Japan's Patent System and Business Innovation

Since Japanese patent law was enacted in 1959, it has been revised several times, mainly for the purpose of international harmonization. Recently, the Japanese government has stressed the importance of pro-patent policies, i.e. strengthening intellectual property rights in order to stimulate business innovation and regain international competitiveness. This paper assesses the impact of a series of revisions of the Japanese patent system on firms’ innovation activities by using statistical data, firm-level survey data and information from interviews with IP managers in IT and pharmaceutical firms. The number of patent applications dropped in the early 1990s, but picked up again after 1995. It has been found that increases in patent applications in the late 1990s can be ...

Patents, Innovation and Economic Performance: OECD Conference Proceedings

Japan's Patent System and Business Innovation

Reassessing Pro-patent Policies