The government is studying the creation of a high court devoted exclusively to creations of the mind.
The idea is to expedite such litigation to protect corporate intellectual property and maintain Japan's international competitiveness amid a sharp increase in civil lawsuits over intellectual property such as patents and copyrights.
According to one estimate, Japanese firms have lost 2.1 trillion yen in sales due to counterfeiting in China and other countries. Intellectual property lawsuits have increased sharply over the past few years, prompting calls from companies for speedy and specialized trials.