On May 27 the LDP's Research Commission on Intellectual Property Strategy (Chairperson: Representative Okiharu Yasuoka) finalized recommendations for enhancing Japan's intellectual property strategy. Discussions in the Research Commission have been led by the Industrial Revitalization Subcommittee (Chairperson: Representative Goji Sakamoto) and Content Subcommittee (Chairperson: Kenji Kosaka, member of the House of Councillors), which developed a list of fourteen items expected to have quick impact.
Among the proposals is a recommendation to submit a bill for fundamental review of the treatment of employee inventions to the extraordinary session of the Diet scheduled for this fall. Improvements in this area are expected to strengthen corporate R&D capabilities. "Employee inventions" are inventions made by corporate employees in the course of their work duties. The current law stipulates that the results of the invention belong to the individual employee, but the Research Commission has noted the need to consider overhauling the system in light of the impact on international corporate competitiveness, incentives for invention, and practice in other countries. Subcommittee Chairperson Sakamoto commented, "this has long been an issue of concern, and we now have the momentum at both government and private levels to tackle it."
Another recommendation is to enhance the legal system to provide stronger protection against the unauthorized disclosure of corporate trade secrets. The Research Commission proposes to submit a bill to the ordinary session of the Diet next year that would remove unauthorized disclosure from the list of crimes requiring formal complaint from the victim before prosecution, increase fines, and lessen the burden of proof on victims.
Chairperson Yasuoka began the meeting by expressing the desire for Japan's growth and development to be driven by intellectual property and his commitment to achieving that result. He emphasized that the Research Commission would be proactive. The recommendations will be formally submitted to the government in the near future and will be reflected in several upcoming initiatives, including the following: the "Intellectual Property Strategic Program" to be finalized in June, the revised version of the "Japan is Back" strategy, and the "Basic Policies for Economic and Fiscal Management and Reform."
