Our client is looking for a business partner in its food packaging antimicrobial sealant film business. They own antimicrobial “non-elution” technology that is protected by patent. They already have partnered with a major Japanese chemical company for the production of masterbatches. They also have partnered with Japan’s largest trading company to provide those masterbatches overseas. […]

Do you want to promote the adoption of a new technology you developed? If so, we can introduce you to a new way to do so by using your patents. Our partner, IPwe, has started to operate a new patent pool called “Smart Pool”. This is a consortium in which innovation leaders who hold a […]

Vanarama, a British car leasing company, has created a concept design for the Apple Car based on Apple’s car-related patents. I don’t know if Apple will actually build such a car, but it is very interesting. The Apple Car – Vanarama Instead of just saying this is interesting, why don’t you seriously consider this kind […]

On November 3, Kyndryl was formally spun off from IBM and listed on the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE). The following link will take you to an interview with Martin Schroeter, CEO of Kyndryl. IBM spinoff Kyndryl begins trading: ‘We have now complete freedom of action,’ CEO says In this interview, Martin Schroeter uses the […]

Hashtags are often used on social networking sites. On the Japanese flea market app “Mercari”, a person was selling his/her own products on his/her own sales site with a hashtag that uses another company’s brand name (trademark) as its keyword. The use of such a hashtag is an infringement of trademark rights, a court ruled […]

When you do joint research and development with another company, you may often share the resulting patent with the other party; e.g. each owns 50% of the patent. What should you do if you want to sell or license such a shared patent in the future? If you want to sell or license your interest […]

In June 2020, Kyoto University Distinguished Professor Tasuku Honjo filed a lawsuit against Ono Pharmaceutical. He demanded payment of approximately 26.2 billion yen over distributions from the Opdivo patents. After that, in September 2021, the court recommended a settlement to both sides with a proposal. Now, the parties are discussing it. For more information on […]

“Idea Capitalism” – This is the title of a book I recently read, authored by a Japanese cultural anthropologist Naoko Okawachi. The author looks back at the history of capitalism from the perspective of changing frontiers. She says, now that capitalism has eaten up most of the traditional frontiers, the new frontier is found in […]

We answered four questions that are frequently asked in relation to patent monetization. So, if you are interested in selling your patents, please take a look. How can you monetize your patents? Why are your patents not selling? What price can you sell your patent for? What kind of review will a buyer do before […]

When a buyer is interested in your patents for sale, they will conduct an investigation (Due Diligence Review) to decide whether the patents are really worth purchasing. In this review, the buyer usually investigates the following items, obtaining information from the seller. Title: Does the seller has the title of the patents? Legal status: For […]