In November 1988, the Japan Trademark Association (JTA) was established. Over the past 36 years, the organization has flourished, and as of April 2024, JTA has 874 members including companies, law firms, lawyers, lawyers, academics, and researchers, and has 12 research committees and 7 committees, including practical research. So, what is the background of JTA's establishment at the beginning, what is its organizational structure, and what kind of work has been carried out by the exchange partners in the field of trademarks between China and Japan, JTA and its affiliated organizations?...... With the above questions in mind, IP Frontier conducted an exclusive interview with Seiro Takahata, President of the JTA Practice Research Association.
The picture shows the chairman of the JTA Practice Research Association, Saintero Takahata, speaking at the event
Medium-thin and thin, he speaks and acts with the meticulousness and seriousness that is unique to the Japanese, which is the initial impression that Takaha Sainto left on the frontier of intellectual property. In February 1987, the American Trademark Association (the predecessor of the current International Trademark Association) held its annual meeting in Japan. At that time, there was a clear trend towards the establishment of an international organization equivalent to the American Trademark Association in Japan, which would bring together trademark attorneys, academics, and in-house counsel to contribute to the development of trademark in Japan. A well-known Japanese trademark attorney who attended the annual meeting was inspired by this and began to prepare for the establishment of JTA. In 1988, with the joint efforts of many parties, JTA was born. "Since its founding, JTA has established a research group on legal systems, a research group on judgments, a research group on the history of the trademark system, a research committee, a compilation and publication committee, and an international events committee. This is not a major change from the current organizational structure of JTA. In recent years, JTA has been actively responding to the astonishing advances in digital technology and the emergence of new forms of trademark use, and has been working hard to maintain its original aspiration of becoming an organization that leads the trademark system and practices in Japan and around the world. ”
Thirty years ago, as a civil servant, Takaha joined the Legal Department of the Corporate Planning Department of the head office of Japan Post Co., Ltd., a state-owned company at the time. With the restructuring of the company, Takahata's Shenglang was converted from a civil servant to an employee of the company, and he is now the head of the company's legal department. "I've been a JTA member for a long time. In 2015, I was elected president of the JTA Practice Research Association, and I have been working there ever since. At JTA, the Practical Study Group is a relatively large organization. The JTA members who participate in the activities of the Practical Study Group are mainly in-house counsel of Japanese companies. In addition, the number of participants in each practical seminar is relatively high compared to other seminars. This is a characteristic of the activities of the Practical Workshop. Takahata, who handed over the relevant materials to the intellectual property frontier, continued, "It has become a common practice for the Practical Research Association to hold a monthly meeting every month. The main contents of these conferences include presentations at member companies' events or speeches by trademark managers, joint meetings with the Japan Patent Office, exchanges of opinions with intellectual property law firms, and speeches by well-known experts and scholars. In addition, the Practice Institute is working to share information through e-mail magazines and to promote communication among corporate members' trademark counsel. ”
Over the years, the JTA Practice Institute has been engaged in exchanges between China and Japan in the field of trademarks. It is understood that before the new crown epidemic, after careful preparation, the JTA Practice Research Association twice invited Chinese trademark attorneys as sharing guests to Japan to participate in the monthly regular meeting to introduce the key issues and latest developments in the field of Chinese trademarks to members. During the epidemic, due to inconvenient transportation, the offline communication of Chinese trademark attorneys attending the monthly meeting in Japan was temporarily suspended and replaced with an online sharing. "I am glad that in April this year, we once again invited Wang Meng, Director of Beijing Chengcheng Yixin Intellectual Property Agency Co., Ltd., to Tokyo to share the keynote of nearly 100 in-house counsel, trademark attorneys and JPO examiners at the monthly meeting. "The theme of this regular meeting is 'New Trends in the Examination and Trial of Trademark Similarity and Similarity of Goods and Services in China'. Wang Meng's sharing was very detailed, which aroused strong interest among the participants. Of course, in addition to the theme of this regular meeting, Japanese trademark practitioners are also very concerned about the issues related to the revision of China's trademark law, and hope to have the opportunity to have an in-depth understanding of this aspect. ”
In the interview, Takahata has always praised the rapid development of China's intellectual property rights and the Chinese government's active efforts to protect the legitimate rights and interests of foreign-funded enterprises in China. "I went to Shanghai in 2010 and Beijing in 2011. With the resumption and increase of exchanges between China and Japan in the field of trademarks, I think I will have the opportunity to go to China with the JTA Practice Study Group and JTA members. Meanwhile, the 31st Annual Meeting of JTA will be held in Fukuoka in September this year. This is a major event in the field of Japanese trademarks, and we sincerely welcome Chinese trademark practitioners who are interested in Japanese trademarks to sign up for the conference. Trademark practitioners from China and Japan had in-depth communication and cooperation during the event, and worked together to create a better future for intellectual property. Takaha said.
编辑：Sharon