Ochika Law Office

Korean patent office as a Hub

Some of Japanese companies ask Korean or Chinese patent offices to handle international patent application due to their cheaper costs than Japanese patent offices. Most of countries took part in the international patent application system under the PCT (Patent Cooperation Treaty) . Once Japanese companies files patent application documents with Japanese patent bureau, then they ask Korean patent offices to file PCT international application under the treaty with Korean patent bureau. Korean patent offices are called hub offices. The number of Japanese clients for Korean hub offices are increasing year by year up to 45% of whole Japanese companies which make international patent applications. I think of this trend as one of examples of hollowing-out of Japanese industry. I feel it very serious because this is not related to manufacturing factory, but relating to knowledge works. Research & development centers of Japanese big manufacturers have been set up overseas. One reason is that R&D should be done at the nearest places to consumer. Another reason is that R&D of electronic products and office machinery should be done through cooperation with IT companies which are located in the US such as Silicon Valley. Research workers overseas will increase in near future. The polarization between global companies and domestic ones in Japan are glowing. Japanese global companies do not always succeed in such globalization because the road to success globally is very tough.

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