intellectual property

Discovery of Client Products

  • 2023年05月29日
#intellectual property #trademark

Last week, I went to a large hospital near my workplace for my company’s regular medical checkup. My least favorite part of the checkup is the blood draw. I didn’t want to see the needle being inserted or the blood being drawn, so I distracted myself by looking at the box on the table. The box contained antiseptic cotton for use prior to needle insertion. I looked carefully at the lid of the box and saw that it was a product called ” Alwety ” made by Osaki Medical Co., Ltd.

Osaki

Osaki Medical Co., Ltd. manufactures and sells many products for medical and nursing care, and its products are spread not only in Japan but also in other countries.
Our firm assists in applying for trademark registration of product names and logos. They have an intellectual property department that is getting a lot of attention on TV, and we hope that they will continue to develop products that will benefit the world. （Rabbit)

Osaki Medical Co., Ltd. Website
https://www.osakimedical.co.jp/en/
Alwety Product List
https://www.osakimedical.co.jp/products/csm002_005/
Alwety Public Gazette
https://www.j-platpat.inpit.go.jp/c1800/TR/JP-2002-099430/71176628B80000F0995BB36A0268F1A8EE61E4D09020C19E207F14D4754953D5/40/en

Manga Guide to “Intellectual Property” Work

  • 2023年05月17日
#intellectual property #patent attorney

　The TV drama “Copy That?” was introduced on our blog some time ago. Have you been watching it?

　I watch it every week. By the way, I rarely watch TV dramas. I started watching it “just in case” because I work at a patent firm, but the content was more elaborate and interesting than I expected, and now I even record it every week to watch it (laugh). Personally, I have also learned the difference in perspective between a corporate IP department and a patent firm.

　I started reading the original novels (1 and 2) after watching the drama, and a comicalized version has already been published. It seems to be free to read so far. It looks like the original novel has been shrunk down so much that it can be read in no time at all. If you have read the novel, you may want to put the comicalized version off.

　In the vein of introducing the comicalized version of “Copy That?”, I would like to introduce another work that gives you a taste of “intellectual property” work in manga form.

　One such work is the manga “Heavy Guard,” published by the Japan Patent Attorneys Association (JPAA). Unlike “Copy That?” which is from the perspective of a corporate intellectual property department, this one depicts the daily work of a patent attorney from the perspective of a patent firm. Hirokane Production, well known for its “Kosaku Shima” series, is in charge of the artwork. So far, up to the 6th episode has been released, and each episode is divided into a first part and a second part, making it a fast-paced read. Its manga has more technical terms than “Copy That?” but it is not lacking in annotations.

　Although it is different from “Copy That?” and “Heavy Guard” which are easy-to-read manga works for general readers, the JPO has published a manga called “Manga Examination Criteria – AI/IoT Edition –”. This is a “cartoon of the basic concept of patent examination standards” with the “desire to familiarize non-patent experts with patent examination” and so on. The JPO hopes that “those who are interested in fields other than AI/IoT-related technologies” will also find the manga useful, since “the basic concept of patent examination is common to other fields as well”.

　The JPO has also published a manga, “History of Intellectual Property”. It introduces historical episodes of patents, designs, trademarks, etc., and features Korekiyo Takahashi, the first Commissioner of the Patent Office, as well as Japan’s ten greatest inventors. Local libraries have learning manga for children that feature inventions and discoveries, and this one is designed to be read in the same way.
(blink)

The Corona Era and the Common University Entrance Test

  • 2023年05月01日
#intellectual property

　More than three years have passed since the era known as the Corona Disaster began in the latter half of January 2020; January 2020 was also the time when the last National Center Test for University Admissions was held. The following year, in 2021, the National Center Test for University Admissions was replaced by the Common University Entrance Test, and the third test was held in January of this year. As if in step with the Corona Era, the Common University Entrance Test has been conducted year after year.

　This year, Question 7 of the first question in Contemporary Society asked about appropriate policies regarding the relationship between patent rights related to drugs developed in developed countries for the treatment of “certain intractable diseases” and the use of such drugs in developing countries.

Excerpt from the question

　Developed countries have developed a cure for a certain intractable disease and the number of deaths has decreased significantly, whereas developing countries cannot afford to purchase the expensive cure, nor can they pay the high patent fees and manufacture it in their own countries. (omitted)
　Patent protection is important for developers of therapeutic drugs to recover the huge amount of money invested in new drug development and to conduct new research and development. (omitted) A policy of [ ] is appropriate to make therapeutics available now to people in developing countries without harming the interests of patent holders.

The correct choices to put in [ ] are as follows

　International organizations such as the World Health Organization use funds contributed by developed countries and philanthropic organizations to purchase therapeutic drugs and supply them to developing countries

　Although the question blurs the term “a certain incurable disease,” it is clear that the questioner is thinking of the coronavirus. It is assumed that this question was created based on the “Unit-Aid” concept, which was reportedly proposed by then Prime Minister Abe and considered by the G7 in May 2020.

https://www.yomiuri.co.jp/politics/20200622-OYT1T50161/ (Japanese only)
https://www.sankei.com/article/20200704-WRHVX2QXPROZVOZWJZ3BIGAXDU/ (Japanese only)

　Two and a half years have passed since the event in the real world, and the question may have been posed at a time when the evaluation of the options has become socially established. As someone involved in intellectual property, I would be happy if the examination questions like this could help students to take an interest in the patent system. (Conan)

　(Note) The illustration is an image and has nothing to do with the questions of the Common University Entrance Test.

Work of “Intellectual Property”

  • 2023年04月26日
#design #intellectual property #patent #trademark #utility model

The TV Drama series “Isn’t that Plagiarism?” has started!
I have been looking forward to the drama even more after reading the original novel. I am writing this article after the first episode aired, but I am very much looking forward to the future development of the drama as it has been reconstructed for the drama and there are many parts that differ from the original story from the very first episode. I was impressed by the lines “patents are a battle of words” and “the job of intellectual property is to protect the crystallization of someone else’s sweat and tears”.

In the first episode of the drama, the company where the main character works does not yet have an intellectual property department (IP department). How will the activities of the newly established IP department be depicted in the second and subsequent episodes? I think the content will be realistic as it is supervised by a patent attorney, so you will be able to gain knowledge that you can learn while enjoying the drama.

The original story has a subtitle “The Work of a New Intellectual Property Department Employee”.
I think it will help those companies that do not have an IP department but have a development department or a general affairs department that is concurrently in charge of IP. We would like to better understand the role of the IP department at our firm and utilize this information to provide services that are needed by our customers.

Isn't that Plagiarism? Isn't that Plagiarism?

By the way, the JPO also paid attention to this drama and tweeted about it.
It seems that they also cooperated in the filming of the drama, and you can see places that are not usually seen at the JPO. This is also noteworthy♪ (Cacao)

https://www.ntv.co.jp/sorepaku/original/ (Japanese only)
https://shueisha.online/culture/121224 (Japanese only)
http://www.jipa.or.jp/coffeebreak/hitokoto/hito2303.html (Japanese only)
https://twitter.com/jpo_NIPPON/status/1645696954343788545

Fuku-Can and Good Luck Charms

  • 2022年03月02日
#design #intellectual property #patent #trademark #utility model

One of the stores I like to stop by regularly is MUJI. While I have a variety of favorite products, I was able to buy the pre-ordered “Fuku-Can (Fortune Can)” for the first time last year, which I had been curious about for a long time. This year, I won the lottery and was able to buy one.

The “Fuku-Can” has a gift card with an amount equal to the purchase price (2,022 yen this year) and Japanese lucky charms in it. There are cute and interesting lucky charms in the can, and it’s fun just to look at the enclosed flyer that introduces them on both sides. It is also an opportunity to become familiar with Japanese culture rooted in the region.

This year marks the 10th anniversary of Fuku-Can, which was launched on New Year’s Day 2012 with 14 kinds of lucky charms from four prefectures in Tohoku, with the intention of supporting Tohoku’s recovery from the earthquake.
“CREATIVE IMAGINATION” exhibition was held at ATELIER MUJI GINZA in Ginza to celebrate the 10th anniversary the other day. I would have loved to drop by if it was close by.

Now, a search on J-PlatPat shows that there are 94 trademarks that hit the keyword “mujirushi ryouhin”. All of them are already registered. A search for the company name “Ryohin Keikaku” shows 224 trademarks, 368 designs, and 40 patents and utility models, indicating that the company is making extensive use of intellectual property.

Fuku-Can and Good Luck Charms

The photo shows the lucky charms that were included in last year’s and this year’s Fuku-Can. (I bought two of each).
From left to right, Kyoto City’s “Kyoto Ceramic Doll Koban (Ox),” Iwaki City, Fukushima Prefecture’s “Fukutaro,” Setouchi City, Okayama Prefecture’s “Oku Hariko (Tiger),” and Tamana County, Kumamoto Prefecture’s “Mud Mask (4 pieces).
The cans can also be used as pen holders, and I’m sure I’ll be collecting them every year♪ (Cacao)

CREATIVE IMAGINATION| ATELIER MUJI | 無印良品

Importance of checking properly

  • 2021年10月13日
#copyright #intellectual property

I saw illustrations in which the interesting image processing application was used, were shared on SNS that I use personally. The app is free to use and looks very fun so I wanted to try and use it. However, when I looked at the privacy section of the application store and the reputation on the internet, the terms said that the copyright, intellectual property rights, other rights of the pictures and images you drew are given to the sales company and the affiliated companies of the app so I decided not to download it.

This kind of wording can be seen in other apps, and it may be an unnecessary worry, but I think it’s best to be careful because the data you created may be used by third parties. (Swimmer)

Center Test (the Common Test for University Admissions) and Intellectual Property

  • 2021年07月07日
#intellectual property

Is knowledge of intellectual property useful for college entrance exams? In the modern society of the 2020 Center Test, there was a question 5 of the 4th question section to select the most appropriate description of the concept and legal system related to modern information and communication technology from four options. It was something like this:
“③ In Japan, there is no court specializing in cases related to intellectual property.”
Since Japan has the Intellectual Property High Court (established in 2005), this option is incorrect.

In a high school “information” textbook, in the section “Law in the Information Society” in the chapter “Society Supported by Information Systems”, industrial property rights (patent rights, utility model rights, design rights, and trademark rights) and an overview of copyright are given. “Information” is not an examination subject at present, but in March this year, it was announced that “Information” will be added to the subjects of the Center Test in 2025 and onwards.

https://www3.nhk.or.jp/news/html/20210324/k10012933181000.html (Japanese Only)

This may increase the interest of general high school students in intellectual property rights to some extent. However, in the “Information” sample questions presented by the National Center for University Entrance Examinations, basic communication knowledge, programming, and statistical processing questions are selected. In common tests, where the ability to think is more important than memorizing knowledge, it seems that the possibility of intellectual property rights knowledge questions being selected is basically low. However, if public interest in intellectual property increases depending on national policies, the tendency to ask questions may also be affected. (Conan)

Anniversary associated with Intellectual Property

  • 2021年03月24日
#intellectual property #patent #patent attorney

The theme is “Introduction to Intellectual Property”, but today I would like to introduce anniversaries related to intellectual property.
First, I would like to ask you a question. How many do you know?

April 18, Invention Day (Japan)
April 23, World Book Day / Copyright Day (UNESCO)
April 26, World Intellectual Property Day (World Intellectual Property Organization)
July 1, Patent Attorney’s Day (Japan)
July 22, Copyright System Day (Japan)
August 1, Aichi Invention Day (Aichi Prefecture)
August 14, Exclusive Patent Day (Japan)
November 18, Music Copyright Day (Japan)

It seems that there are many anniversaries in April and the hot season for some reason. Looking overseas, there is Inventor’s Day. In the United States, for example, Thomas Edison’s birthday is Inventor’s Day.

April is coming soon. This year too, the day of invention, the day of world intellectual property rights, will come. In Japan, every year, one week including Invention Day is designated as Science and Technology Week. It may be a good idea to think about inventions and science in this season when the weather is getting better. (blink)

Related URL
Invention Day (April 18) (Japanese)
World Book and Copyright Day (April 23)
Saint George’s Day (April 23, reference)
Children’s Reading Day (April 23, reference) (Japanese)
World Intellectual Property Day (April 26)
Patent Attorney’s Day (July 1) (Japanese)
Copyright System Day (July 22) (Japanese)
Aichi Invention Day (August 1) (Japanese)
Exclusive Patent Day (August 14) (Japanese)
Music Copyright Day (November 18)
Inventor’s Day
Science and Technology Week (Japanese)

Work experience at a patent office

  • 2021年03月19日
#intellectual property #patent #patent attorney

At KidZania Tokyo, where children can experience work, “patent office” will open for a limited time!
This is a limited event from March 19th to 25th during “Patent Attorneys Week” held by the Japan Patent Attorneys Association and the planning and management company of KidZania.
It will be the first time that a work experience of a “patent attorney” has appeared in KidZania.
Participant will become a “patent attorney”, receive a request from the “invention workshop”, create patent application documents as an agent, and confirm the examination result at the “patent office satellite office”. A registration certificate will be issued, and the participant can take it home as a deliverable.
As a person working at a patent firm, I hope that children will have fun learning about intellectual property and the role of patent attorneys. (Cacao)

＜Reference Website＞
KidZania Tokyo news page (translated into English)
KidZania Tokyo Official Site｜A Real City for Kids! (English)

Muscle Training with Power Ball

  • 2020年11月11日
#intellectual property #patent #utility model

There have been less opportunities to do exercise or muscle training, I purchased an easy-to-use training equipment.
It is called a “Power Ball” or “Wrist Ball” and is used by holding with one hand.

It has a double structure of a ball and an outer ball that wraps it, and after winding a power spring to start the ball, turning the wrist to match the rotation of the ball will increase the number of rotations of the ball. , The gyro effect creates a force that causes the outer ball to move. By countering that force, you can strengthen your muscles.

Depending on how you hold it, you can train from your fingertips to your upper arm, but unlike training equipment such as dumbbells, you can train without overloading your muscles. Because it is small, there is no need to worry about the storage space. There is also a function to change the color and emit light according to the number of rotations, and to display the number of rotations and rotation speed.

When I opened the attached instruction manual, there was the word “patent”.

I haven’t seen many products with numbers lined up by country. It seems that 3 cases are registered in Japan. When I searched for Japanese numbers on J-PatPat, all three were registered as utility models. (Syszo)

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