Nintendo Asks Trade Office To Fight Piracy

In its annual report to the U.S. Trade Office, Nintendo has asked for help in dealing with overseas piracy.  The list contains most of the usual countries, with Spain being the new offender.  In addition, Hong Kong was taken completely off the list.  Will this list accomplish much in stopping piracy overseas?  That answer is up for debate, but in the meantime, here is a summary of the countries that were named as reported by Kotaku:

China – Nintendo claims that online shopping sites that sell infringing Nintendo products are increasing.  These products are not only sold to customers in China, but also to those in the United States.

Korea – While internet piracy in Korea continues, 10 customs raids at the beginning of this year resulted in the seizure of more than 75,000 game copiers.

Brazil – Nintendo claims that efforts to prosecute for piracy are very weak, as not a single shipment of Nintendo video game products were seized in 2008.  In addition to internet piracy, high tariffs and taxes make barriers for official Nintendo products.

Mexico – According to Nintendo, anti-piracy actions taken by the Mexican government in 2008 are inadequate.  While Mexico is participating in negotiating the Anti-Counterfeiting Trade Agreement, there must be more enforcement.

Spain – There is an incredible amount of game-copying devices and illegal Nintendo software available.  Nintendo is asking the Spanish government to protect the copyright industry and enact laws against internet piracy.

Paraguay – Nintendo’s anti-piracy actions showed that illegal goods are both being imported and produced in this country.  Nintendo cites corruption as the reason that anti-piracy efforts in Paraguay have not been effective.

Thomson Reuters Publishes 2009 Patent Report

Even though we’re not even a quarter of the way through 2009, Thomson Reuters has published its 2009 Patent Focus Report.  Released yesterday, the report is authored by Joff Wild, editor of Intellectual Asset Management magazine.  According to a press release, the report explores recent activities at each of the world’s major patenting authorities (USA, Europe, Japan, China, and India).

Some findings of the report include:

• Huawei Technologies, a Chinese company, topped the list of Patent Co-operation Treaty applications.
• Patent approval rates at the USPTO continue to fall below 50% of applications examined.
• The Japan Patent office reported the lowest level of approved patent applications since the mid-1990s.
• Although the amount of applications received by the European Patent Office has increased, the number of patents granted has fallen.

“The 2009 Patent Focus Report combines expert insight with the stories behind the statistics,” said Tim Hamer, SVP Global Marketing Services at Thomson Reuters. “This highly anticipated report discusses the issues facing the world’s major issuing authorities and dissects significant patent disputes and their outcomes.”

For those who wish to read the entire report, it is available at  http://go.thomsonreuters.com/pfr2009 .

Report: China Will Become World’s Leading Innovator by 2012

In a report published in Thomas Reuters World IP Today, titled “Patented in China – The Present and Future State of Innovation in China,” it claims that China will overtake the U.S. and Japan to become the world’s leading innovator by 2012.  The report drew this conclusion after looking at current patent trends and the underlying causes of innovation in China, such as the economic and governmental policy factors.

In a 2006 report by the World Intellectual Property Organization, it mentions that the patent offices of U.S., Japan, Europe, Korea, and China make up 75% of all patents filed worldwide.  An analysis of patent volumes also indicates that patents and inventions from China are growing at a faster rate than any other country.  Co-author of World IP Today, Bob Stembridge, discusses his theory as to why China is experiencing such development, “Findings from the report indicate that China’s economy has shifted focus, moving away from traditional agriculture and manufacturing toward innovation-oriented activities.”

The authors do mention that it is only through mathematical exercises that they are predicting China’s future patent application volume, but they also claim it is an “inescapable fact” that China’s patents are here to stay and will continue to grow in prominence.

Although DynamicPatents generally focuses on patent news within the United States, some feel that China’s emergence as a leader in innovation could force U.S. based companies to change the way they approach their global IP strategies.  But also, will China’s emergence impact innovation within the United States?  Perhaps we’ll know in four short years.