On June 20, 2013, a 13 member US Bar / JPO Liaison Council delegation visited the IP High Court and met and exchanged views with its judges and judges from the Intellectual Property Division of the Tokyo District Court. The Liaison Council consists of representatives from the bar associations affiliated with the American Bar Association, and has engaged in an annual exchange of opinions with the JPO for about 20 years. This is the second visit by the Liaison Council to the IP High Court following its first visit two years ago.

The meeting opened with an address by Mr. Toshiaki Iimura, Chief Judge of the IP High Court, and Mr. Joerg-Uwe Szipl, Chairperson of the Liaison Council. Two IP High Court judges then gave presentations on recent court decisions regarding determination of inventive step in Japan based on specific cases: Judge Masaya Tanaka under the title of “Application of Japanese Standard of Inventive Step in Litigation,” and Judge Koki Kamiya under the titles of “A Process to Judge Inventive Step” and “A Case on Prominent Effect.” Representatives of the Liaison Council also gave presentations on recent cases regarding requirements for the granting of a patent in the United States in light of the latest decisions of the U.S. Supreme Court: Mr. Yuichi Watanabe under the title of “Recent Developments in Patent Eligibility for Computer Implemented Inventions,” Mr. Joerg-Uwe Szipl under the title of “Pharmaceuticals and Biotechnology Patents Post Prometheus,” Mr. John B. Pegram under the title of “Written Description,” and Mr. Christopher E. Chalsen under the title of “Update on The Law of Obviousness in The United States.” The delegation and the judges subsequently engaged in a Q&A session, and a lively discussion lasted beyond the scheduled time.