Japan "Must Improve Patent System"

US officials have urged Japan to strengthen its patent system, claiming that US companies do not receive enough patent protection there. The officials, who spoke on condition of anonymity only, said Japanese regulatory officials and courts interpret patents so narrowly that this allows other companies to make products with only insignificant differences.

Last year, the USA and Japan agreed on a variety of ways each country should change its patent system to bring it more in line with the rest of the world. By July 1, Japan is to allow patent applications in English, and also limit a system under which secondary patents are granted in a way allowing competitors to conduct what would be, under other countries' patent laws, infringements of an original patent.

Japan will also speed up its examination and evaluation process, and, by january 1, 1996, put into place a system to issue rulings on patents within three years.