Japan: the year in review
Backlog reduced and a goal set
The Japan Patent Office (JPO) has been saying that by the end of the 2013 fiscal year, that is by the end of March 2014, the average period from the filing of a request for examination to the issue of a first action would be reduced to 11 months. With this goal expected to be reached, the JPO has announced a new goal. In March 2014, the cabinet minister overseeing the JPO announced that the average time between the filing of a request for examination and the issue of a final action would be reduced from the current average of 29.6 months to 14 months by the 2023 fiscal year.
Four IP laws to be amended
The Patent, Utility Model, Design and Trademark laws will be amended soon. A bill covering these laws and the Patent Attorney Law has been submitted to the Diet, and it was expected to pass by June at the latest. Items included in the bill are as follows:
