►►►  2003 News & Events

►  February  

• Japanese patent attorney to discuss US/Japan alliances on technology management strategies; This seminar was held on February 12, 2003, at the Greater Philadelphia Chamber of Commerce

►  May

• The newly introduced prior art information disclosure system in Japan (May 30)
• The accelerated examination practice in Japan: consider an accelerated examination to obtain a patent in Japan in as short as three months (May 24)
• A landmark case: Japan's Supreme Court upholds the right of inventors to be properly rewarded for their inventions (May 16)

►  June

• Newsletter Sign Up- Register for a free subscription to our newsletter with updates about Japanese intellectual property law. New subscribers are now entitled to a free copy of the comprehensive Japanese trademark handbook (June 26, 2003)
• The summer edition of our newsletter is issued (June 17, 2003)
• An outline of the Japanese trademark system is now available (June 9, 2003)

►  July

• A Patented Technology Available for Licensing- Introducing a tube packaging integrated with an easy-to-use tube squeezer, which has been patented in the United States (July 21, 2003)
• The Japan Patent Office to begin the examination for advanced medical technology patents as soon as the fourth week of July 2003; the new examination guideline applies to applications currently being examined (July 11, 2003)
• Japanese patent rights will apply to advanced medical technologies related to regenerative medicine and gene therapy in the near future, which have not traditionally been patentable (July 3, 2003)

►  August

• Omori & Yaguchi will be a sponsor for Japanese Film Festival in Philadelphia (August 21, 2003)
• Japan outpaces Germany in number of international patent applications filed for the first half of 2003 (August 18, 2003)
• Our attorney was invited to a seminar on "Environmental Business Opportunities in Japan," and discussed enforcement of the recycling law and acquisition of the intellectual property rights. This seminar was sponsored by Japan External Trade Organization (JETRO), and was held on July 30 at the Marriott Hotel in Conshohocken, PA (August 4, 2003)

►  September

• In Celebration of the 4th Anniversary of Omori & Yaguchi's Philadelphia Office- Japanese Patent Application Discount Campaign: Omori & Yaguchi offers up to 30 percent off the Japanese translation fee, beginning Monday, September 1 and ending Friday, October 31, 2003 (September 9, 2003)

►  October

• Omori & Yaguchi will be sponsoring a reception for Mitsuyo Miura, husband of award-winning Japanese author, the later Ayako Miura.  The reception was held on Monday, October 13, at 6 p.m., at the Greater Philadelphia Chamber of Commerce (10-10-2003)

►  November

• Our senior partner, Taro Yaguchi, will be speaking to participants in the PA/NJ Nanotechnology Network Mission at Philadelphia's University City Science Center on Tuesday, November 18, which is sponsored by the U.S. Commercial Service Division at the U.S. Embassy in Tokyo, Japan. The lecture is about strategies for technology and intellectual property transfers between Japan and the United States.  (11-17-2003)
• Our senior partner, Taro Yaguchi, will be speaking to students at the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania and University of Pennsylvania Law School about recent hot topics in Japanese intellectual property law and key issues on U.S.-Japan technology licensing. This seminar will be held on Thursday, November 13 (11-08-2003)

►  December

• The Tokyo High Court intends to launch an independent intellectual property high court within its system in as early as April 2004. (12-5-2003)
• (Holiday Hours Announcement) Due to the holiday season, most businesses in Japan, including the Japan Patent Office (JPO), as well as most law firms including Omori & Yaguchi’s Tokyo Office, are CLOSED from Friday, December 26, 2003 to Sunday, January 4, 2004. If the deadline for your case falls within those days, the due date will be automatically extended to Monday, January 5, 2004 (Japan local time). For immediate assistance, please contact Omori & Yaguchi’s Philadelphia Office at 1-215-701-6349 or usmail@omoriyaguchi.com. Our Philadelphia Office will be open except January 1, 2004.