FICPI JAPAN SYMPOSIUM
Yokohama 4-5 December 2008

Post-Symposium SUMMARY

Following the success of the 2007 Beijing Symposium, a further symposium was held in Yokohama on 4-5 December 2008. It was organised by FICPI International in close cooperation with the Japanese Association of FICPI and the Japanese Patent Attorneys Association, JPAA.
        The object of the symposium was to consolidate FICPI's involvement in Japan and to increase mutual understanding between Japanese IP professionals and practitioners from other parts of the world.
        About 350 delegates took part, almost half of them from Japan. Some of the Japanese delegates were young patent attorneys, others were experienced senior professionals and there were also officials from the Japanese Patent Office (JPO) and the IP High Court.
        Presentations were made by the JPO Commissioner, Mr Takashi Suzuki, and the deputy Commissioner, Mr Koichi Minami, who explained Japan's New IP Policy for Pro-Innovation and Measures for Work-Sharing among Trilateral Offices - both topics crucial to the global patent system.
        Two IP High Court judges explained the structure of the IP courts in Japan and outlined their views on judging inventive step.
        The first day of the Symposium was largely devoted to the assessment of inventive step in Asia, Europe and the USA, using a practical example, the well-known 'WORKMATE' workbench. Possible anticipation by a prior art book-binding press and infringement by a similar workbench having a slightly modified working surface were considered.
        Further sessions compared patent enforcement in the UK, Germany, France, the USA and Japan and also reinstatement of rights in Europe, North America and Japan, and reviewed new types of trademarks. Finally, JPAA, FICPI Japan and FICPI International introduced their organisations and outlined their activities.
        A varied social program, including post-tours to Kyoto or Mt Fuji and Hakone, rounded off the event. The local organisers, a group of dedicated professionals from FICPI Japan and JPAA, made sure that the Symposium ran smoothly from beginning to end.
        The various presentations are now available in PDF format on this website.

>> YOKOHAMA PRESENTATIONS