Right: Professor IMAMURA Tetsuya (Photo courtesy of the Japan Patent Office)
Professor IMAMURA Tetsuya of the School of Information and Communication received the FY2026 Intellectual Property Achievement Award from the Commissioner of the Japan Patent Office on April 17.
The Japan Patent Office (JPO) of the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry annually presents the Intellectual Property Achievement Awards to individuals who have contributed to the development, dissemination, and awareness of the intellectual property rights system, and to companies, organizations, etc., that have actively utilized the system. This year, two individuals and seven companies were awarded by the Minister of Economy, Trade and Industry, four individuals and 14 companies were awarded by the Commissioner of the Japan Patent Office, one local government received the Minister of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries Award, and two companies received the Director-General of the Bureau of Export and International Affairs Award.
Professor IMAMURA participated in the formulation of the research and study report on collective trademarks, which served as the basis for the study of the regional collective trademark system, in the JPO’s research and study project and thus contributed to the establishment of the system. It was acknowledged that he continued his research on ideal protection of regional brands after joining Meiji University and contributed to the smooth introduction and development of the regional brand protection system through papers and presentations at academic conferences.
It was also acknowledged that Professor IMAMURA made efforts in the education of intellectual property laws and gave lectures on intellectual property systems not only at universities and research institutions but also in training sessions at different kinds of organizations and, in turn, contributed to the development of domestic and international practitioners, the improvement of intellectual property literacy, and international harmonization.
Comment from Professor IMAMURA (excerpt)
It was a great experience as a researcher to participate in the formulation of the report on collective trademarks in the JPO’s research and study project and to be involved in the establishment of the regional collective trademark system. Since then, I have continued research and education on intellectual property laws at Meiji University and have also been involved in the administration of the patent attorney examination system. I will continue to do my best to contribute to the development of intellectual property systems and human resource development.