Overview
2006
The promotion of innovation is indispensable to Japan's survival. There is a system of intellectual property rights to support that, and pro-patent policies will enhance this. A milestone in the shift toward pro-patent policies was the establishment of the Strategy Headquarters to promote them under the Koizumi administration, but in fact its history stretches back to the mid-1990s. At that time importance was given to the spread of technologies and there was a lack of protection, as it was argued that such policies would not sit well with the promotion of innovation. In research conducted last year, factors such as the changes to the system implemented up to that time were assessed, and it was concluded that Japan's pro-patent level had improved considerably. In the United States, which is Japan's model for pro-patent policies, such policies have been revised because protection had gone too far, and in view of the increasing complexity and sophistication of R&D, there are calls for it to be undertaken on a collaborative basis. Against this backdrop we will study desirable forms of a system of intellectual property rights of a kind that stimulates innovation. Specifically, while listening to the opinions of companies directly affected by this question we will study issues such as the revision of the protection system (exclusivity) and the desirable form of management and business strategies of a kind that put intellectual property to good use.
