IP Laws & Practices

IP Laws & Practices

About Japanese Practices

Law & RulesPatent Law Amendment in 2018

A bill of an amendment of the Japanese Patent Law was passed on May 23, 2018, and the Amended Patent Law was promulgated on May 30, 2018.

The Amendment includes (i) that an exception term to lack of novelty (grace period) is extended from 6 months to 1 year; (ii) that a fee for request for examination and annuities from the 1st to the 10th years are reduced by half for all of small and mid-size enterprises; and (iii) that so-called an “in-camera” procedure is introduced for evaluating a document whether it is necessary for proving an infringement under a patent infringement suit.

The 1st Amendment will become effective on June 9, 2018, and the other Amendments will become effective within one and a half years from the promulgation date.

Kawaguti & Partners