JURISDICTION REPORT: JAPAN
Japan’s climate change-related patents database
By Ryo Maruyama of Kyosei International Patent Office
The Green Transformation Technologies Inventory (GXTI) is a technologies inventory published by the Japan Patent Office (JPO) in 2022, which gives an overview of technologies related to Green Transformation (GX), last updated on August 12, 2022.
It also includes the patent search formula linked to each technology category. The GXTI illustrates how to categorise GX technologies and how to search for patent documents which include a category of GX technology.
The JPO expects the GXTI to become a useful common asset for companies to make evidence-based analyses of Green Transformation technologies based on patent information and to make necessary disclosures of their climate change-related information.
The technologies inventory was developed after discussions in 2022 by a panel of six experts external to the JPO with in-depth knowledge of GX technology. In addition, the comprehensive patent search formula linked to each technology category was prepared by patent examiners in each field.
Using the GXTI
With the GXTI, a company can objectively quantify their strengths in GX technology by quoting the number of their patent applications in each technology category, by searching patent documents with applicant names from the company for each relevant technology category, for instance.
Also, if a company searches patent documents with applicant names from other companies, it can compare the strengths of its company in terms of the GXTI technology category with other companies. In this way, the GXTI can be a useful aid for planning a company’s business and patent strategy.
The JPO is also planning to select around five to ten themes of notable technologies, such as “Energy Saving at Data Centers”, “Inventions related to CO2 Emission Trading” etc, which are not part of the GXTI hierarchical structure, and to publish them with the patent search formulae.
The JPO intends to hold discussions with intellectual property offices of the US, Europe, China, and Korea, as well as the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) regarding the effective use and improvement of the GXTI.
“The JPO intends to hold discussions with intellectual property offices of the US, Europe, China, and Korea, as well as the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) regarding the effective use and improvement of the GXTI.”
Ryo Maruyama, Kyosei
Hierarchical structure of categories
The GXTI consists of three levels of hierarchy as follows:
The Level 1 Category consists of five perspectives:
(1) Energy supply (gxA),
(2) Energy demand (gxB),
(3) Energy storage (gxC),
(4) CO2 reduction in non-energy sectors (gxD) and
(5) Capture, storage, utilization and removal of greenhouse gas (gxE).
A separate set of four transversal perspectives (gxY) is also provided in the Level 1 Category.
(1) Control-related technology,
(2) Measurement-related technology,
(3) Business-related technology,
(4) ICT-related technology.
In the Level 2 Category and the Level 3 Category, important individual technologies in each Level 1 category are listed.
In the GXTI, the Level 3 Category illustrates what specific technologies are involved in the Level 2 Category.
GxY perspective can be used to identify trends in GX technologies which include each of the transversal perspectives. (“Energy Supply X Control and Coordination”, for example).
Figure 1 English graphic edited by Kyosei International Patent Office based on “GXTI (GX Technologies Inventory in English) incl. Patent Search Formula, Excel version” August 12, 2022 Japan Patent Office (JPO).
Patent search formula
The GXTI contains the patent search formula linked to each small category. A patent search formula consists of either International Patent Classifications (IPCs) or a combination of IPCs and texts.
Using the formula, it is possible to search for patents corresponding to each category of technology in the Level 3 Category as well as the patent numbers.
The basic practice is to use English text, and Japanese text is also available. Also, for the convenience of users of the JPO’s J-PlatPat, which is a free database of patent information including official gazettes of patents for search and reference, the GXTI provides patent search formulae specific to the search by “Logical Expression Input” on J-PlatPat.
The patent search formulae are not only valid for J-PlatPat but also in other commercial patent search databases. Since the International Patent Classification is used not only in Japan but also in patent documents worldwide, the patent search formulae in the GXTI can be used for worldwide patent document search.
GXTI contact
For more information contact the JPO Policy Planning and Coordination Department, Policy Planning and Research Division, IP Trend Research Section, at the Japan Patent Office.
Sources
Official Website of the Japan Patent Office. https://www.jpo.go.jp/e/resources/statistics/gxti.html
Terms of use: https://www.jpo.go.jp/e/toppage/about/index.html
This article is a summary of the JPO announcement.
Ryo Maruyama is vice president and chief patent attorney at Kyosei International Patent Office. He can be contacted at: info@kyosei.or.jp
Ryo Maruyama is vice president and chief patent attorney at Kyosei International Patent Office. He can be contacted at: info@kyosei.or.jp
Main image: shutterstock.com / pixelparticle
