The Japanese government is planning to clarify the country’s
patent laws to enhance the current protections offered to internet
firms, according to a report by The Japan Times. The announcement
was made just before the European Commission announced its plan to
restrict the availability of software patents.
Software and business method patents are controversial. Large
companies often argue that they are necessary to make innovation
financially viable; smaller companies often argue that they stifle
innovation. The US and Japan currently offer the most lenient rules
for those hoping to obtain such patents. Many had expected the EU
to relax its own rules on patentability. Instead, the European
Commission last week published rules that maintain a general
prohibition on software. The permitted exceptions to this general
prohibition were, if anything, narrowed in scope.
According to The Japan Times, the proposed revisions to Japan’s
laws would clarify patent protections for software existing only on
the internet as well as trade marks displayed temporarily on
computer screens although full details were not reported. The
patent application process will also be simplified.
