To provide stronger and more efficient protection for intellectual property rights, the Patent Office said Tuesday it will make major revisions to patent-related laws for the first time in nearly 40 years.
The proposed revisions would substantially raise the ceiling for fines, impose stiffer criminal charges for patent violators and make it easier to obtain patents. Officials said relevant bills will be submitted to the Diet in the regular session that starts next month.
The move is in line with the government's increasing recognition of the importance of property rights as a means of maintaining Japanese industries' competitiveness in the global market. Due to the high costs of the current system, Japanese companies have been discouraged from registering new technologies, designs and other intellectual properties.
Violators of intellectual property rights are now required to pay an average 46 million yen per case in Japan, half the $92 million fine imposed in the United States, according to the Patent Office.
The proposed revisions would simplify the application procedure for rights registration to provide quick protection, and the costs of maintaining the rights would be lowered for the first time in 90 years.