patent

A patented invention to prevent customer harassment

  • 2024年12月11日
#patent

　This article introduces a patented invention that uses scientific methods to solve the problem of customer harassment.

　In the invention of Japanese Patent No. 7164793 “Speech Processing System, Speech Processing Device, and Speech Processing Method” (patent holder: SoftBank Corp.), a speech signal from a customer speaking to a call center operator is recognized by a speech processing device. If a specific word sequence is detected in the speech signal that insults the listener, denies the listener’s character, or otherwise makes the listener feel uncomfortable, the specific word sequence is removed or replaced with another word sequence. In addition, the customer’s emotions are evaluated, and if the anger level is high, a synthesized voice with suppressed emotions is output. This reduces the stress on the operator.

customer harassment

　In the invention of Japanese Patent No. 7384558 “Harmful Behavior Detection System and Method” (patent holder: Hitachi Systems, Ltd.), for example, the harmful behavior detection system detects and supports responses to harmful behavior such as malicious complaints from customers to store staff in stores. If a shop assistant receives a malicious complaint from a customer, the information terminal will detect words that indicate the possibility of harmful behavior from the voice data that has been recognized by voice recognition, and send it to the server. The server will make a judgment regarding the status of the malicious complaint, and if the degree of the malicious complaint is high, a security guard will be dispatched immediately.

customer harassment

　In Tokyo, the Customer Harassment Prevention Ordinance will come into effect on April 1st, 2025. It is hoped that providers of goods and services and customers (consumers) will respect each other’s positions, and that a fair and sustainable society free from customer harassment will be realized. (Conan)

All About Medicine

  • 2024年12月04日
#patent #trademark

I think the term “generic” to refer to generic drugs has become widespread.
Generic drugs are medicines that are manufactured and sold after the patent on a new drug (original drug) has expired. They are inexpensive medicines that have been approved by the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare as having the same active ingredients and efficacy as the original drug.
In the past, when I was prescribed medicine at the hospital, I remember having to express my preference for a generic drug, or having my preference asked by the doctor or pharmacist, but now I get the impression that generics are prescribed as a matter of course without any particular confirmation.
It seems that the efforts made to promote their use in order to reduce medical costs have had a certain effect on the spread of generics.

Medicine

By the way, although it tends to be hidden behind the topic of the My Number insurance card, did you know that a new system for generics was introduced in October?
For some brand-name drugs (long-term listed drugs) that have generics, if you request a prescription for the brand-name drug, a “special fee” will be added on top of the usual co-payment.
It is hoped that this initiative will further promote the use of generic drugs.
About the choice medical treatment of long-term publication product| Saving on medical expenses | Japan Health Insurance Association

Now, a question out of the blue.
What is the first Japanese registered trademark?

The correct answer is a trademark related to medicine!
(You can probably guess the answer from the flow of the story…)

The first trademark was applied for on October 1st 1884, the same year as the trademark registration system began, and was registered on June 10th the following year. When I checked up to trademark number 50 on J-PlatPat, I found that, as far as I could tell from the “type of goods and product name”, all but four of them were trademarks related to medicine.
According to the book “Edo and Meiji Era Logo Illustrated Dictionary: A Look Back at Company Marks through Registered Trademarks”, trademarks related to medicine, which was a major domestic industry from the Edo period and also suffered a lot of counterfeiting, were registered the most throughout the Meiji era.

This year marks 140 years since the trademark registration system was established. In addition to medicine trademarks, the book also introduces many other retro trademarks, together with their historical background. I think this is a book that is both a reference book and a fun read.
The first registered trademark (depicting a person cutting a fish and cutting their finger) is also quite unique, but personally, I think the impact of the 13th Japanese registered trademark, which is also related to medicine, is incredible! (Cacao)

Practical Training in Infringement Litigation: Aiming to become a patent attorney strong in infringement litigation

  • 2024年11月27日
#infringement litigation #patent

　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.

The Japan Patent Office building The Japan Patent Office building

Caspian Sea Yogurt

  • 2024年11月21日
#patent

I will introduce a patented product that you may see every day without thinking about it.
This time I will introduce “Caspian Sea Yogurt”.

Caspian Sea Yogurt

“Caspian Sea Yogurt” is different from normal yogurt in that it has less whey (the clear top layer of water that forms in yogurt) and has a texture similar to cream. It seems that the technology registered as Japanese Patent Registration No. 3878953 is used.
According to the patent, the fermentation temperature is 27-33℃ and the fermentation time is 5-9 hours. Most normal yogurts are fermented at 42℃ for around 9 hours, so this product is unique in that it is fermented at a lower temperature. Using the information in the patent, I made some delicious yogurt at home using a yogurt maker.

If you are interested in the registered content, why not try searching at the following link (J-PlatPat)? (Chamomile)

Japan Platform for Patent Information｜J-PlatPat [JPP]

note-Note

  • 2024年10月23日
#patent #trademark

At first glance, this file looks like an ordinary file. Actually, it is a patented product (Japanese Patent Registration No. 6505669).

note-Note music score file

This is the “note-Note music score file” sold by Music Eight Co. By holding the paper (sheet music) in place with the four corners, it does not get in the way of writing. The applicant is a joint application between Music Eight and Tanpopo Co. Ltd. In addition, “Note-Note” is also a registered trademark (Japanese Trademark Registration No. 5738437).

note-Note music score file

note-Note music score file

　When I was a student, I used to use various methods to make use of sheet music, such as using drawing paper or connecting pieces of paper together with cellophane tape, but now I’m impressed to see how convenient this product is.
This has been an autumn of art for me, and I feel that I might want to try working on music again. (Marron)

Website :The “note:Note” file for writing on sheet music (Japanese only)
https://www.music8.com/user_data/notenote_04.php

Coleman -THE SUNSHINE OF THE NIGHT-

  • 2024年09月25日
#design #patent #trademark

　Have you heard of Coleman? It is an American outdoor brand (company) that has long been known among campers. I remember using a Coleman gasoline-powered lantern when I was a kid on a camping trip with my family. That lantern lit up the darkness as brightly as daylight. Decades later, Coleman products such as tables and cooking stoves are still in use at the camps I have come to visit with my own children. The photo shows the LP gas cans used for the cooking stove and gas lantern. The white Coleman logo on a red background stands out.

Coleman Lantern Gas

　Research shows that Coleman was founded in Oklahoma around 1900 by William Coffin Coleman. Initially, the company specialized in gasoline-powered lamps, but as electric lighting became more widespread, it developed a gasoline-powered lantern that could be used outdoors, which it began selling in 1914 as the ‘Arc Lantern’. (Wikipedia – Coleman (camping equipment)). Today, a wide range of Coleman products, including tents, are sold in camping supply shops, home improvement centers and online retailers.

　A trademark search on J-PlatPat revealed 136 registered trademarks where the right holder is ‘The Coleman Company Incorporated’. The first registered trademark in Japan (1950), Japanese Trademark Registration No. 387738 (see image), reads ‘THE SUNSHINE OF THE NIGHT’between an illustration of the sun and the Coleman logo letters. Does it refer to a lantern?

Coleman Logo

　Of the 136 registered trademarks, approximately 60 contained the words ‘Coleman’ or ‘コールマン(Coleman in Japanese katakana)’. In addition, there were approximately 100 patent applications and 110 registered designs where the applicant/right holder was Coleman. A large number of intellectual property rights protect Coleman products and services (Hiro).

Monetization of Patent Rights (Part 2)

  • 2024年09月12日
#intellectual property #patent

　This is a continuation of the previous article. This is a continuation of the typical methods of monetizing patent rights.

5, Litigation and patent infringement warnings

　If another company infringes on your patent rights, you can warn the other company and claim damages by entering into a license agreement with them or by filing a lawsuit against them. However, litigation is time-consuming and expensive and should be done strategically.

6, Building and managing a patent portfolio

　By building a portfolio that combines multiple patent rights (which can include design rights, trademarks, etc.) and proceeding with licensing agreements based on this portfolio, profits can be maximized. Alternatively, the entire portfolio could be sold to a specific company.

7, Participation in patent pools and consortiums

　This is a way to earn licensing fees by participating in a patent pool or consortium and working with other patent holders to license technology to the market. This is particularly effective for patent rights related to standard technologies.

8, Partnering with investors and venture capitalists

　This is a way to monetize patent rights by launching a startup that utilizes the patented technology and obtaining funds from affiliated investors and venture capitalists. If successful, the business based on the patented technology has the potential to generate significant revenues.

9, Leverage tax strategies

　In some cases, tax incentives may be available through the use of patent rights. For example, by utilizing the patent box system (currently not established in Japan), a lower tax rate can be applied to earnings related to patent rights.

　As explained in the above two articles, the ways to monetize patent rights vary depending on the nature of the patent, the market situation, and the company’s strategy, and also vary depending on the country or region where the patent was acquired. By combining the above methods, it is possible to maximize the value of the patent rights (so-called intellectual property rights) acquired in each country.

　If you have any questions or need further advice, please contact us.
(Maruhachi)

Monetization of Patent Rights (Part 1)

  • 2024年09月10日
#intellectual property #patent

　There are several possible strategies for businesses to monetize patent rights. Typical methods are listed below.

1, Licensing

　Exclusive license: this is a method of granting a patent right exclusively to a specific company for a license fee. This gives the company an advantage over other competitors.
　Non-exclusive license: a method of obtaining a broad license fee by granting a license to several companies at the same time. License fees tend to be lower than those for exclusive licenses, but it allows diversification of revenues.

2, Cross-licensing

　This is a strategy of exchanging patent rights with another company to make the technology owned by both parties mutually available. This reduces the payment of license fees and the risk of patent infringement and encourages the development of new technologies.

3, Commercialization

　This is a way of earning direct revenues by commercializing the patented technology in-house and offering it to the market as a product or service. This requires manufacturing, sales and marketing capabilities.
　Offering the product, service or business model covered by the patent right to the market on your own (e.g. by implementing the product on your own, using the method on your own) is an inherently basic and core way of implementing a patented invention (the traditional way of utilizing the patent system).
　Commercialization has the potential to maximize the value of the patent.

4, Sale of patent rights

　Selling the patent rights in a lump sum is a way of obtaining immediate capital. It is important to estimate the future value of the patent rights and sell them at an appropriate price. Possible sellers include other companies in the same industry, patent brokers or investors.

　These are some of the ways to monetize (utilize) patent rights, which will be continued in the next article.
(Maruhachi)

About nail clippers

  • 2024年09月06日
#design #intellectual property #patent

It’s Swimmer.
The other day, while watching a TV program on new product development failures, I heard a lot of words related to intellectual property, such as ‘patent rights’, ‘infringement’, ‘design rights’, etc. I thought to myself, I usually hear about patents, but in comparison, I don’t hear much about designs.

How to dodge other companies’ intellectual property rights, the hardships of selling new products, and how to strengthen one’s own intellectual property after twists and turns…… were very interesting. I felt that there are more and more opportunities to encounter intellectual property terms even in this kind of variety-style program.

nail clipper

The image shows a nail clipper manufactured by the company featured in the program that has been used in our home for over 40 years. It still cuts very well.

The Yellow and White Paper

  • 2024年08月21日
#design #intellectual property #patent #trademark

My family and I often go to “Kura Sushi” in our neighborhood.
However, it is always crowded, and we often have to wait even if we have a reservation.
One day, when we were waiting in the restaurant to be called as usual, I happened to see a familiar piece of paper displayed in a frame behind the waiting seat where I happened to sit.

a patent certificate and a registration certificate

What a surprise…a patent certificate and a registration certificate Σ(･ω･ﾉ)ﾉ！
I said to my family, “Look! There are patent and registration certificates!” (laugh).
It was the first time I noticed them at Kura Sushi, a place I have visited many times, and I was a little happy to encounter them in such a familiar place.

With 35 patents, 15 designs, and 531 trademarks, you can see that Kura Sushi Co. puts a lot of effort into intellectual property. (Rabbit)

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