Writing and Reading Patent Application Documents in Chemistry and Biotechnology: 5th Edition

Author: (Japanese) Katsuyoshi Watanabe, Feng Jianbo
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2005-04-01
Features: This book is a masterpiece completed by Mr. Katsuyoshi Watanabe, a renowned Japanese patent agent, based on decades of practical experience in the field of patent agency. Since its first publication in October 1990, it has been reprinted six times in Japan over nearly 15 years, with four revisions during that period. The fact that a professional book on patent agency has received such popularity fully demonstrates its influence and esteemed reputation in the industry. A significant feature of this book is that the author, from the perspective of a patent agent and standing on the side of the inventor, elaborates as comprehensively as possible on the writing and reading methods of patent specifications and claims in the fields of chemistry, medicine, and biotechnology. Therefore, as a practical reference book, it is particularly relatable and enlightening for industry agents, especially inventors, to read. Another feature of the book is that it summarizes the changes made to the Japanese Patent Act, its implementing rules, and examination guidelines up to the revisions in 2003, significantly reducing outdated content and cases while incorporating new concepts and more representative cases related to the writing and reading of application documents. Especially, many provisions of the current Japanese Patent Act after revision are quite similar to China's Patent Law. Therefore, this book is not only beneficial for Chinese patent agents and technicians in the fields of chemistry and biotechnology to understand and familiarize themselves with the Japanese Patent Act but also plays a positive role in improving the writing and reading standards of domestic patent application documents. Additionally, China's Patent Law includes three types of patents: invention, utility model, and design, whereas Japan's Patent Act only covers invention patents. To better facilitate reading for Chinese readers and deepen their understanding of the differences and similarities between the patent systems of the two countries, the translators intentionally retained some Japanese characters used in the original book, such as "" (equivalent to China's Invention Patent Law), "" (equivalent to China's rejection), and "" (equivalent to China's reconsideration). These "" may cause some inconvenience for readers who first encounter them, but after reading, they will gain significant insights and can largely compensate for the lack of practical reference books in China concerning patents in the fields of chemistry and biotechnology. Compared to the July 1995 edition, the fifth edition of this book has streamlined the introductory sections on general knowledge (Chapter 1: Obtaining a Patent, Chapter 2: General Matters of Writing a Specification and Claims, Chapter 3: Writing Methods of Claims, Chapter 5: Writing Methods of a Specification, Chapter 6: Writing Methods of Drawings and Their Descriptions, Chapter 7: Writing Methods of Abstracts of the Specification, Chapter 9: Selecting an Invention, Chapter 10: Numerically Limited Inventions, Chapter 11: Chemical Substance Inventions, Chapter 12: Inventions of Manufacturing Methods, Chapter 13: Utility Inventions, Chapter 16: Reading Methods of Patent Bulletins, etc.), substantially revised and expanded the content on application document amendments, patent rights, and patent disputes, along with relevant cases (Chapter 8: Deficiencies in the Specification and Their Countermeasures, Chapter 17: Preventing Patent Disputes, Chapter 18: Reading Methods of Claims), and supplemented the content on cutting-edge biotechnology (Chapter 14: Biotechnological Inventions). A new chapter on unity issues (Chapter 4) has also been added.