Industrial Design Management

Japan’s Industrial Design Protection System
In Japan the registration of industrial designs gets granted not before the JPO has examined the applications for ‘novelty’ and ‘inventive step’. Once an industrial design is registered, protection continues for 15 years beginning from the registration date. Japan allows for:

• Partial industrial designs: The registration of parts of shapes or forms with distinctive characteristics. The infringement of an industrial design right can be prosecuted even if the overall design is not similar.
  
  
• Screen industrial designs: The protection of screen designs is only restrictedly possible in Japan. The screen design of navigation systems, mobile phones and cash monitors are protectable, while that of generally used software used for a wide range of functions is not.
  
  
• Secret industrial designs: When an industrial design is registered, it is generally published in the Design Gazette. However Japan offers a system that allows a registered industrial design to be kept a secret for a certain period upon application (Secret Design System).
  
  
• Set of Objects: Industrial design applications and registrations usually follow a one-design-per-object principle. However, discrete objects that, according to common sense, are usually sold as a set can be registered as a single design of a set of objects, which helps to reduce costs.

Our Services:

• Industrial design search
• Professional counselling with respect to registrability, validity and infringement of industrial designs
• Drafting, filing of industrial design applications
• Maintenance of industrial designs after registration
• Recording of changes in the particulars of industrial design applications/registrations
• Assignment and licensing of industrial design rights
• Professional counselling on various options available for the effective protection of industrial design rights, litigation

Upon request, we will send you detailed information about the services you require and our prices.