In order to commemorate the 125th anniversary of the Japanese patent system, the Japan Patent Office (JPO) will start on April 12 a program whereby leading inventors communicate the joys and challenges of invention to youth and children as future inventors.

1. This year marks the 125th anniversary of the Japanese patent system, which was instituted in 1885, when Korekiyo Takahashi and others worked to establish the “Patent Monopoly Act,” the forerunner of the current Patent Act. Over the years, the patent system infrastructure has been integral to protecting many inventions and supporting the development of Japan

2. In the hope that outstanding inventions will continue to emerge and support Japan’s future development, the JPO has decided to implement a program called “Messages from Today’s Inventors to the Next Generation.” The program aims to deliver inspiring messages to youths and children, as potential future inventors.

3. Under the program, the JPO will request leading inventors and researchers to write messages communicating the joys and challenges of invention, based on their firsthand experience, and post them on the JPO’s web site starting April 12. The messages will be updated on the second and fourth Mondays of every month. The JPO will disseminate these messages through publicity activities at intellectual property seminars to be held at elementary and junior high schools.

*JPO web site: http://www.jpo.go.jp/indexj.htm (in Japanese)

Release Date

April 9, 2010

Division in Charge

General Affairs Division, Japan Patent Office

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