Asia’s First International Arbitration Agency for Intellectual Property

Asia’s first International Arbitration Agency for Intellectual Property will be established in Tokyo, September 2018, which will specifically deal with intellectual property disputes such as patent infringement. The agency will try to resolve the dispute within one year. In recent years, the imaging industry is facing more and more patent infringement issues. With a relatively rapid process compared to the court, organizations and companies will have much less burden.

Intellectual property expert Katsuya Tamai from Tokyo University will serve as chairman of this newly established organization, and more than ten experts from Japan and abroad, including the former president of the US court who handles patent litigation cases, will serve as arbitrators.

Expertise and professional knowledge are required while solving patent infringement cases, and that is the reason why courts and general arbitration agencies usually need a long time to finish. Japanese Government holds a positive view of the International Arbitration Agency for Intellectual Property.

The arbitration is effective in more than countries that have affiliated with relevant international treaties although patents are registered in different countries. Therefore, compensation can be also made overseas easily. As long as the parties agreed, the new Tokyo agency can also arbitrate disputes.