We have released a new episode of our Podcast, titled "TMI Podcast - Intellectual Property in Japan."

<#11: Space Development and Japanese Patent Rights>
Apple Podcast
Spotify

In this episode, Mr. Suguru Saito examines what a Japanese patent right does for technology used in outer space. He outlines how a patent right arises under the Patent Act of Japan and how product and process inventions apply in the space field, and then turns to the principle of territoriality, under which the effect of a Japanese patent is acknowledged only within Japanese territory. Against that background, he discusses the April 2021 Diet statement that the effect of a patent right does not in principle extend to outer space. Whether it extends to acts of working on board a space object under Japan’s jurisdiction is a separate question not resolved here. He closes with what the filing statistics say about where Japanese players currently stand, including pressure from broad conceptual international patent applications filed by European and U.S. companies.

- Mr. Suguru SAITO
https://www.tmi.gr.jp/people/s-saito.html