Intellectual Property

METI contributes to achieving the improvement of corporate value and the vitalization of the economy through providing a Government Inquiry Desk against counterfeit and pirated goods, and the evaluation and utilization of intellectual assets as “intangible strengths” of companies.

• Understanding IP

General Contact Point for Matters on Counterfeit and Pirated Goods (in Japanese)

This office accepts requests for consultations on counterfeit and pirated goods from Japanese right holders; mainly from companies that are operating overseas.

Intellectual asset-based management (in Japanese)

This website explains a variety of policies for and provides information on approaches that companies can take to improve their management through evaluation, utilization and public relations activities related to their intellectual assets.

Click the following site to visit the website exclusively for Intellectual Asset-Based Management Week 2019 (latest version).

• Intellectual Asset-Based Management Week 2019 (in Japanese)

Unfair Competition Prevention Act

This Act aims to regulate “unfair competition,” including infringement of trade secrets, unauthorized use of well-known marks, false indications of places of origin and sales of dead copies of products, and also to stipulate acts prohibited based on international agreements and thereby contribute to the sound development of the national economy.

Good Faith Negotiation Guidelines for Standard Essential Patent Licenses

News Releases

• Minister Nishimura Holds Meeting with WIPO Director General Tang (February 27, 2023)
• Japanese and Chinese Government Organizations Held Exchange of Views Toward Stronger Protection of Intellectual Property Rights (January 19, 2023)
• Anti-Counterfeiting Campaign Has Been Revamped (December 7, 2022)
• Release of Japan Patent Office Annual Report 2022 (July 27, 2022)
• Inter-governmental Cooperation Advanced in the Field of Intellectual Property (July 25, 2022)
• Cabinet Decisions on the “Cabinet Order to Set the Effective Dates for Parts of the Act on the Partial Revision of the Patent Act and Other Acts” and the “Cabinet Order to Partially Revise the Order on Fees Related to the Patent Act and Other Acts” (July 15, 2022)
• Winners of "AI x Trademark: Image Search Competition" (March 14, 2022)
• Cabinet Decision on the Cabinet Order Regarding the Organization of Relevant Cabinet Orders Accompanying the Coming into Effect of the Act on the Partial Revision of the Patent Act and Other Acts (December 21, 2021)
• AI x Trademark: Image Search Competition to Be Held (November 22, 2021)
• Oral Proceedings for Trials for Patent Invalidation Can Now Be Attended Online (October 1, 2021)
• Enhancement of Japan-ASEAN IP Cooperation (August 3, 2021)
• Release of Japan Patent Office Annual Report 2021 (July 14, 2021)
• New JPO Mission, Vision and Values Announced (June 15, 2021)
• Call for Applicants for the IP Acceleration Program for Startups (IPAS2021) to Open(June 14, 2021)
• International Symposium on Intellectual Property regarding Green Technologies to Be Held (June 11, 2021)
• 8th Meeting of the Japan-China Joint IP Working Group Held (April 30, 2021)
• The World's First Manga Explaining AI/IoT Examination Guidelines (April 5, 2021)
• Japan and Vietnam Sign MOC on Cooperative Measures against Counterfeit Goods (April 2, 2021)
• Commencement of the Patent Prosecution Highway Program between Japan and Morocco (March 25, 2021)
• Cabinet Decision on the Bill for the Act of Partial Revision of the Patent Act and Other Acts (March 2, 2021)
• Numerical Limit to Japan-Brazil PPH Requests to be Relaxed (January 4, 2021)
• JPO Announces New Web-Based Application “Smooth Document Preparer” - Supporting Users in Preparation of Applications and Other Documents (December 18, 2020)
• Winner of JPO Commissioner’s Awards Determined under FY2020 Patent Contest and Design Patent Contest (December 14, 2020)
• Japan to Be France’s First Partner for Patent Prosecution Highway Program (November 27, 2020)
• Graphic Image Design Successfully Registered under the Design Act for the First Time in Japan (November 9, 2020)
• Two Building Designs and Two Interior Designs Successfully Registered under the Design Act for the First Time in Japan(November 2, 2020)
• Users' Positive Assessment of Examination Quality Increases (September 28, 2020)
• Panel Exhibition on “Nobel Prizes and Patents” to be Held (September 28, 2020)
• Demo Day under the IP Acceleration Program for Startups (IPAS2019) to be Held (August 28, 2020)
• Recent Trends in AI-related Inventions (July 27, 2020)
• The 13th IP5 Heads of Office Meeting Held (July 22, 2020)
• Fifteen Startups Selected as Recipients of Support Measures under the FY2020 IP Acceleration Program for Startups (IPAS2020) (July 21, 2020)
• A Series of IP Events for Assisting Businesses Called “Chizai no Mikata - Itinerant Patent Office-” to be Held Across Japan (July 15, 2020)
• Release of Japan Patent Office Annual Report 2020 (July 14, 2020)
• Agreement Reached to Inaugurate ASEAN-Japan Patent Experts Meeting(July 9, 2020)
• FY2020 Anti-Counterfeiting Campaign to be Held(July 1, 2020)
• Call for Expert Applicants for Supporters of Startups under IP Acceleration Program for Startups (IPAS2020) to Open(June 8, 2020)
• “2019 Knowledge Collection of the Project for Dispatching IP Strategy Designers to Universities - Toward Creation of Innovations from Unknown IP of Universities -” Released(May 26, 2020)
• The JPO Acquires Patent Right for System for Searching Patent Documents(May 11, 2020)
• JPO Publishes Collection of Case Examples of Leading SMEs Taking Advantage of IP in Managing their Business, Titled “Rights”(April 30, 2020)
• Call for Applicants for the IP Acceleration Program for Startups (IPAS2020) to Open(April 30, 2020)
• “Fourteen Challenges that Startups Tend to Face and Measures for Overcoming the Challenges Based on the JPO’s Awareness through its IP Support Measures” Released (April 8, 2020)

Related Links

• Japan Patent Office Link

Division in Charge

• Intellectual Property Policy Office, Economic and Industrial Policy Bureau

General Contact Point for Matters on Counterfeit and Pirated Goods;

• Anti-Counterfeit Office, International Cooperation Division, Japan Patent Office