RESTRICTED
WORLD TRADE IP/C/W/12
11September 1995
ORGANIZATION(95-2565)
Original: English Council forTrade-Related Aspects
ofIntellectual Property Rights
TECHNICAL COOPERATION ACTIVITIES: INFORMATION FROM
DEVELOPED COUNTRY MEMBERS
Japan
Atitsmeeting of24May1995, theCouncil forTRIPS agreed toinvite eachdeveloped country
Member toprovide information onitstechnical andfinancial cooperation programmes intheareaof
intellectual property relevant totheimplementation oftheTRIPS Agreement (IP/C/M/2, paragraph 53).
ThePermanent Mission ofJapan communicated inresponse byletters, dated 11and
22August 1995, information onJapan'stechnical andfinancial cooperation programmes. The
information contained inthese letters isreproduced inthisdocument.
Communications fromother developed country Members willbecirculated asaddenda tothis
document.IP/C/W/12
Page2
JAPAN 'STECHNICAL AND FINANCIAL COOPERATION PROGRAMMES INTHE AREA
OFINTELLECTUAL PROPERTY RIGHTS
Technical andfinancial cooperation inthefieldofindustrial property rights
(1) Cooperation related toWIPO
(a) ThroughtheWIPOTrustFundofJapan,theGovernmentofJapanhasheldroundtables,
seminars andworkshops intheESCAP (Economic andSocial Commission forAsia
andthePacific) region, dispatched patent experts totheregion (68patent experts by
theendofJapanese fiscal year1994) andreceived trainees fromtheregion (91trainees
bytheendofJapanese fiscal year1994).
(b) TheGovernment ofJapan provides, upon request, state-of-the-art search reports for
developing countries (upto100reports ayear).
(2) Cooperation related toJICA (Japan International Cooperation Agency)
(a) TheGovernment ofJapan holds aone-month seminar onindustrial property rights in
Juneevery yearforsenior officials involved inpolicy-making related toindustrial
property rights. Participation isnotrestricted toparticular regions. (Sixpersons a
year)
(b) TheGovernment ofJapan provides two-month group training onindustrial property
rights systems foradministrative officials inindustrial property rights organizations,
examiners ofindustrial property applications andothers withequivalent qualifications,
starting inSeptember every year. Participation isnotrestricted toparticular regions.
(Nine persons ayear)
(c) InJuly1995, theGovernment ofJapan started itscooperation programme toestablish
theIndustrial Property Information Center inThailand through JICA project-type
technical cooperation. (JICA project-type technical cooperation includes three types
ofcooperation: dispatching ofexperts, receiving oftrainees anddonation ofequipment
andsupplies. Project-type technical cooperation isintended tomake possible
technological transfer overafourtofiveyearperiod, systematically andinanorganized
way,todevelopingcountriesbyorganicallycombiningthesethreetypesofcooperation.)
For16years, uptoJapanese fiscal year1994, through theJICA technical cooperation, the
Government ofJapan hasdispatched 58patent experts todeveloping countries andreceived 349trainees
from developing countries.
(3) Cooperation executed directly bytheJPO(Japan Patent Office)
(a) InJapanese fiscal year1994, astheCooperation Program intheField ofPatent Search
andExamination withThailand, theJPOprovided Thailand withabout 200final
examination reports.
(b) InApril 1995, theJPOstarted providing about 80national offices ofcountries and
other organizations allovertheworld withPAJ(Patent Abstracts ofJapan) CD-ROM.IP/C/W/12
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(4) Cooperation byprivate sector organizations (planned andadministered bytheJapan Institute
ofInvention andInnovation JIII)
(a) InDecember 1994, asaspecial training course formanagers bytheAOTS (Association
forOverseas Technical Scholarship), 22private sector personnel were received as
trainees from ASEAN countries fortwoweeks.
(b) InMarch 1995, making useoftheJapanese Expert Service Abroad Program ofthe
JODC (Japan Overseas Development Corporation), JIIIdispatched anexpert onatwo-
week assignment toThailand.
(c) Forthree days, from 25to27January 1995, theJapan-ASEAN Symposium on
Intellectual Property Rights were heldinThailand onthetheme of"Activities for
Invention andUtilization ofIntellectual Property Rights".
Technical andfinancial cooperation inthefieldofcopyright
Through theWIPO Trust Fund ofJapan, theGovernment ofJapan hasbeencarrying out
"APACE Program: Asia-Pacific Copyright Systems Enhancement Program" sinceJapanese fiscal year
1993. Thepurpose ofthisProgram is,through annual contribution toWIPO 's"Development
Cooperation Program intheField ofCopyright andNeighbouring Rights forDeveloping Countries",
toprovide Asia-Pacific countries withtheactivities which contribute tothedissemination andpromotion
ofcopyright systems.
ThisProgram ismainly composed ofthefollowing three activities:
(a) Annual International Seminar onCopyright andNeighbouring Rights
1993 15to19Nov., 100participants from 20countries, heldinJapan
1994 28Nov. to2dec., 60participants from 20countries, heldinThailand
1995 Dec., inIndonesia (tobedecided)
(b) Annual Training Programme forExperts inJapan
1994 14to25Nov., 5participants from China, India, Indonesia andMongolia
1995 13to24Nov., 4participants (tobedecided)
(c) Contribution toWIPO National Seminars (bySending Japanese Experts)
1993 inBangladesh andChina
1994 inFiji,Malaysia, Mongolia andPakistan
1995 inThailand (tobedecided) andVietnam
Technical andfinancial cooperation inthefieldofplant variety protection
Through theUPOV Trust Fund ofJapan, theGovernment ofJapan hassupported aprogramme
called "Seminar ontheNature ofandRationale fortheProtection ofPlant Varieties under theUPOV
Convention" since Japanese fiscal year1991. Thepurpose ofthisprogramme istoprovide Asian
countries withtheactivities which contribute tothedissemination andpromotion oftheplant variety
protection systems.IP/C/W/12
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Details oftheseminars which havebeenheldareasfollows:
1991 12to15Nov., participants fromChina, Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines, Singapore
andThailand, heldinJapan
1992 17to19Nov., participants fromChina, Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines, Singapore
andThailand, heldintheRepublic ofKorea
1993 15to17Sept., participants fromIndonesia, Malaysia, Philippines, Thailand, Republic
ofKorea, Bangladesh, India andPakistan, heldinChina
1994 13to23Sept., heldinChina
28and29Nov., heldinPakistan
1and2Dec., heldinMalaysia
5and6Dec., heldinIndonesia
8and9Dec., heldinPhilippines
Technical andfinancial cooperation inthefieldofborder measures
TheGovernment ofJapan plans toholdaseminar andtoconduct atraining course inthefield
ofborder measures fortheenforcement ofintellectual property rights incollaboration withtheWCO
(World Customs Organization) fortheWCO fiscal year1995/1996 (from July1995 toJune1996).
Thepurpose ofthese programmes istoassist intheimplementation oftheTRIPS Agreement bythe
developing countries intheAsia-Pacific region. Thedetails oftheprogrammes aretobedetermined
later.