New Bill to Increase Protection for Japanese Intellectual Property Rights

Japan’s Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry announced the approval of a bill that will strengthen protection of Japanese patents and intellectual property rights, the ministry said in a March 1 notice. The bill, called the Act of Partial Revision of the Patent Act, is aimed at protecting the “important technologies and other strong points of Japanese companies,” the notice said. The bill includes a new system in which “neutral technological experts” will complete on-site inspections of companies that are suspected of infringing on patents. Japan is also changing its method for calculating compensation for victims of patent infringement, allowing “rights holders to request” damages from the infringer “for all products sold by the infringer.” The bill also makes changes to Japan’s Design Act, the notice said, which includes expanding the scope of protected designs.