[Event Report] Intellectual Property Law Lecture / KGRI Lecture Series: The Patent System and the Patent Office - Their Mission and Incentives (Held on October 12, 2023)

December 25, 2023

With the participants

Lecture: Prof. Dr. jur. Christoph Ann, LL. M

TUM School of Management, Technical University of Munich

Guest Professor (Global), Graduate School of Law, Keio University

Moderator: Yuko Kimijima

Professor, Faculty of Law and Graduate School of Law, Keio University

Director, Keio University Global Research Institute (KGRI)

Co-hosted by:

・Graduate School of Law, Keio University

・Keio University Global Research Institute (KGRI)

*The video is available for viewing here .

On October 12, 2023, as part of the Intellectual Property Law Lecture / KGRI Lecture Series, a lecture titled "The Patent System and the Patent Office - Their Mission and Incentives" was held, featuring Professor Ann, a leading expert in German patent law and trade secret protection law. The event attracted a diverse audience, including faculty, staff, and students of Keio University, as well as professionals from industry, government, and academia, and even high school students. A lively question-and-answer session followed the lecture.

The patent office is a key player in the patent system, responsible for examining patent applications, but it also serves as a source of national revenue through application and registration fees. In his lecture, Professor Ann focused on this aspect, providing a detailed analysis of the incentives for each stakeholder in the patent system and offering his views on the potential for economic pressure on the patent examination process.

Based on the content of the lecture, he also raised thought-provoking questions about the future of the patent system and the function of the patent office, such as whether the patent office has a business model and what parameters should be used to manage patent quality.

Intellectual property law is applied globally, and dialogue for international harmonization has been ongoing for many years. For global companies, the ability to efficiently acquire and enforce intellectual property in their respective markets is a critical issue not only for their own business but also for the entire economic society they create.

Professor Ann's lecture, which offered a new perspective to the global community of industry, government, and academia who strive daily to improve patent quality, was extremely valuable.

Date and Time: Thursday, October 12, 2023, 18:15-20:00 JST

Venue: G-Lab, 6th Floor, East Research Building, Mita Campus, Keio University

Languages: English and Japanese (with consecutive interpretation)