제4차 산업혁명기술 관련 일본의 특허분류제도 및 그 시사점

The Japanese Intellectual Property Office has applied the examination guidelines of the computer related invention and the main examination guideline relating to the IoT related technology etc. in the patent examination of the fourth industrial revolution technology of the AI, IoT etc. As to applying such an examination guideline, it is recognized that the patent classification should be accurately made and then the quality of the patent examination can be improved and the occurrence of the bad right can be prevented, and a specific patent classification system which is not in other country is managed for the related technology of the fourth industrial revolution. The IPC and the CPC are used as the patent classification and at the same time the autonomous patent classification has been enacted in Japan, (ⅰ) the patent classification (FI) made to meet the IPC and the CPC with the domestic technical level, (ⅱ) the patent classification(F-term) classified by an aspect which is different from the technical classification of IPC and the CPC, (ⅲ) the patent classification(CS-term) specialized in the invention related to the computer software, (ⅳ) the patent classification (Facet ZIT) specialized in the IoT related invention simultaneously corresponding to the various fields are independently executed. The patent classification system in Japan is to be the important basis for accurately searching the prior art to perform the planned study in the patent examination as well as the development of the related technology of the fourth industrial revolution in Japanese companies. Especially for preventing from the double investment to the research and development in the related technology of Al, IoT etc. and positively developing the new technology from the prior art, the subspecialized patent classification has been executed in the Japanese Government. At present only the IPC and CPC are given as the patent classification in our country and the separate patent classification has not been used in the patent examination of the technology related to the fourth industrial revolution. However the patent classification is the important system used in the prior art search for deciding the novelty and inventiveness of the filed inventions, and it is needed to review the introduction of the patent classification system such as CS-term and Facet ZIT in Japan to utilize in the patent examination and the prior art search in the domestic companies in line with the development of the technology related to the fourth industrial revolution.