Overview
2009 - 2010
Alarmed by the prolonged economic stagnation in the 1990s and the decline in the international competitiveness of Japanese industry, the Japanese government developed an intellectual property strategy at the initiative of the Prime Minister's Office in 2002. All ministries and agencies have since been pursuing the strategy. An intensive range of initiatives were adopted to facilitate the creation, protection and utilization of intellectual property. These initiatives include: the establishment of the Intellectual Property High Court; JPO's program for accelerating patent examinations; actions for collaboration between the industrial and academic sectors, such as the establishment of intellectual property offices at national universities; efforts to combat counterfeit goods and piracy; steps for promotion of patent distribution; legislation to protect new plant varieties and local brands; and a series of amendments to the Copyright Act to expand the content industry market. This study reviews the progress of the major action taken under the Intellectual Property Strategy at a time when four to five years have passed since these first measures were instituted. It also investigates new policy issues concerning intellectual property that are emerging amid subsequent changes in the economic environment, such as intensifying economic globalization, advances in technological innovations, and the rapid worldwide expansion of business using the Internet.
March 9, 2010 - August 2, 2010