Introduction

History of the Japanese Industrial Property Rights System and the Japan Patent Office

Have you ever heard of the inventors Thomas Edison, the Wright brothers, Alexander Bell or Gennai Hiraga? Do you also know that almost all of the necessities in our daily lives such as cellular phones, TVs, and cameras, which we take for granted nowadays, are deeply connected to inventions?Inventions and ideas are part of intellectual property, and the rights given for intellectual property are collectively called intellectual property rights. There are four types of intellectual property rights, which are patent rights, utility model rights, design rights, and trademark rights. These are all called industrial property rights. The Japan Patent Office (JPO) holds jurisdiction over these rights in Japan. It conducts patent examinations, grants rights, and protects the rights. The industrial property right becomes a right that can be exclusively enforced (utilized) for a fixed period of time, after an applicant has filed an application for it and after the right has undergone examination and been registered at the JPO.Since Japan is said to be a country poor in natural resources, Japan needs to fully utilize intellectual property rights, including industrial property rights, to increase its industrial competitiveness and fulfill its aim of becoming a nation based on intellectual property, in order to develop its industries and enable its people to lead stable lifestyles.This brochure introduces various measures that the JPO is implementing. It may be a good idea for you to look for intellectual properties that are around you. You may discover something new.

1884 Enacted the Trademark Ordinance

1885 Established the Patent Monopoly Ordinance

Established the Patent Office with Korekiyo Takahashi as the first Director

1886 Established the Patent Bureau in the Ministry of Agriculture and Commerce

1888 Enacted the Design Ordinance

1899 Acceded to the Paris Convention

1925 Established the Ministry of Commerce and Industry, with the

Patent Bureau designated as an external agency

1949 Established the Ministry of International Trade and Industry,

which was renamed the Japan Patent Office and became an

external agency

1959 Revised the Patent Law, the Utility Model Law, the Design Law,

and the Trademark Law (Enactment of the existing laws)

1975 Acceded to the World Intellectual Property Organization

(WIPO)

1978 Acceded to the Patent Cooperation Treaty (PCT)

1990 Started accepting digitized applications (The world’s first)

1992 Introduced the service mark registration system

1997 Acceded to the Trademark Law Treaty

1999 Started the Industrial Property Digital Library (IPDL) services

2000 Acceded to the Madrid Protocol

2002 Enacted the Intellectual Property Basic Law

2005 Established the Intellectual Property High Court

2006 Launched the Patent Prosecution Highway program with the US

(The world’s first)

Introduced the Regional Collective Trademark System

2010 Celebrated the 125th Anniversary of the Industrial Property Rights System

ContentsIndustrial Property Rights System Supporting Intellectual Creation 3

The JPO: Protecting Technology in the Age of Intelligence 5

Promoting International Cooperation Activities and Patent System Harmonization 7

Providing Support for SMEs, Venture Companies, etc. 9

JPO’s Vision for the Future 10

Japan Patent Office (FY2013)

This brochure is printed using only the“A-ranked”paper which meets the criterion under the Law on Promoting Green Purchasing and can be recycled to paper.