Hamano Koichi may have only been appointed JPO commissioner eight months ago, but he is already looking far into the future with green technology and artificial intelligence in his sights.
Koichi, who has years of experience working in the oil and energy sector, recognises that policymakers and government officials can no longer ignore critical issues such as global warming.
He believes it’s becoming increasingly important to drive impactful socio-economic changes through innovation and that intellectual property offices have a key role to play.
“The JPO will make steady efforts to encourage innovation that helps solve emerging issues and achieve social goals, such as the realisation of a carbon-neutral society,” he tells Managing IP.
Going green
In fact, green technology is not only a key future focus area for the JPO but a topic the office has already been promoting.
Last year, the JPO published a report called Green Transformation Technologies Inventory, which provided guidance and search tips for documents, including patent applications, that disclosed those technologies.
“The outcome of such analysis can be useful for investing and decision-making,” notes Koichi.
This year, the JPO will assess patent filing trends for green technologies across various countries. The results are expected to be published in May.
The office has also been working with stakeholders to disseminate its knowledge and expertise in green technology.
Koichi says: “Japan remains committed to the transfer of environmental technology.”
In addition to a green focus, Koichi says the JPO intends to improve the predictability of patent examinations that cover advanced technologies such as AI and the internet of things (IoT).
The office has also been conducting joint studies with the IP5 and IP offices in ASEAN countries to compare how they have examined applications covering AI and IoT technologies.
Filing fall
But despite his visions of a green and technologically capable future, it hasn’t been a totally smooth run for Koichi since he joined the JPO in July 2022.
From the off he had to deal with post-COVID realities and changes to filing fees.
Last year, the JPO witnessed a downturn in applications filed for trademarks, designs and patents.
The number of filings for trademarks, designs, and patents and utility models fell by 7.8%, 2.6%, and 0.1% respectively compared to 2021.
Koichi says the volume of future filings could be influenced by social and economic conditions. But he adds that the office is nevertheless trying to boost applications.
He says the JPO had feared that filing numbers could drop significantly because fees were revised in April 2022 and imposed a higher cost burden on applicants as a result.
However, the somewhat marginal dip in filing numbers came as a relief. “We truly appreciate the understanding of users in this regard,” says Koichi.
In fact, he puts the drop in trademark applications down to a temporary increase in filing volume in 2021 caused by a surge in COVID-related applications.
According to Koichi, the downtrend in 2022 indicates that this surge is over and that trademark filing activity is returning to normal levels.
“We consider this decline in application numbers to be temporary. However, we will continue watching the number of filings closely.”
SME support
If filing numbers are to pick up again, Koichi believes that domestic SMEs will have to play a key role in driving innovation.
According to the OECD, SMEs account for 99.7% of all businesses and employ 32 million individuals in Japan, playing a pivotal role in the country’s supply chain.
Koichi says he recognises that unleashing the power of SMEs and start-ups is crucial for promoting innovative activity and that these companies can use their IP to enhance their corporate value.
He adds that the JPO will focus on encouraging and facilitating IP management training for SMEs in the coming months.
These measures could include creating awareness, training stakeholders, and offering support for protection and enforcement of IP.
“This will make it easier to attract investment while also leading to stable management and secure employment,” Koichi suggests.
The JPO has already been providing some support to SMEs via the National Center for Industrial Property Information and Training, an independent administrative agency, but the office plans to offer further assistance.
One such programme involves setting up permanent, one-stop shops throughout the country to provide various support services tailored to SMEs’ needs.
Under Koichi’s leadership, the JPO also plans to increase its collaboration with the SME Agency – an affiliated agency of the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry that is responsible for supporting SMEs.
Further, Koichi says the JPO is working on providing IP guidance to universities and start-ups and on reinforcing cooperation with research and development institutions.
Operation overhaul
While the commissioner has his eyes set on policies that could affect society at large, he is also considering internal changes to help the office become more competent and user-friendly.
Under his leadership, the JPO has been focused on improving the efficiency of examiners and on issuing timely office actions.
For example, the time from filing a trademark application until the issuance of a first examination report is now approximately six months, compared to 10 months two years ago.
Despite last year’s dip in trademark applications, the JPO still receives a high volume of filings when compared to many IP offices.
“Shortening the trademark examination period was the first issue I had to solve soon after taking office. And much to my delight, our work has begun to pay off favourably,” he says.
Crucially, the office has tried its best to ensure that faster examinations have not affected the quality of decisions.
Koichi says he is also working on maximising the JPO’s organisational capacity.
The JPO has staff in four separate locations in Tokyo, but plans are under way to get everyone working from a single office building.
Koichi says the office will also use this opportunity to promote diverse and efficient working styles.
“We are introducing an open office system to promote flexible team organisation and space utilisation,” he says. The JPO is promoting remote working and moving to a paperless format to improve information security, he notes.
“The JPO is committed to providing stable, high-quality services while thoroughly reducing expenditures and firmly tackling systemic reforms and new policy issues,” Koichi says.
Kochi’s visions for a JPO of the future are clear: a green focus, boosting filings and transforming the workplace. Now those goals have to be realised. Over to you, commissioner.
