From jbohn@vais.net Mon, 8 May 2000 23:24:01 -0400
Date: Mon, 8 May 2000 23:24:01 -0400
From: John Bohn jbohn@vais.net
Subject: [Patents] JPO on software patents

A May 8 National Law Journal article says that Japanese companies have
started to try to catch up to U.S. companies in seeking software and
business method patents for offensive use.  The article's overall tone was
that Japan had realized the error of its ways and was now rushing to adopt
the U.S. system.  But I can't imagine that MITI, which runs the JPO, is
very happy about any trend that gives U.S. businesses a way to exclude
Japanese firms from U.S. markets through litigation.  Nikkei news service
reported (April 8) that MITI planned to form a panel this month "to explore
ways to prevent companies from monopolizing Internet businesses."
It quoted an unnamed MITI official as saying, "The existing laws might
prove inadequate in deterring companies from exercising their rights in a
way that monopolizes certain market."

Does anyone know anything about the status of this panel, or any good
English-language sources of information about the JPO's attitude toward
business and software patents?  Is MITI simply planning to arrange the
system to exclude foreign firms from receiving Japanese patents, or does it
have more fundamental reforms in mind?






