Judicial Administration Structure for IP Disputes: Japan

Information provided by:
The Supreme Court of Japan

Supreme Court (final instance)
IP High Court (first instance)		IP High Court (appellate)					High Courts with jurisdiction over the area where the court of the first Instance is located (appellate)
			Cases handled by the District Courts located within the territorial jurisdiction of the Tokyo High Court						Cases handled by the District Courts located outside the territorial jurisdiction of the Tokyo High Court
Japan Patent Office (Appeal / Trial Decision) (administrative instance)		Tokyo / Osaka District Courts (first instance)			Tokyo / Osaka District Courts or any other District Court in Japan (first instance)
Administrative jurisdiction Validity disputes • Patents • Utility models • Designs • Trademarks		Civil jurisdiction Technology-related infringement cases • Patents • Utility models • Layout-design exploitation rights for semiconductor integrated circuits • Rights of authors of computer program works			Civil jurisdiction Non-technology-related infringement cases • Designs • Trademarks • Copyright (excluding rights of authors of computer program works) • Breeders' rights • Business interests caused by unfair competition