RESTRICTED
WORLD TRADE IP/C/W/34
11September 1996
ORGANIZATION(96-3490)
Original: English Council forTrade-Related Aspects
ofIntellectual Property Rights
TECHNICAL COOPERATION ACTIVITIES: INFORMATION FROM
DEVELOPED COUNTRY MEMBERS
Japan
Atthemeetings oftheCouncil forTRIPS of22February and9May1996, itwasagreed that
developed country Members would annually update information ontheir technical andfinancial
cooperation activities relevant totheimplementation oftheTRIPS Agreement, andthatin1996 this
would bedoneintimefortheCouncil 'smeeting scheduled for18September 1996.
Thepresent document reproduces theinformation which hasbeenreceived fromthePermanent
Mission ofJapan bymeans ofacommunication, dated 19August 1996.
Communications fromother developed country Members willbecirculated asaddenda tothis
document.IP/C/W/34
Page2
JAPAN 'STECHNICAL AND FINANCIAL COOPERATION PROGRAMMES
INTHE AREA OFINTELLECTUAL PROPERTY RIGHTS
Technical andFinancial Cooperation intheField ofIndustrial Property Rights
1. Development ofHuman Resources
(i) Training course forgovernment officials
TheJapanese Patent Office (JPO) annually holds aone-month seminar onindustrial property
rights inJuneforsenior officials involved inpolicy-making related toindustrial property rights with
theassistance oftheJapan International Cooperation Agency (JICA). IntheJapanese fiscal year1996,
thisseminar wasrestructured as"TheGroup Training Course inAdministration ofIndustrial Property",
focusing more specifically onadministrative aspects andthenumber ofparticipants wasincreased from
6to15persons peryear. Participation isnotrestricted toparticular regions.
TheJPOannually provides two-month group training onindustrial property rightsystems for
administrativeofficialsinindustrialpropertyorganizations,examinersofindustrialpropertyapplications
andothers withequivalent qualifications, starting inSeptember withtheassistance oftheJICA. This
training course wasalsorestructured in1996as"TheGroup Training Course inExamination Practice
onIndustrial Property", which willbedesigned forexaminers (10persons peryear). Participation
isnotrestricted toparticular regions.
For17years upto1995, through theJICA technical cooperation, theJPOhasreceived 371
trainees from developing countries.
Through theWIPO Trust FundofJapan, theJPOhasheldround tables, seminars andworkshops
intheregion covered bytheEconomic andSocial Commission forAsiaandthePacific (ESCAP) and
received trainees from theregion (111trainees bytheendof1995).
(ii) Training course forprivate sectors
TheJapan Institute ofInvention andInnovation (JIII) provides aspecial training course for
managers withassistance oftheAssociation forOverseas Technical Scholarship (AOTS). In1994
and1995, atotalnumber of43private sector personnel werereceived astrainees fromASEAN countries
fortwoweeks.
Forfiveyears from1996, theJPOwillinvite atotalnumber ofapproximately 1000 trainees
toJapan. Those trainees willbemainly private sector people from countries inAsiaandthePacific
region. TheJIIIreorganized itstraining centre in1996 toreceive theincreased number oftrainees.
TheJapan-ASEAN Symposium onIntellectual Property washeld inMalaysia, from
10-12 January 1996, under thetheme of"Technological Development andProtection and
Commercialization ofNewTechnology".
(iii) Expert mission totheIndustrial Property Offices
For17years upto1995, through theJICA technical cooperation, theJPOhasdispatched 69
experts including patent experts todeveloping countries.IP/C/W/34
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Fornineyears upto1995, through theWIPO Trust Fund ofJapan, theJPOhasdispatched
78experts including patent experts todeveloping countries.
(iv) Expert mission toprivate companies
From 1994, through theJapanese Expert Service Abroad Programme oftheJapan Overseas
DevelopmentCorporation(JODC),theJIIIdispatchedoneexpertfortwoweekstoThailandandMalaysia
respectively.
2. Computerized Search andDocumentation
(i) Development ofinformation searching system
InJuly1995, theGovernment ofJapan started itscooperation programme toestablish the
Industrial Property Information Center inThailand through theJICA project-type technical cooperation.
JICA project-type technical cooperation includes three types ofcooperation: dispatching ofexperts,
receiving oftrainees andthedonation ofequipment andsupplies. Project-type technical cooperation
isintended tomake possible technological transfer overafourtofiveyearperiod, systematically and
inanorganized way, todeveloping countries byorganically combining these types ofcooperation.
(ii) Dissemination of"Patent Abstract ofJapan (PAJ)" inCD-ROM
InApril 1995, theJPOstarted providing about 80national offices ofcountries andother
organizations allovertheworld withPAJinCD-ROM.
3. Assistance inSearch andExamination
(i) Cooperation inpatent examination
In1994, theJPOstarted theCooperation Programme intheField ofPatent Search and
Examination withThailand (252finalexamination reports bytheendof1995). Thesamecooperation
wasstarted forIndonesia in1995 (101finalexamination reports bytheendof1995).
(ii) Prior artsearch forprivate sectors andpatent offices
TheGovernment ofJapan provides, uponrequest, state-of-the-art search reports fordeveloping
countries (upto100reports ayear).
Technical andFinancial Cooperation intheField ofCopyright
Through theWIPO Trust Fund ofJapan, theGovernment ofJapan hasbeencarrying out
"APACE Programme: Asia-Pacific Copyright Systems Enhancement Programme" since theJapanese
fiscal year1993. Thepurpose ofthisProgramme is,through annual contribution toWIPO 's
"Development Cooperation Programme intheField ofCopyright andNeighbouring Rights for
Developing Countries", toprovide Asia-Pacific countries withtheactivities which contribute tothe
dissemination andpromotion ofcopyright systems.
ThisProgramme ismainly composed ofthefollowing three activities:
(a) Annual International Seminar onCopyright andNeighbouring Rights
1993: inTokyo, Japan (100participants from 20countries)IP/C/W/34
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1994: inPhanga-Phuket, Thailand (60participants from 20countries)
1995: inSuva, Fiji(30participants from 10countries)
1996: inDenpasar, Indonesia (60participants from 20countries)
1996: (tobeheldinChang Mai, Thailand on18-20 November)
1997: (tobeheldinNuku'alofa, Tonga inFebruary)
(b) Annual Training Programme forExperts inJapan
1994: 5participants from China, India, Indonesia andMongolia
1995:4participantsfromthePhilippines,theRepublicofKorea,ThailandandVietNam
1996: 5participants fromBangladesh, Fiji,Malaysia, Singapore andSriLanka (TBD)
(c) Contribution toWIPO National Seminars (bySending Japanese Experts)
1993: inChina andBangladesh
1994: inMongolia, Malaysia andPakistan
1995: inVietNam andSriLanka
1996: inMongolia, China andKorea (TBD)
Technical andFinancial Cooperation intheField ofPlant Variety Protection
Through theUPOV Trust Fund ofJapan, theGovernment ofJapan hassupported aprogramme
which provides Asian countries withseminars onplant variety protection systems since theJapanese
fiscal year1991. Thepurpose ofthisprogramme istocontribute tothepromotion andestablishment
oftheplant variety protection systems inAsia.
Details oftheseminars which havebeenheldareasfollows:
1991 12to15November, participants from China, Indonesia, Malaysia, thePhilippines,
Singapore andThailand, heldinJapan;
1992 17to19November, participants from China, Indonesia, Malaysia, thePhilippines,
Singapore andThailand, heldintheRepublic ofKorea;
1993 15to17September, participants fromIndonesia, Malaysia, Philippines, Thailand, the
Republic ofKorea, Bangladesh, India andPakistan, heldinChina;IP/C/W/34
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1994 13to23September, heldinChina
28and29November, heldinPakistan
1and2December, heldinMalaysia
5and6December, heldinIndonesia
8and9December, heldinthePhilippines
1995 5to7December, participants from Malaysia, thePhilippines, Singapore, Thailand,
Bangladesh, India, Pakistan, SriLanka andVietNam, heldinIndonesia.
Technical andFinancial Cooperation intheField ofBorder Measures
TheGovernment ofJapan plans toholdatraining course inthefieldofborder measures for
theenforcement ofintellectual property rights. Thepurpose ofthese programmes istoassist inthe
implementation oftheTRIPS Agreement bythedeveloping countries intheAsia-Pacific region. The
details oftheprogrammes aretobedetermined later.