On April 9, 2014, a 21-member AIPLA delegation visited the IP High Court and met and exchanged views with its judges and judges from the Intellectual Property Divisions of the Tokyo District Court. AIPLA was founded in 1897 and consists of about 15,000 member lawyers primarily specialized in intellectual property.

The meeting opened with addresses by AIPLA President Mr. Wayne Sobon and by Chief Judge of the IP High Court Mr. Toshiaki Iimura. Two AIPLA representatives then gave presentations: Mr. Joerg-Uwe Szipl, under the title of “Recent cases on patent eligibility (Myriad) and the influence of these on practice” regarding the U.S. Supreme Court decision handed down in June 2013, which dealt with the issue of whether genes are patent-eligible subject matter and the situation surrounding patent practice after the decision, and Mr. Steven Meyer, under the title of “Update on Patent Trolls, and actual influence of these entities on practice” regarding the situation of so-called patent trolls, which have recently been a problem in the United States, and their influence on litigation activities, in light of his experience in handling actual lawsuits. IP High Court judges also gave presentations: Chief Judge Iimura, under the title of “Present Situation of IP Disputes in Japan,” and Presiding Judge Ryuichi Shitara, under the title of “Recent Developments in Japanese Patent Litigations.” The US delegation and the Japanese judges subsequently engaged in a lively Q&A session using all the time allowed.