Professor Christoph Ann Concludes Lectures on German and EU Intellectual Property Law

August 21, 2018

Professor Christoph Ann (Technical University of Munich (TUM), Munich Intellectual Property Law Center (MIPLC)), who was invited as a Guest Professor (Global) to the Keio University Graduate School of Law, stayed at the Mita Campus from September 22 to October 6, 2017, to give lectures and classes.

On the evening of Monday, September 25, he gave a lecture on "Patent Invalidity and Legal Stability," co-hosted with the Intellectual Property Law Section of the Tokyo Bar Association (moderated by Professor Yuko Kimijima).

Following the opening remarks by Juro Iwatani, Dean of the Faculty of Law and Chair of the Graduate School of Law, Professor Ann introduced and analyzed the current state of patent invalidity practice in Germany and the EU and various theories on legal stability in his lecture. Additionally, Attorney Atsushi Kawada provided comments from the perspective of Japanese law, and Professor Toshiko Takenaka from the perspective of US law. Approximately 50 people, including judges, lawyers, patent attorneys, researchers, corporate professionals, and students, participated on the day, creating a lively forum for comparative law studies. (Lecture venue photos by Taiga Ishizuki)

In the Kimijima Seminar (4th year) and the Special Lectures and Research in Intellectual Property Law, Professor Ann was welcomed as a guest for two weeks, holding lectures and discussions primarily on the protection of trade secrets. With the help of Professor Kimijima's interpretation and explanations, many students engaged in a meaningful seminar on the international trends in the protection of trade secrets and infringement cases by introducing their research topics and asking questions in English, and participating in English lectures and discussions.

On Wednesday, October 4, Professor Ann paid a courtesy visit to the Faculty of Science and Technology and the Graduate School of Science and Technology, where he gave a lecture on "The EU Trade Secrets Directive (2016/943) - Transposition into German Law" and interacted with the international community at the Yagami Campus. The Graduate School of Science and Technology has a double degree program with the Technical University of Munich.

In addition, Professor Ann interacted with faculty and students from the Faculty of Law, the Graduate School of Law, and the Law School, and also visited the Japan Patent Office and other universities. He spent a fruitful time, laying the foundation for future German-Japanese research exchange in intellectual property law before returning to his home country.