The 2025 Taiwan-Japan Intellectual Property Symposium opened on September 5, 2025 (Friday) at the NTU College of Law Tsai Lecture Hall. The event opened with remarks from Mr. Ching-Hung Lin, Deputy Secretary-General of the Taiwan-Japan Relations Association, and Mr. Gen Kawai, Deputy Representative of the Japan-Taiwan Exchange Association’s Taipei Office. Dr. Cheng-Wei Liao, Director-General of the Taiwan Intellectual Property Office (TIPO), and Mr. Takuya Yasui, Director of the Multilateral Policy Office of the Japan Patent Office (JPO), also addressed the audience, stating that the symposium once again provided industry with a meaningful platform for Taiwan-Japan exchanges in the field of intellectual property.

This year’s symposium focused on “Patent Infringement Litigation: Systems and Practices in Taiwan and Japan.” The program featured presentations by Mr. Hayato Ikoma, Deputy Director of the International Policy Division, JPO; Ms. Tzu-Kuan Wei, Section Chief, TIPO; Mr. Tomonori Okuwaki, Vice President of the Japan Intellectual Property Association and Associate Vice President, Head of Intellectual Property Department at Chugai Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd.; and Mr. Peng-Fei Lin, Manager at Foxconn. Speakers shared the latest developments in patent infringement litigation systems and practices in Taiwan and Japan, as well as strategies companies can adopt in response to infringement challenges.

In the first session, Mr. Ikoma introduced Japan’s patent infringement litigation system and its adjudication features, compared the differences between the Japanese and Taiwanese systems, and presented ongoing discussions on IP system reforms being considered by the JPO in response to digital transformation. From the TIPO, Ms. Wei provided an overview of Taiwan’s current legal framework and practices in patent infringement litigation, covering topics such as patent certificate number marking, joint infringement, patent linkage cases, and the impact of the 2023 amendments to the Intellectual Property Case Adjudication Act.

In the second session, Mr. Okuwaki offered an in-depth look at Japan’s patent litigation practices, including recent trends in damages compensation, challenges faced by corporations, and significant judicial decisions in 2025. Finally, Mr. Lin approached the topic from an empirical research perspective, examining the impact of patent litigation on society and corporate innovation, with a particular focus on NPE litigation behavior and its threats to the high-tech industry. He also introduced risk management strategies such as patent insurance, patent portfolios, and defensive mechanisms like the LOT Network.

The symposium attracted over 160 participants from industry, government, and academia. Experts from Taiwan and Japan engaged in lively exchanges of views and experiences, with the discussions deepening mutual understanding of patent infringement litigation systems and practices in both jurisdictions. The insights shared will serve as valuable references for companies in Taiwan and Japan as they develop their patent portfolios.