On January 25, 2022, the Japan Patent Office (JPO), an external entity of the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry, sharply updated its web page with a section titled "The JPO Key Features," which introduces the benefits of filing applications in Japan for global business development.

URL: https://www.jpo.go.jp/e/news/keyfeatures/index.html

Image: https://kyodonewsprwire.jp/prwfile/release/M106993/202201176149/_prw_PI2fl_N29y6Q84.jpg

The update has enhanced the content of the JPO website with information on designs, trademarks and appeals, in addition to patents. The update also covers helpful resources for global IP portfolio development.

Given the increasing number of international applications to the JPO, this content will help companies doing business in Japan, as well as elsewhere around the world.

The number of patent, design and trademark applications filed with the JPO from all over the world is on the increase. "The JPO Key Features" is designed to present the principal advantages of filing applications with the JPO, as well as to familiarize overseas applicants with its well-regarded measures and initiatives.

One of the JPO’s strengths is its rapid and high-quality examinations. The renewed web page showcases these strengths in areas including the following:

Facts & Basics

- Timely Examination Results

- Expansion of the Scope of Design Protection for Graphical User Interface, Building and Interior

- Examples of Non-Traditional Trademarks

Users

- Collective Examinations for IP Portfolio Supporting Business Strategy

- Communications with Patent Examiners in English

- Hantei (Advisory Opinion) System

- SEP (Standard Essential Patents)-related Initiatives

Tech Trends

Patent Examinations for AI/IoT Related Technologies

Global Network

JPO's Patent Prosecution Highway (PPH) Network, the World’s Largest

The web page provides information that is aimed at facilitating global business deployment.

The JPO administers the industrial property rights system, which is the collective name for patents, utility models, designs and trademarks. This system is designed to protect intellectual creations including inventions, designs and trademarks to ensure their effective use, as well as to contribute toward industrial development.