2018年にノーベル生理学・医学賞を受賞した日本人科学者の本庶佑氏が、日本の製薬会社である小野薬品工業と特許使用料をめぐって争っています。背景 報道によれば、2006年に、本庶氏と小野薬品工業は、がん治療薬「オプジーボ」（一般名：ニボルマブ）に応用されたPD-1に関する特許のライセンス契約を締結しました。しかし、オプジーボの開発が進んでいた2011年に、本庶氏がロイヤリティの引き上げを要求しましたが、交渉は期待したようには進みませんでした。そこで、本庶氏は、2019年4月10日に、世間の支持を得るために、契約の背景や概要を公表するという手段に出ました。[…]

A Japanese local government Kawasaki-city, which plays an active role in patent licensing between large companies and SMEs as presented here, has set out on a new endeavor. Kawasaki-city invites creators to an IP business matching event to ask them to propose applications of patented technologies of participant large companies. For this, Kawasaki-city works with an agent company CREEK & RIVER to ask dispatch of the creators. Here is a press release (in Japanese) for this project, published by CREEK & RIVER. In this scheme, the key is whether or not the creators can propose specific products that SMEs are most interested in implementing such patented technologies. Also, extra care […]

Faced with the problem of a declining birthrate, an aging population and a declining labor force, Japan has been expecting women’s more active participation in society. Recently, certain data suggested that women’s participation is also important for promoting innovation. On July 16 2018, it was reported that Development Bank of Japan concluded that companies’ research and development would create higher economic value patents, if it involves both male and female inventors. The economic value in this analysis is calculated based on the value of patent assets calculated from the company’s market capitalization etc. and the number of papers that cite the patent. The result of analysis reportedly shows that the […]

A global automotive company is looking for new services or application for connected car. So, we are looking for persons who are willing to develop new ideas or innovations (inventions) for the automotive company via an open-innovation platform. In this project, we are working with Xinova which provides the open-innovation platform with inventor network worldwide.  We can give you documents for detailed information which includes problem definition, examples of existing relevant technologies, and requirements for the ideas to be proposed. And if you develop such good ideas that the company selects for its use, you will be able to receive monetary rewards.  If you have interest in such open innovation activities, […]

A customer of ours is looking for new solutions in the field of cyber security. So, we are now looking for innovators or inventors in this field. If you are willing to help us, or if you know someone who’s a good fit, please let us know. We can give you documents for detailed information which includes problem definition, examples of existing relevant technologies, and requirements for solutions to be proposed. If you develop such good solutions that the customer likes, you will be able to receive monetary rewards. Please join a network of innovators worldwide to solve this challenge.

A global food and beverage company is looking for innovative solutions for various challenges it faces in the field packaging, production process and so on. So, we are now looking for inventors or innovators in such fields. If you are willing to help us, please let us know. We can give you documents for detailed information which includes problem definition, examples of existing relevant technologies, and requirements for solutions to be proposed. And if you develop such good solutions that the company selects for its use, you will be able to receive monetary rewards. Please join a network of inventors worldwide. You may have a chance to work with world-class […]

We are delighted to announce the partnership with Xinova which provides an open innovation platform with a global inventor network. We will assist Xinova to find great talent who has potential for invention and assist them to develop new solutions to solve a variety of problems faced by its customers and also develop new applications based on existing technologies owned by the customers. The inventors who develop such good solutions or applications that the customers select or the like will be able to receive monetary rewards. If you have an interest in joining the invention program, please don’t hesitate to contact us.