翻訳コラム

弁理士会主催の平成27年特許改正の説明会に出席しました、この改正の柱は職務発明が最初から会社に帰属すると勤務規則、契約等で予め定められる、ということですが、他にも出願人、特に弁理士にとってうれしい改正があります。
その一つは、拒絶理由通知に対する意見書の提出期間を延長できるということです。
意見書提出期間は、拒絶理由通知の発送日から60日(国内出願人)で、外国の出願人(在外者)は3ヶ月です。
国内出願人は、引例との対比実験をするという理由で1ヶ月の延長ができます。これに対し在外者の場合は、上記した対比実験の理由の他、拒絶理由通知書や意見書などの翻訳に時間がかかるという理由でも延長でき、翻訳の理由の場合は最大3ヶ月まで延長できます。
しかし平成27年改正では、そういう理由でなくても国内出願人も意見書提出期間が延長できることとなりました。
経済産業省令で定める期間を延長できますが、まだこの期間は決まっていません。

I participated in a lecture held by the Japanese Patent Attorneys Association regarding the amendment of the Patent Act in 2015. The key point of this amendment is to allow for an employment regulation, agreement, etc., for preliminarily providing that an employee's invention shall initially belong to an employer. However, other provisions advantageous to applicants, especially patent attorneys, will be introduced.
One of them is allowing for an extension of the term for filing an argument in response to a notice of reason for refusal.
The term for filing an argument shall be 60 days from the dispatch date of a notice of reason for refusal as for a domestic applicant (namely an applicant having an address or residence in Japan) and three months therefrom as for an overseas resident (namely a person having no address or no residence in Japan).
This term for a domestic applicant can be extended for one month because a comparative experiment with the cited reference has to be conducted.
On the other hand, the term for an overseas resident can be extended further not only because a comparative test has to be conducted but also because translation of a notice of reason for refusal and an argument, etc., takes time.
The extension because of translation is permitted for a maximum of three months.
However, the amendment of the Patent Act in 2015 will allow for an extension of the term for filing an argument without such reason.
The term may be extended for the period provided under the Ordinance of the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry, which has not yet been decided.