Japan Patent Office Considers Reducing the Official Fees
The Japan Patent Office (JPO) has announced that they are considering of reducing the official fees to help reduce the financial burden on corporations with regard to patent matters.
The number of patent applications in Japan showed a slight decline from 2006 through 2008. In 2009, however, the number of applications was only 89.2 % of the previous year, which is a considerable drop. The JPO assumes that this significant decrease in the number of applications is due to the Lehman shock in the autumn of 2008 that affected the world economy and caused corporations to cut the budgets for patent related matters. Out of concern that the current situation may hinder innovation, the JPO thinks it is necessary to reduce the fees for filing Request for Examination, annuities, etc.
However, the reduction of official fees may create adverse effects such as rapid increase in the number of applications, prolongation of examination period, increase of unused patents, etc. The JPO says that they will formulate a well-balanced fee schedule so that the number of patent applications can recover without much adverse effects.