Faculty of Intellectual Property Faculty of Intellectual Property

If you have a patent right, you can exclude other companies from implementing it, and only the right holder can implement it. This is a very powerful right, and even if the other party does not intentionally infringe, and happens to be the same, you can be found to have infringed.

There are two types of rights to implement a patent: an exclusive license and a non-exclusive license. A patent owner can utilize his/her rights by granting a non-exclusive license to a third party and receiving a license fee in return.

In Japan, since former Prime Minister Koizumi declared the country to be "an intellectual property-based nation" in 2002, emphasis has been placed on the protection and utilization of intellectual property. The recognition that intellectual property is extremely important for profit-seeking companies has spread. For example, patent holders have a variety of options, such as selling, licensing, and exchanging patents, and in some cases can earn large profits. Here, we will look at how intellectual property rights are utilized.

Let's say that Kodai Seisakusho holds patent A for electrical technology. If Josho Seisakusho cannot use patent A, it will have to cancel all of its planned railway projects, which is expected to result in huge losses. Josho Seisakusho then asks Kodai Seisakusho if they can use patent A for 2 billion yen, and Kodai Seisakusho agrees. Kodai Seisakusho has succeeded in making a huge profit by owning patent A.

Let's say Kodai Seisakusho holds patent A related to electricity. If Josho Seisakusho cannot use patent A, it will have to cancel all of its planned business, which is expected to result in huge losses. Meanwhile, Kodai Seisakusho is considering withdrawing from the electrical business. So, after discussing with Josho Seisakusho, Kodai Seisakusho decides to sell patent A for 2 billion yen. In this way, patent rights can be sold to make a profit.

Let's say that Kodai Manufacturing has patent A related to electricity. Josho Manufacturing also has patent B related to electricity. Both companies want to use each other's patents. So, the two companies exchange patents for equal consideration. This type of approach is called a cross-licensing agreement.

The Design Act is a law that protects the designs of mass-produced items. For example, our eyes are drawn to products with distinctive designs, such as the operating screen of a smartphone or the shape of a desk, right? Eye-catching designs are more likely to be consumed. The Design Act protects those distinctive designs.

The fundamental principle of the Design Act is one design, one application. One application is permitted for one item. There are five types of designs: 1) set designs, 2) dynamic designs, 3) partial designs, 4) related designs, and 5) screen designs.

A set of items that cannot be protected as a single item, such as a dinner set, can be protected as a set of items if they have a sense of unity as a whole. For example, a set of a speaker and its main unit, or a set of chairs, etc.

A partial design is a system that allows you to protect only a part of an item as a design, rather than the entire item. For example, if you apply for a smartphone screen, only a part of the operating screen is protected. Also, only the handle of a pair of scissors is protected.

Dynamic designs protect objects that change shape, such as pop-up toys and sliding USB memory sticks.

Related designs are designs that are variations of a single principal design. For example, by protecting a ballpoint pen as the principal design and a grip as a related design, it is possible to obtain rights to a single design in its various forms.

Screen design design is a system that protects the operation screen that is integrated with an object. For example, the operation screen of a smartphone (not including the icon itself) or the operation screen of an alarm clock.

The benefit of obtaining a design right is that it protects the design. In recent years, for commoditized products (where technological advances have reached a plateau) such as toothbrushes and pens, consumers tend to make purchase decisions based on the design rather than the quality of the product. Therefore, by selling products that are differentiated by their appearance, you can make an impact on consumers. Therefore, it is important to obtain a design right to prevent other companies from imitating your product. For this reason, companies are focusing on obtaining not only patent rights to protect technology, but also design rights to protect the appearance.

We live our daily lives surrounded by a variety of products and services. Even when buying a bottle of mayonnaise, there are many different types sold by many companies. We decide which mayonnaise to buy by looking at the name and shape of the product. The name and shape that help us make this decision are "trademarks."

1. Source display function: Who is providing the product or service?
2. Quality assurance function: A certain level of quality is guaranteed
3. Advertising function: Encouraging consumers to purchase and use

The subject of protection is "anything that belongs to the scope of literature, academia, art, or music." Examples include novels, music, paintings, and even papers and computer programs. The Copyright Act defines protected works as "any creative expression of ideas or emotions..."

Copyright includes "moral rights" that protect the right holder's own reputation, and "neighboring rights" that protect those who disseminate copyrighted works.

Creators have three rights: 1) the right not to have their work made public without permission, 2) the right to choose how their name is displayed, and 3) the right not to have their work altered without permission.

Neighboring rights are rights given to those who communicate copyrighted works. Examples include television broadcasting companies and singers and other performers. Copyright is a right held by the creator, and only the rights holder can control the rights. However, television broadcasts are produced by many performers and creators. Even baseball broadcasts have multiple players. In this case, when a broadcast becomes the target of an infringement, it is not realistic to obtain confirmation from all rights holders, and it may be more convenient for the broadcasting company or record company to exercise the rights.

When using SNS, you must be aware of copyright. For example, if you search for an image of a movie poster and post it as a comment, this is considered unauthorized copying and therefore copyright infringement.

It is important to protect copyrighted works, but in some cases it may be better to allow them to be widely used. For example, if software is widely available on the Internet and you allow free modification, it will become software that programmers around the world participate in developing. Although you will not make a profit, you can expect easy-to-use software that includes the opinions of many people.

Copyright is a right that anyone can have. However, copyright is also easily infringed. In today's digitalized world, movies and music are uploaded to video sites without permission, and we can watch and listen to them as if it were a matter of course. Although this is actually copyright infringement, it is nearly impossible to control all of this in this day and age when such things are commonplace. If copyright holders rest easy thinking that they have the rights, their rights will continue to be infringed without their knowledge. It is becoming necessary for copyright holders to make efforts to prevent infringement. It is also true that it has become easier to quickly spread one's own works by taking advantage of today's digitalized society. From now on, it will be important for both rights holders and users to respond well to changes in the times.

The Faculty of Intellectual Property has two major pillars: "Law" studies, where students learn about various intellectual property laws, and "Business Administration" studies, where students learn about the use of intellectual property in corporate business activities. For this reason, this faculty is particularly suitable for those who were in the liberal arts course in high school. On the other hand, it also offers subjects that allow students to gain technical knowledge in order to gain a deeper understanding of product creation using new technology and design, so it is also suitable for those who were in the science course in high school. This faculty is particularly recommended for the following students.

• Are interested in the structure of society and companies, including law and management
• I am interested in creating products using new technologies and designs.
• I am interested in branding, such as product naming and advertising.
• I'm interested in how the entertainment industry works.

Intellectual property is highly valued both in Japan and around the world. For this reason, there is a strong demand for students who have studied a wide range of subjects, including law and business administration, with a focus on intellectual property. Our graduates are active in companies across a variety of industries.

Innovation is considered to be the most important factor for the development of industrial society. Innovation is not simply creation, but bringing about social change based on creativity. Creativity can only become innovation by "connecting creativity to society." The concept of our faculty, "Faculty of Intellectual Property Connecting Creativity to Society," represents this.

In order to "connect creativity to society," it is necessary to ensure that intellectual property such as new technologies and designs are utilized in society through the business activities of companies. Intellectual property such as video game software, music, movies, and manga cannot convey joy and excitement to many people unless the content and entertainment industries that provide these to society function well. Active marketing by companies using their brand power is also a type of activity that connects creativity to society.

The specific abilities required to achieve this include "legal knowledge" to understand and use intellectual property law, and "business management knowledge" to utilize intellectual property in economic activities.
Based on this knowledge, students are also expected to acquire advanced technical and international knowledge.
The goal of our faculty is for students to independently study interdisciplinary, comprehensive studies that involve many academic fields.

Specifically, students will study intellectual property laws such as patent law, design law, trademark law, and copyright law based on general laws such as civil law, as well as acquire business management knowledge and skills to utilize intellectual property such as new technology, design, brand, and content in corporate business activities. Furthermore, based on this knowledge, students will tackle practical problem solving related to intellectual property in research subjects.

In the Faculty of Intellectual Property, students are assigned to seminars from their first year, and are not only guided in their studies at the Faculty of Intellectual Property, but also in their daily lives. Seminars are conducted in small groups of about 10 students per seminar, and detailed guidance is provided.

In their second year, students choose a seminar based on their own preferences. Second-year seminars are divided into two semesters, A and B. In the first semester, seminars are conducted according to the chosen course, while in the second semester, they are divided into areas such as innovation, global studies, social contribution, and case law research, providing a meticulous educational environment tailored to students' learning aspirations.

In the third year, students are assigned to a seminar for basic research exercises, which continue into their graduation research in the fourth year. In these seminars, students are supervised not only by undergraduate faculty but also by graduate faculty, and as a small seminar, students receive intensive research guidance. Job-hunting guidance is also an important element of the seminars at this stage. Supervising faculty members also make an effort to help students find employment in line with their wishes, which is a feature that is only possible in a small seminar.