翻訳コラム

TPP関連法案(「環太平洋パートナーシップ協定の締結に伴う関係法律の整備に関する法律」)がようやく昨年12月9日に成立し、12月16日に公布されました。昨年3月に閣議決定されていたこの法律ですが、TPPからのアメリカの離脱の宣言により成立が危ぶまれていました。特許、商標、著作権法という3つ重要な知的所有権法の改正が含まれているので、私としてはこの成立の可否を不安な気持ちで見守っていました。
著作権法の改正については、以前このブログでも説明してきました。今日は新特許法の改正点2つを説明します。

1. 新規性喪失の例外の出願期間が6ヶ月から1年になること
   学会発表するなど自己の行為、あるいはスクープされるなど意に反して発明が出願前に公知になった場合は、公知になった日から1年以内に新規性喪失の例外の適用を受ける旨を表示して出願をすれば、新規性を喪失しなかったものとみなされます(新30条)。
2. 審査に時間がかかり特許権の設定登録されたのが遅かった場合は、存続期間が延長されます。
   出願から5年満了日、または審査請求から3年満了日のいずれか遅い日より後に特許権設定登録がされた場合です。
   現行法では、新薬の許認可に時間がかかり、実施できなかった場合などに延長できましたが、改正法では審査に時間がかかった、審査請求が遅くされた上に審査に時間がかかったため、特許されたのが遅かった場合に延長出願できます。

つまり、出願から5年以内または審査請求から3年以内という短期間に特許された場合は、この制度を利用できないということです。
しかも延長される存続期間にはある規定があります。この点は次回ブログで。

The TPP related bills (The various laws that accompanied the conclusion of the Trans-Pacific Partnership Agreement) were finally passed on December 9, 2016 and then were made public on December 16. They were decided by the Cabinet last March but their establishment had been in jeopardy because the U.S. declared its withdrawal from the TPP. The three essential Intellectual Property Laws of Patents, Trademarks and Copyrights Laws are all included in the TPP, so I carefully kept an eye out on its development.
The new copyright laws have been explained in this blog before, so I will inform you today about two new points in patent law.

1. The term for filing an application for an exception to any loss of novelty will be changed from six months to one year.
   If inventions become publicly known before applying for the patent due to the applicants' (inventors') own acts, then the invention may be considered to not have lost its original novelty. Such situations could include things like an inventor giving a presentation at an academic society before filing for the patent application, or authorizing a newspaper article in which the invention is covered before its patent has been filled. As long as this application is filed within one year from the date in which the invention became publicly known, the novelty of the item will still be protected. (new Article 30).
2. The patent term may be extended if its examination takes time and the patent right is established late.
   This application for extension of the patent term can be filed if the patent right was established after 5 years after from the patent application or after three years from the request for examination, whichever is later.
   Under the present patent law, the patent term can be extended if approval for new drugs took considerable time during which the invention could not be carried out. While the new Patent Law permits applications for extension, if the patent right was established late because the examination took considerable time or the examination was requested late and the examination took time, then the patent term can be applied to be extended.

If the patent right was established within a short period, namely within 5 years from the patent application or three years from the request for examination, then this system cannot be utilized.
The period of continuation of the extended term is also provided in the new patent laws, and this will be explained in the next blog.