IP Community Portal Website for Startups “IP BASE” Starts Additional Provision of New Contents

1. Outline of the IP BASE

The IP BASE is a portal website to provide startups with: a guide to consult as the first step to starting a business, and an opportunity for communicating with IP experts. This website provides a collection of basic knowledge of IP strategies, information on support measures, events and other latest information for early-stage businesses. It also offers well-developed content, aiming to establish a base of IP communities for startups where a variety of actors within the startup ecosystem participate, including venture capitals, accelerators, patent attorneys, and lawyers.

• IP BASE site

2. Newly provided contents

The JPO started providing the following additional content on the IP BASE.

• Function for retrieving IP experts
  This function allows members to search for IP experts in a variety of fields by key word or type of expertise and to make personal contact with individual experts.
• Q&A service through which IP experts respond to questions from members
  If a member posts a question through this service, an IP expert gives an answer to the question. This service is also available on an anonymous basis. This service allows members to retrieve questions posted in the past by key word or category and to use a function for registering their favorite fields to which they pay attention.
• Columns contributed by IP experts
  This service explains information on IP systems and basic knowledge on IP, in column style, which are necessary for startups in an easy-to-understand manner. The first column features the topic of “Super Accelerated Examination: System to Highly Accelerate Patent Examinations."
• WG reports
  This service presents reports on the results of working-group meetings between members in a manner accessible by other members.

3. How to register membership with the IP BASE

The IP BASE provides two categories of membership: general members and IP expert members. If a member completes registration as an IP expert, the profile of the member is reflected in the database for retrieving IP experts and he/she may directly receive inquiries from startups and may access the latest information on demands of startups through Q&A communications with general members.

4. Expected outcomes of the renewed services on the IP BASE website

The IP BASE will bring about the following outcomes through providing new content only available to members.

• Allowing member companies to find IP experts in the companies’ field of business and are proactive in supporting startups;
• Allowing members to send questions on an anonymous basis to IP experts who are playing leading roles in certain fields; and
• Allowing members to obtain necessary information in a more specific and efficient manner thanks to the function for retrieving the results of the Q&A service by category of business or technology.

Using these renewed services on the website, startups are expected to fortify their IP strategies in an appropriate manner and to further accelerate their businesses.

Division in Charge

Policy Planning and Research Division, Policy Planning and Coordination Department, Japan Patent Office