Seminar Patent Practice in Japan and EP for Protecting AI/IOT Business

On 25 April 2018 Isshiki and Maiwald jointly hold an IP seminar which brought together 40 participants from mainly large internationally operating companies.

As the purpose of this seminar was to help participants to gain necessary knowledge to protect AI/IoT business in JP and EP with exercises, Akira Yamazaki (Patent Attorney and Attorney at Law in AU) explained JP practice and Alexander Ortlieb (German and European Patent Attorney) referred on EP and German practice. While the EP presentation has been given in English, Akira Yamazaki added Japanese commentary as appropriate to help attendees’ understanding.

After the talks, workshops and discussions emerged on the protection of technology in JP and EP by using simple “machine learning scenario”. Following the workshops, Akira Yamazaki and Alexander Ortlieb explained the answers to legal questions regarding the “machine learning scenario” in another talk in English and Japanese. Afterwards, guests and hosts gathered to exchange ideas in a relaxed atmosphere at a reception.

The topics discussed were:

• Legal basis for CII inventions
• Algorithm for examining CII applications
• Technical character?
• COMVIK approach
• Fundamental Case Law about technical character & mathematical methods
• Maiwald: German Federal Supreme Court decision „Flugzeugzustand“
• Other selected Case Law on non-inventions
• Practical use
  • Granted EP patents claiming “machine learning”
  • Dispersed inventions
  • Claim formulation