This is Hiro. I am participating in practical training in infringement litigation, which will be held a total of four times from the beginning of September to the end of November.
The aim of this training is to “train patent attorneys to be strong in infringement litigation, using materials arranged from actual infringement litigation cases so that even patent attorneys with no litigation experience can experience infringement litigation virtually”. I decided to participate in this training because I thought it would be perfect for me, as a registered patent attorney with supplementary qualifications, but with few opportunities to be involved in litigation.
In the first half of the training, participants were divided into several groups and carried out mock consultations, which were designed to simulate the drafting of complaints and other documents and strategy meetings with clients, and in the second half, the lecturers provided practical training by explaining the issues in infringement litigation based on recent court decisions, so that participants could acquire the knowledge and interpretation of the issues.
After each session, you will be asked to submit a draft of a complaint, a written response, or a plaintiff’s brief. If you submit these drafts, you will be able to receive feedback on your work from the lecturers at the next session, and you will also receive individual feedback on your work by email, which will be very helpful.
After the first training session, I dropped by the Japan Patent Office building, which is located close to the training venue (the Japan Patent Attorneys Association Hall). As it was a Saturday, there were no staff members there, but I felt a sense of urgency as I stood in front of the Japan Patent Office, which is deeply involved in my day-to-day work.
