to the web pages below:
http://www.jpo.go.jp/torikumi_e/t_torikumi_e/pph_pct/pct_e.htm
http://www.jpo.go.jp/torikumi_e/t_torikumi_e/highway_pilot_program_e.htm
http://www.jpo.go.jp/torikumi_e/t_torikumi_e/pph_epo/eigo.htm

[Adviser]

Mr. Saito graduated from Tokyo National University of Fine Arts and Music. He has been Of Counsel at SOEI since 2006.
He held many senior positions in the Japan Patent Office including Appeal Examiner, Director of Design Division and Director of the Board of Appeal. He was a member of the Unfair Competition Prevention Law Committee of Industrial Structure Council, and a Design member of Industrial Property Council. He was also involved in drafting amendments to the Unfair Competition Prevention Law and the Design Law. He is the author of one of the most famous books on Japanese Design Law, “General Observations on Design Law.” He is now unregistered as a patent attorney as of December, 2009,
but still works as an adviser making use of his abundant experience.

When making foreign applications for the national phase of PCT applications or for Paris route applications, it’s necessary to translate the Japanese specification into English or other languages. Naturally, it’s important to make a good translation, but you could also try to prepare a specification which is easy to translate from the start.

To construct sentences that are easy to translate into English, they say you should try not to omit the subject. I guess it means to keep to the SVO sentence structures of English.

But as the linguist Akira Mikami points out using the example sentence “the elephant has a long trunk (Zoo wa Hana ga Nagai),” the Japanese language is structured in a way that doesn’t require a subject. And so, if you try to write a sentence in Japanese by expressing all the subjects according to the rules of English, you will probably end up with a very unnatural sentence. In other words, if you try to write in a way so that it’s easy to translate, the beauty of Japanese writing will be lost and you will end up with an awkward sentence which sounds as if it’s been badly translated from English.
But, personally, when writing a specification of a patent application, I believe that priority should be given to writing sentences that are easy to translate correctly rather than writing beautiful Japanese.

This will allow for more innovation for the environmental cause and strengthen the green infrastructure in the society.

For details, please refer to the web page below:
http://www.jpo.go.jp/cgi/link.cgi?url=/torikumi/t_torikumi/souki/greensouki.htm