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JAPAN PATENT LAW

EXEMPTION FOR SUBMISSION OF PRIORITY  DOCUMENTS

December 15, 1998

Japanese Patent Office

The Trilateral Offices (JPO: Japanese Patent Office, EPO: European Patent Office and USPTO: U.S. Patent and Trademark Office) have discussed the electronic exchange of priority documents.  As a result, in November 1997, the EPO and the JPO agreed to begin the electronic exchange of priority documents from January 1999.

Based on this agreement, the submission of priority documents to the JPO will not be required when applicants claim priority under the Paris Convention for applications submitted to the EPO.

This exemption will be applied to applications submitted to the JPO starting January 1999.

The specific procedures are as follows:

When an application claiming priority is filed with the JPO based on an application to the EPO, the applicant will be exempted from submitting EPO priority documents if the EPO application number is recorded in the space for "claim of priority under the Paris Convention."

Please contact your representative in Japan for further details on this policy.

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