The Japan External Trade Organization will investigate intellectual property rights violations overseas on behalf of small businesses in Japan and shoulder two-thirds of the costs, the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry said Thursday.
The ministry, under whose wing JETRO and the Small and Medium Enterprise Agency come, said it will accept applications for investigations from Friday to Nov. 30. METI has earmarked 60 million yen for the assistance project with 2 million yen set as the maximum aid for one case, a ministry official said.
Applicants are required to present evidence of their intellectual property rights violations abroad, including pirated or counterfeit items as well as leaflets or the Web site showing such products.
The probe will cover one product or violation of one right per applicant, the official said.