IP NEWS:SOEI Patent & Law Firm

Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (METI) published Advanced Measures for Accelerating Reform toward Innovation (AMARI) in Patent Examination 2007 setting numeric targets for the expeditious and efficient examination of patent applications and a policy to achieve these targets.

Following four items are important for this plan:
1) Promote the global acquisition of patent rights and intellectual property protection
2) Make efforts to achieve the expeditious and efficient patent examinations
3) Promote strategic intellectual property management by companies
4) Enhance the support for intellectual property applications by the local medium and small companies

With respect to the above items, especially 1), METI set the following goals:
1) Cooperate with overseas patent offices
2) Promote international patent system harmonization
3)Enhance measures to combat counterfeiting in Asia

1) includes the early realization of the patent prosecution highway and assistance in establishing adequate intellectual property protection in developing countries in Asia.

2) includes determining the practicality of a standard format for patent applications filed before the trilateral offices - Japan, US, and Europe - and working towards early accession to the Patent Law Treaty.

3) includes seeking measures to counter counterfeit goods in cooperation with developed countries (Australia, Switzerland, etc.) through Economic Partnership Agreements (EPA) for the early realization of what is tentatively called a Counterfeit/Pirated Non-Proliferation Treaty.

For details, please refer to the following home page:
URL:http://www.jpo.go.jp/cgi/link.cgi?url=/torikumi/hiroba/sinsa_kaosku.htm
(Japanese only)