制作・著作
Our office information and patent related news are as follows.
In view of the revision on the Design Act that came into force from April 1, 2020 in Japan, protected items under the Japanese Design Act have been expanded as follows:
- Buildings
Under the previous Design Act, buildings were considered as land fixtures and not recognized as protectable designed objects. Although the designs of movable tangible objects such as warehouses and phonebooths were included in the protectable category, the designs of immovable property were not protected.
By this revision, buildings such as Houses, Offices, Factories, Hotels, Department stores, Restaurants, Hospitals, School buildings, Bridges and Stadiums have also been defined as protectable. In addition, commercial buildings which consist of one complex or multiple buildings (constructions) that perform a single specific usage and function are determined as single building design.
The object is required to be an artificial construction (including civil engineering structures), so even if they have aesthetic value, natural objects such as garden stones and trees are not applicable. Internal configurations are also included when they are visible under normal use of the building.
- Interiors
In addition, a new provision has been established with the purpose of protecting interior designs that consist of a combination or an arrangement of decorative elements, such as wallpapers or floor materials, that create a single aesthetic impression as a whole.
The interior has to be inside of the facilities and is required to consist of multiple articles, buildings or graphic images determined as protectable under the Design Act.
The TSUBAME PATENT ATTORNEY FIRM (APA) has a lot of experience of filing of design applications for our clients from overseas. We also have confidence for providing smooth services on procedure of the above new type of design applications.
Further, we assist you with the filing of your patents, utility models and trademarks as well as with rights management in Japan, China and Korea. Please feel free to contact us.