Information processing device, information processing method, computer program and non-transitory computer-readable medium

Abstract

To provide an information processing device, an information processing method, a computer program, and a non-transitory computer-readable medium, capable of proposing an application method that ensures an earliest possible application date while enabling a publication date of application related to a trademark registration application to be the same as a planned publication date of the trademark or later than the planned publication date of the trademark.SOLUTION: An information processing device 10 including a processor and a memory for storing instructions is configured to: acquire planned application country information, planned publication date information, and planned application date information; calculate an expected publication date in the planned application country for each planned application country indicated in the acquired planned application country information based on the planned application date information and a publication days database 121 in which an estimated number of days required from a filing date of a trademark registration application in each country until the trademark registration application is published; and generate, from among planned application countries indicated by the acquired planned application country information, first application country candidate information indicating a planned application country for which the expected publication date is the same as the planned publication date or the expected publication date is later than the planned publication date.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present disclosure relates to an information processing apparatus, an information processing method, a computer program, and a non-transitory computer-readable medium.

Background Art

[0002] Patent Document 1 discloses an application recommendation date providing system capable of providing an application recommendation date of a design such that the application is published after the product of the design is publicly disclosed.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0003]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] By the way, due to the spread of social networking services and the like, it has become increasingly common for the content of a trademark registration application to be widely disseminated by a third party who has no relation with the applicant immediately after the application is published. However, as an applicant, from a business strategy perspective, it may be considered undesirable for the content of the trademark registration application to be widely disseminated by a third party who has no relation with the applicant before the trademark is publicly announced by the applicant. For this reason, there is a need to make the application publication date of the trademark registration application the same as or later than the planned trademark publication date. On the other hand, since so-called first-to-file principle is adopted in many countries, there is also a need to file a trademark registration application as early as possible in order to secure an application date as early as possible.

[0005] The present disclosure aims to provide an information processing apparatus, an information processing method, a computer program, and a non-transitory computer-readable medium that can propose an application method capable of ensuring the earliest possible filing date while making the publication date of a trademark registration application the same as or later than the planned publication date of the trademark.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0006] An information processing apparatus according to one aspect for achieving the above object is a processor; a memory that stores at least one instruction executable by the processor, and is an information processing apparatus comprising: When at least one of the instructions is executed by the processor, the information processing apparatus acquires application schedule country information indicating a country where an application is scheduled to be filed, which is a member state of the Paris Convention, publication schedule date information indicating the planned publication date of the trademark, and application schedule date information indicating the planned filing date; Based on the application schedule date information and a publication days database in which the standard number of days required from the date of each country's trademark registration application until the trademark registration application is published is recorded, for each country indicated by the acquired application schedule country information, calculates a predicted publication date in the country where the application is scheduled to be filed; Generates first applicant country candidate information indicating a country where the predicted publication date is the same as or later than the planned publication date among the countries indicated by the acquired application schedule country information.

[0007] Also, an information processing method according to one aspect for achieving the above object is an information processing method executed by an information processing apparatus, comprising: a step of acquiring application schedule country information indicating a country where an application is scheduled to be filed, which is a member state of the Paris Convention, publication schedule date information indicating the planned publication date of the trademark, and application schedule date information indicating the planned filing date; Based on the scheduled filing date information and a database of average number of days required from the date of trademark registration application in each country until the application is published, for each country indicated by the obtained scheduled filing country information, calculating a projected publication date in the scheduled filing country; generating first applicant country candidate information indicating a scheduled filing country among the scheduled filing countries indicated by the obtained scheduled filing country information, where the projected publication date is the same as or later than the scheduled publication date.

[0008] Also, a computer program according to one aspect for achieving the above object is a computer program including at least one instruction executed by a processor of an information processing device, wherein when at least one of the instructions is executed by the processor, the information processing device is caused to obtain scheduled filing country information indicating a scheduled filing country that is a member state of the Paris Convention, scheduled publication date information indicating a scheduled publication date of a trademark, and scheduled filing date information indicating a scheduled filing date; based on the scheduled filing date information and a database of average number of days required from the date of trademark registration application in each country until the application is published, for each country indicated by the obtained scheduled filing country information, calculate a projected publication date in the scheduled filing country; and generate first applicant country candidate information indicating a scheduled filing country among the scheduled filing countries indicated by the obtained scheduled filing country information, where the projected publication date is the same as or later than the scheduled publication date.

[0009] Also, a non - transitory computer - readable medium according to one aspect for achieving the above object stores the above computer program.

[0010] According to the information processing apparatus according to the above configuration, for each country where an application is scheduled to be filed, which is a member state of the Paris Convention, the expected publication date in the country where the application is scheduled to be filed is calculated, and first applicant country candidate information indicating a country where the application is scheduled to be filed and the expected publication date is the same as the scheduled publication date or the expected publication date is later than the scheduled publication date is generated. By the way, among the member states of the Paris Convention, if a trademark registration application accompanied by a claim of priority based on the Paris Convention is filed in a country different from the first country within six months from the date of the trademark registration application in the first country, the trademark registration application filed in the different country shall not be treated disadvantageously by an act performed between the trademark registration application in the first country and the trademark registration application filed in the different country. By using the first applicant country candidate information generated by the information processing apparatus, the user can file a first country application in a country where the application is scheduled to be filed and the expected publication date is the same as the scheduled publication date or the expected publication date is later than the scheduled publication date. Then, within six months from the date of the first country application, by filing a trademark registration application accompanied by a claim of priority based on the Paris Convention in another country different from the country where the user filed the first country application, the trademark registration application in the other country can be treated in the same manner as when it was filed at the time of the first country application. That is, by filing a trademark registration application in a country where the expected publication date is the same as the scheduled publication date or the expected publication date is later than the scheduled publication date, it is possible to secure an application date as early as possible while preventing the content of the trademark registration application from being made public before the scheduled publication date of the trademark. Thus, according to the information processing apparatus according to the above configuration, it is possible to propose an application method that can secure an application date as early as possible and make the application publication date for the trademark registration application the same as or later than the scheduled publication date of the trademark. Further, the information processing method, computer program, and non-transitory computer-readable medium according to the above configuration can also achieve the same effect.

Advantages of the Invention

[0011] According to the present disclosure, it is possible to provide an information processing apparatus, an information processing method, a computer program, and a non-transitory computer-readable medium that can propose an application method capable of ensuring the earliest possible filing date and making the publication date of a trademark registration application the same as or later than the planned publication date of the trademark.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0012]

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Embodiment for Carrying Out the Invention

[0013] Hereinafter, an example of an embodiment of the present disclosure will be described with reference to the drawings.

[0014] (First Embodiment) With reference to FIGS. 1 to 3, the information processing apparatus 10 and the user terminal apparatus 20 of the present embodiment will be described. FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating an information processing system 1 according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. As illustrated in FIG. 1, the information processing system 1 includes an information processing apparatus 10 and a user terminal apparatus 20. The information processing apparatus 10 and the user terminal apparatus 20 can communicate with each other by wire or wirelessly.

[0015] As illustrated in FIG. 1, the information processing apparatus 10 includes an input unit 11, a storage device 12, a control unit 13, and an output unit 14. These are connected to each other so as to be communicable via a bus 15.

[0016] The input unit 11 is configured to receive a user's input operation on the information processing apparatus 10 and generate a request signal corresponding to the input operation. The input unit 11 is, for example, an input device such as a keyboard electrically connected to the information processing apparatus 10. The user inputs various types of information such as application schedule country information indicating the country where the trademark registration application is planned, publication schedule date information indicating the planned publication date of the trademark, and application schedule date information indicating the planned application date into the input unit 11. In the present embodiment, the "country" is a concept that includes not only independent countries but also countries or regions not internationally approved and unions such as the European Union. Further, in the present embodiment, the application schedule country input to the input unit 11 is a country that is a member of the Paris Convention. The application schedule country is the country where the trademark registration application for the target trademark is to be filed. The planned publication date of the trademark is, for example, the planned release date of a press release displaying the target trademark, the planned posting date on the website of the target trademark, the planned sales date of a product with the target trademark, etc. The application schedule date is the date when the trademark registration application for the target trademark is to be filed. Note that various types of information input to an electronic device such as the user terminal device 20 may be input to the input unit 11 via a communication network. The input unit 11 transmits the input various types of information to the control unit 13.

[0017] By the way, among the member states of the Paris Convention, if a trademark registration application with a claim of priority under the Paris Convention is filed in a country different from the first filing country (the second filing country) within six months from the date of the trademark registration application in the first filing country, the trademark registration application made in the second filing country shall not be treated unfavorably by acts carried out between the trademark registration application in the first filing country and the trademark registration application in the second filing country. The first filing country is the country that makes the earliest trademark registration application among the member states of the Paris Convention, and the second filing country is the country that makes a trademark registration application after the earliest trademark registration application. For example, if a trademark registration application with a claim of priority under the Paris Convention based on the trademark registration application in the first filing country is made in the second filing country, the trademark registration application in the second filing country can receive the same favorable treatment as if it were filed on the date of the first country application (priority date).

[0018] The storage device 12 is configured to store programs and various data. The storage device 12 is, for example, a storage device (storage) such as an HDD (Hard Disk Drive), an SSD (Solid State Drive), or a flash memory. The storage device 12 stores, for example, the publication date database 121 illustrated in FIG. 2.

[0019] The publication date database 121 is preconfigured, for example, by the creator of the publication date database 121. As illustrated in FIG. 2, the publication date database 121 records the approximate number of days required from the date of trademark registration application in each country until the trademark registration application is published. For example, the approximate number of days in Japan is 20 days. That is, in Japan, the content of the trademark registration application is published approximately 20 days after the trademark registration application is filed.

[0020] Returning to FIG. 1, the control unit 13 will be described. As a hardware configuration, the control unit 13 includes a memory and a processor. The memory is composed of, for example, a ROM (Read Only Memory) storing various computer programs and the like, or a RAM (Random Access Memory) having a plurality of work areas storing various computer programs executed by the processor. The processor is, for example, a CPU (Central Processing Unit), and is configured to expand a computer program designated from various computer programs incorporated in the ROM onto the RAM and execute various processes in cooperation with the RAM.

[0021] In this embodiment, the non-transitory computer-readable medium can be used as a memory. The non-transitory computer-readable medium refers to any type of physical memory (such as RAM, ROM, etc.) that can store information and data readable by a processor. The non-transitory computer-readable medium can store instructions related to execution processing by one or more processors. Note that the term "non-transitory computer-readable medium" includes tangible items and excludes carrier waves and temporary signals (i.e., it refers to non-temporary ones). Examples of non-transitory computer-readable media include magnetic recording media (such as flexible disks, magnetic tapes, hard disk drives), magneto-optical recording media (such as magneto-optical disks), CD-ROM (Read Only Memory), CD-R, CD-R / W, and semiconductor memories (such as mask ROM, PROM (Programmable ROM), EPROM (Erasable PROM), flash ROM).

[0022] Based on the application scheduled date information and the publication date database 121, the control unit 13 calculates the expected publication date in the country of application for each country of application indicated by the obtained application scheduled country information. For example, when the country of application is Japan and the application scheduled date is November 1, 2023, the control unit 13 calculates the date of November 21, 2023 as the expected publication date in Japan. Also, for example, when the country of application is Vietnam and the application scheduled date is November 1, 2023, the control unit 13 calculates the date of December 11, 2023 as the expected publication date in Vietnam.

[0023] The control unit 13 determines an application-scheduled country among the application-scheduled country information obtained, where the expected publication date is the same as or later than the scheduled publication date. Then, based on this determination, the control unit 13 generates first applicant country candidate information indicating the application-scheduled country among the application-scheduled country information obtained, where the expected publication date is the same as or later than the scheduled publication date. For example, if the application-scheduled countries are Japan and Vietnam, the application-scheduled date is November 1, 2023, and the scheduled publication date is December 1, 2023, the control unit 13 determines that the application-scheduled country with an expected publication date the same as or later than the scheduled publication date is Vietnam. Then, based on this determination, the control unit 13 generates the first applicant country candidate information.

[0024] When the control unit 13 generates the first applicant country candidate information, it generates display data including the first applicant country candidate information. The control unit 13 transmits the generated display data to the output unit 14.

[0025] The output unit 14 outputs the display data received from the control unit 13 to the user terminal device 20.

[0026] The user terminal device 20 is an electronic device such as a desktop-type PC, a notebook PC, a tablet terminal, or a smartphone, for example. The user terminal device 20 includes a display unit 21. The display unit 21 is, for example, a liquid crystal display or the like. The display unit 21 is configured to display an image based on the display data received from the output unit 14.

[0027] Next, with reference to FIGS. 2 to 5, an information processing method executed in the first embodiment will be described. FIG. 3 is a flowchart of the information processing method according to the first embodiment. FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating an input screen. FIG. 5 is a diagram illustrating an image 100 based on the display data.

[0028] As illustrated in FIG. 3, the information processing apparatus 10 acquires application-scheduled country information, publication-scheduled date information, and application-scheduled date information (STEP01). In this embodiment, the application-scheduled country information, the publication-scheduled date information, and the application-scheduled date information are input to the input unit 11, and the information processing apparatus 10 acquires these pieces of information by the input unit 11 transmitting the input information to the control unit 13.

[0029] As illustrated in FIG. 4, in this embodiment, the countries where applications are scheduled are Japan, the European Union, Vietnam, and Cambodia. In this embodiment, the publication-scheduled date is December 1, 2023. In this embodiment, the application-scheduled date is November 1, 2023. Note that these premises are the same in the following embodiments unless otherwise specified.

[0030] Returning to FIG. 3, STEP02 will be described. Based on the application-scheduled date information and the publication date database 121, the control unit 13 calculates the expected publication date in the country where the application is scheduled for each country indicated by the acquired application-scheduled country information (STEP02). In this embodiment, since the countries where applications are scheduled are Japan, the European Union, Vietnam, and Cambodia, the control unit 13 calculates the expected publication dates in Japan, the European Union, Vietnam, and Cambodia. As illustrated in FIG. 2, the standard number of days for application publication in Japan is 20 days, the standard number of days for application publication in the European Union is 1 day, the standard number of days for application publication in Vietnam is 40 days, and the standard number of days for application publication in Cambodia is 50 days. Also, in this embodiment, the application-scheduled date is November 1, 2023. Therefore, the expected publication date in Japan is November 21, 2023, the expected publication date in the European Union is November 2, 2023, the expected publication date in Vietnam is December 11, 2023, and the expected publication date in Cambodia is December 21, 2023.

[0031] Returning to FIG. 3, STEP03 will be described. The control unit 13 determines whether it has calculated the expected publication dates for all the scheduled filing dates (STEP03). If the control unit 13 determines that it has calculated the expected publication dates for all the scheduled filing dates (YES in STEP03), it executes STEP04. On the other hand, if the control unit 13 determines that there is a scheduled filing date for which the expected publication date has not been calculated (NO in STEP03), it executes STPE02 again for the scheduled filing date for which the expected publication date has not been calculated. In this embodiment, when calculating the expected publication dates in Japan, the European Union, Vietnam, and Cambodia, the control unit 13 determines that it has calculated the expected publication dates for all the scheduled filing dates and executes STEP04.

[0032] The control unit 13 determines, among the scheduled filing dates indicated by the acquired scheduled filing country information, the scheduled filing dates for which the expected publication date is the same as the scheduled publication date or the expected publication date is later than the scheduled publication date (STEP04). In this embodiment, the expected publication date in Japan is November 21, 2023, the expected publication date in the European Union is November 2, 2023, the expected publication date in Vietnam is December 11, 2023, and the expected publication date in Cambodia is December 21, 2023. Also, the scheduled publication date is December 1, 2023. Therefore, the control unit 13 determines that the scheduled filing dates for which the expected publication date is the same as the scheduled publication date or the expected publication date is later than the scheduled publication date are Vietnam and Cambodia.

[0033] Based on the determination in STEP04, the control unit 13 generates first applicant country candidate information indicating the scheduled filing dates for which the expected publication date is the same as the scheduled publication date or the expected publication date is later than the scheduled publication date (STEP05). In this embodiment, the control unit 13 generates first applicant country candidate information indicating that the scheduled filing dates for which the expected publication date is the same as the scheduled publication date or the expected publication date is later than the scheduled publication date are Vietnam and Cambodia.

[0034] The control unit 13 generates display data including first applicant country candidate information (STEP06). The control unit 13 transmits the generated display data to the output unit 14 (STEP07). The output unit 14 outputs the display data to the user terminal device 20.

[0035] When the display data is output to the user terminal device 20 via the output unit 14, an image 100 (see FIG. 5) based on the display data is displayed on the display unit 21 of the user terminal device 20 (STEP08).

[0036] Here, while referring to FIG. 5, the image 100 based on the display data generated in this embodiment will be described in detail. As illustrated in FIG. 5, Vietnam and Cambodia are displayed as candidate countries for the first applicant country in the image 100. Further, the expected publication date in Vietnam and the expected publication date in Cambodia are also displayed in the image 100. Therefore, by visually recognizing the image 100, the user can grasp the applicant country where the expected publication date is the same as the scheduled publication date or the expected publication date is later than the scheduled publication date, and the expected publication date in such an applicant country.

[0037] By the way, due to the spread of social networking services and the like, it has become increasingly common for the content of a trademark registration application to be widely spread by a third party unrelated to the applicant immediately after the application is published. However, as an applicant, from a business strategy perspective, it may be considered unfavorable for the content of the trademark registration application to be widely spread by a third party unrelated to the applicant before the trademark is published by the applicant. For this reason, there is a need to make the application publication date of the trademark registration application the same as or later than the scheduled trademark publication date. On the other hand, since so-called first-to-file principle is adopted in many countries, there is also a need to file a trademark registration application as early as possible in order to secure the earliest possible filing date.

[0038] According to the information processing apparatus 10 according to the above configuration, for each scheduled filing country that is a member state of the Paris Convention, the predicted publication date in the scheduled filing country is calculated, and first applicant country candidate information indicating a scheduled filing country in which the predicted publication date is the same as the scheduled publication date or the predicted publication date is later than the scheduled publication date is generated. By using the first applicant country candidate information generated by the information processing apparatus 10, the user can file a first national application in a scheduled filing country in which the predicted publication date is the same as the scheduled publication date or the predicted publication date is later than the scheduled publication date. Then, within six months from the date of the first national application, by filing a trademark registration application with a claim of priority based on the Paris Convention in another country different from the country where the user filed the first national application, the trademark registration application in the other country can be treated the same as when it was filed at the time of the first national application. That is, by filing a trademark registration application in a scheduled filing country in which the predicted publication date is the same as the scheduled publication date or the predicted publication date is later than the scheduled publication date, it is possible to ensure the earliest possible filing date while preventing the content of the trademark registration application from being made public before the scheduled publication date of the trademark. Thus, according to the information processing apparatus 10, it is possible to propose a filing method that can ensure the earliest possible filing date while making the filing publication date for the trademark registration application the same as or later than the scheduled publication date of the trademark. Also, the information processing method, computer program, and non-transitory computer-readable medium according to the above configuration can achieve the same effects.

[0039] (Second Embodiment) Next, a second embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. 6 and 7. In this embodiment, the same reference numerals as those in the first embodiment are used to describe the same parts as in the first embodiment, and the description of overlapping parts will be omitted as appropriate. This embodiment is different from the first embodiment in that the control unit 13 generates first applicant country candidate information indicating the scheduled filing country with the latest predicted publication date among the scheduled filing countries in which the predicted publication date is the same as the scheduled publication date or the predicted publication date is later than the scheduled publication date. That is, in this embodiment, the first applicant country candidate information generated by the control unit 13 is information indicating the scheduled filing country with the latest predicted publication date among the scheduled filing countries in which the predicted publication date is the same as the scheduled publication date or the predicted publication date is later than the scheduled publication date.

[0040] While referring to FIG. 6, an information processing method executed in the second embodiment will be described. FIG. 6 is a flowchart of the information processing method according to the second embodiment. STEP11 to STEP14 are the same as STEP01 to STEP04 in the first embodiment.

[0041] The control unit 13 generates first applicant country candidate information indicating the applicant country with the latest expected publication date among the applicant countries with an expected publication date the same as or later than the scheduled publication date (STEP15). In this embodiment, the expected publication date in Japan is November 21, 2023, the expected publication date in the European Union is November 2, 2023, the expected publication date in Vietnam is December 11, 2023, and the expected publication date in Cambodia is December 21, 2023. Also, the scheduled publication date is December 1, 2023. Therefore, the control unit 13 determines that the applicant country with the latest expected publication date among the applicant countries with an expected publication date the same as or later than the scheduled publication date is Cambodia. Then, based on this determination, the control unit 13 generates first applicant country candidate information.

[0042] STEP16 to STEP18 are the same as STEP06 to STEP08 in the first embodiment. However, in STEP18, an image 100A (see FIG. 7) is displayed on the display unit 21 of the user terminal device 20.

[0043] Here, while referring to FIG. 7, the image 100A based on the display data generated in this embodiment will be described in detail. FIG. 7 is a diagram illustrating the image 100A based on the display data according to this embodiment. As illustrated in FIG. 7, Cambodia is displayed as a candidate country for the first applicant country in the image 100A. Also, the expected publication date in Cambodia is also displayed in the image 100A. For this reason, by visually recognizing the image 100A, the user can grasp the applicant country with the latest expected publication date among the applicant countries with an expected publication date the same as or later than the scheduled publication date, and the expected publication date in such an applicant country.

[0044] Also in this embodiment, the information processing apparatus 10 can achieve the same effects as those in the first embodiment.

[0045] Further, according to the information processing apparatus 10 according to the above configuration, the first applicant country candidate information is information indicating the applicant country with the latest expected publication date among the applicant countries whose expected publication date is the same as the scheduled publication date or the expected publication date is later than the scheduled publication date. Therefore, according to the information processing apparatus 10, by filing a trademark registration application in the applicant country indicated by such first applicant country candidate information, the applicant can more surely make the application publication date for the trademark registration application the same as or later than the scheduled publication date of the trademark.

[0046] (Third Embodiment) Next, a third embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. 1 and 8 to 10. In this embodiment, the same reference numerals as those in the first embodiment are used to describe the same parts as those in the first embodiment, and the description of overlapping parts is omitted as appropriate. This embodiment is different from the first embodiment in that, as shown by the dashed line in FIG. 1, not only the publication date database 121 but also the required number of days database 122 is stored in the storage device 12.

[0047] The required number of days database 122 is configured in advance, for example, by the creator of the required number of days database 122. As illustrated in FIG. 8, the required number of days database 122 records the number of days required from the application decision in each country until the application becomes possible. The required number of days is determined in consideration of, for example, the number and content of the necessary documents to be submitted to the competent authority such as the Patent Office at the time of trademark registration application, and the presence or absence of authentication of the necessary documents. The necessary documents are, for example, a power of attorney and a certificate of all matters.

[0048] For example, in Japan and the European Union, a trademark registration application can be filed without preparing necessary documents such as a power of attorney. Therefore, in this embodiment, the number of days required from the application decision in Japan and the European Union until the application becomes possible is set to 1 day.

[0049] For example, in Vietnam, a power of attorney is required as a necessary document. However, no authentication is required for the power of attorney. Therefore, in this embodiment, the number of days required from the application decision in Vietnam until the application can be made is set to 5 days.

[0050] For example, in Cambodia, a power of attorney authenticated by a notary public is required as a necessary document. Therefore, in this embodiment, the number of days required from the application decision in Cambodia until the application can be made is set to 10 days.

[0051] This embodiment is also different from the first embodiment in that the control unit 13 identifies the number of days required from the application decision until the application can be made for each scheduled application date based on the scheduled application date information and the number of days required database 122. Further, in this embodiment, the control unit 13 generates first applicant country candidate information indicating the scheduled application date with the shortest number of days required from the application decision until the application can be made among the scheduled application dates where the expected publication date is the same as the scheduled publication date or the expected publication date is later than the scheduled publication date. That is, in this embodiment, the first applicant country candidate information generated by the control unit 13 is information indicating the scheduled application date with the shortest number of days required from the application decision until the application can be made among the scheduled application dates where the expected publication date is the same as the scheduled publication date or the expected publication date is later than the scheduled publication date.

[0052] While referring to FIG. 9, the information processing method executed in the third embodiment will be described. FIG. 9 is a flowchart of the information processing method according to the third embodiment. STEP21 to STEP23 are the same as STEP01 to STEP03 of the first embodiment.

[0053] Based on the scheduled filing date information and the required number of days database 122, the control unit 13 identifies the number of days required from the filing decision to the filable state for each scheduled filing date (STEP24). In this embodiment, the number of days required from the filing decision to the filable state in Japan, the European Union, Vietnam, and Cambodia is as illustrated in FIG. 8. Therefore, the control unit 13 identifies one day as the number of days required from the filing decision to the filable state in Japan and the European Union. The control unit 13 identifies five days as the number of days required from the filing decision to the filable state in Vietnam. The control unit 13 identifies ten days as the number of days required from the filing decision to the filable state in Cambodia.

[0054] Returning to FIG. 9, STEP25 will be described. The control unit 13 determines whether it has identified the number of days required from the filing decision to the filable state for all the scheduled filing dates (STEP25). When the control unit 13 determines that it has identified the number of days required from the filing decision to the filable state for all the scheduled filing dates (YES in STEP25), it executes STEP26. On the other hand, when the control unit 13 determines that there is a scheduled filing date for which the number of days required from the filing decision to the filable state has not been identified (NO in STEP25), it executes STPE24 again for the scheduled filing date for which the number of days has not been identified. In this embodiment, when the control unit 13 identifies the number of days required from the filing decision to the filable state in Japan, the European Union, Vietnam, and Cambodia, it determines that it has identified the number of days for all the scheduled filing dates and executes STEP26.

[0055] STEP26 is the same as STEP04 in the first embodiment.

[0056] The control unit 13 generates first applicant country candidate information indicating the applicant country with the shortest number of days required from the application decision to the state where the application can be made among the applicant countries with a publication prediction date that is the same as or later than the scheduled publication date (STEP27). In this embodiment, the publication prediction date in Japan is November 21, 2023, the publication prediction date in the European Union is November 2, 2023, the publication prediction date in Vietnam is December 11, 2023, and the publication prediction date in Cambodia is December 21, 2023. Also, the scheduled publication date is December 1, 2023. Furthermore, as illustrated in FIG. 8, the number of days required from the application decision to the state where the application can be made in Japan and the European Union is 1 day, the number of days required in Vietnam is 5 days, and the number of days required in Cambodia is 10 days. Therefore, the control unit 13 determines that the applicant country with the shortest number of days required from the application decision to the state where the application can be made among the applicant countries with a publication prediction date that is the same as or later than the scheduled publication date is Vietnam. Then, based on this determination, the control unit 13 generates first applicant country candidate information.

[0057] Returning to FIG. 9, STEP28 to STEP30 will be described. STEP28 to STEP30 are the same as STEP06 to STEP08 of the first embodiment. However, in STEP30, an image 100B (see FIG. 10) is displayed on the display unit 21 of the user terminal device 20.

[0058] Here, while referring to FIG. 10, the image 100B based on the display data generated in this embodiment will be described in detail. FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating the image 100B based on the display data according to this embodiment. As illustrated in FIG. 10, Vietnam is displayed as a candidate country for the first filing country in the image 100B. Also, the expected publication date in Vietnam is displayed in the image 100B. Therefore, by visually recognizing the image 100B, the user can grasp the filing country with the shortest number of days required from the filing decision to the filing-enabled state among the filing countries where the expected publication date is the same as or later than the scheduled publication date, and the expected publication date in such a filing country.

[0059] Also in this embodiment, the information processing apparatus 10 can achieve the same effects as those in the first embodiment.

[0060] Further, according to the information processing apparatus 10 having the above configuration, the information processing apparatus 10 specifies the number of days required from the filing decision to the filing-enabled state in each filing country. And the first filing country candidate information is information indicating the filing country with the shortest number of days required among the filing countries where the expected publication date is the same as or later than the scheduled publication date. Therefore, according to the information processing apparatus 10, by filing a trademark registration application in the filing country indicated by such first filing country candidate information, the user can secure an earlier filing date while making the publication date of the trademark registration application the same as or later than the scheduled publication date of the trademark.

[0061] (Fourth Embodiment) Next, a fourth embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. 1 and 11 to 14. This embodiment is different from the first to third embodiments in that, after a trademark registration application is filed on the scheduled filing date indicated by the first applicant country candidate information described in the first to third embodiments, the information processing apparatus 10 generates guidance information to be described later. In this embodiment, for parts similar to those in the first to third embodiments, the same reference numerals as those in the first to third embodiments are used for description, and descriptions of overlapping parts are omitted as appropriate. This embodiment is different from the first to third embodiments in that, as shown by the dashed-dotted line in FIG. 1, not only the publication days database 121 and the required days database 122 but also the required documents database 123 are stored in the storage device 12.

[0062] The required documents database 123 is preconfigured, for example, by the creator of the required documents database 123. As illustrated in FIG. 11, the required documents database 123 records the required documents necessary for trademark registration applications in each country. As illustrated in FIG. 11, for example, in Japan and the European Union, there are no required documents for trademark registration applications. On the other hand, in Vietnam and Cambodia, a power of attorney is required as a required document. Note that in Vietnam, no authentication is required for the power of attorney, whereas in Cambodia, notarial authentication is required for the power of attorney.

[0063] This embodiment is also different from the first to third embodiments in that the control unit 13 performs the following (1) to (4). Details of the information processing regarding the following (1) to (4) will be described later. (1) The control unit 13 acquires application date information indicating the application date of a trademark registration application made on the scheduled filing date (first applicant country) indicated by the first applicant country candidate information, and first applicant country information indicating the first applicant country. (2) The control unit 13 generates priority claim deadline information indicating the priority claim deadline based on the application date information of the trademark registration application made on the scheduled filing date indicated by the first applicant country candidate information. (3) The control unit 13 generates document information indicating the documents required for filing a trademark registration application in a country of intended filing other than the country of intended filing indicated by the first country of intended filing candidate information based on the country of intended filing information and the necessary document database 123. (4) The control unit 13 generates guidance information including the priority claim deadline information and the document information.

[0064] Next, with reference to FIG. 12, the information processing method executed until an image based on the guidance information is displayed among the information processing methods executed in the fourth embodiment will be described. In this embodiment, it is assumed that the first country of intended filing candidate information has already been generated, and the user has already filed a trademark registration application in the country of intended filing (the first country of intended filing) indicated by the first country of intended filing candidate information. Also, in this embodiment, the countries of intended filing are Japan, the European Union, Vietnam, and Cambodia, the first country of intended filing is Cambodia, and the filing date of the trademark registration application in the first country of intended filing is assumed to be November 1, 2023. FIG. 12 is a flowchart of the information processing method executed until an image based on the guidance information is displayed.

[0065] As illustrated in FIG. 12, the information processing apparatus 10 acquires the filing date information and the first country of intended filing information related to the first country of intended filing (STEP 101). As illustrated in FIG. 13, in this embodiment, the filing date information indicating the filing date (November 1, 2023) of the trademark registration application made in Cambodia, which is the first country of intended filing, and the first country of intended filing information indicating that the first country of intended filing is Cambodia are input to the input unit 11, and the information processing apparatus 10 acquires these information by the input unit 11 transmitting these input information to the control unit 13.

[0066] Returning to FIG. 12, STEP 102 will be described. Based on the filing date information acquired in STEP 101, the information processing apparatus 10 generates priority claim deadline information (STEP 102). In this embodiment, the filing date of the trademark registration application made in Cambodia is November 1, 2023, and the priority period in the trademark registration application is six months. Therefore, the control unit 13 determines, based on the acquired filing date information, that the priority claim deadline is May 1, 2024. Based on this determination, the control unit 13 generates priority claim deadline information indicating that the priority claim deadline is May 1, 2024.

[0067] Based on the country of intended filing information and the necessary documents database 123, the information processing apparatus 10 generates necessary documents information (STEP 103). In this embodiment, the control unit 13 generates necessary documents information indicating the necessary documents required for filing a trademark registration application in countries of intended filing other than Cambodia (i.e., Japan, the European Union, and Vietnam) based on the country of intended filing information and the necessary documents database 123. The necessary documents required for filing a trademark registration application in Japan, the European Union, and Vietnam are as illustrated in FIG. 11.

[0068] The control unit 13 determines whether necessary documents information has been generated for all countries of intended filing other than the country of intended filing indicated by the first applicant country candidate information (STEP 104). If the control unit 13 determines that necessary documents information has been generated for all countries of intended filing other than the country of intended filing indicated by the first applicant country candidate information (YES in STEP 104), it executes STEP 105. On the other hand, if the control unit 13 determines that there is a country of intended filing for which necessary documents information has not been generated among the countries of intended filing other than the country of intended filing indicated by the first applicant country candidate information (NO in STEP 104), it executes STEP 103 again for the country of intended filing other than the country of intended filing indicated by the first applicant country candidate information for which necessary documents information has not been generated. In this embodiment, when the control unit 13 generates necessary documents information for Japan, the European Union, and Vietnam, it determines that necessary documents information has been generated for all countries of intended filing other than the country of intended filing indicated by the first applicant country candidate information, and executes STEP 105.

[0069] The control unit 13 generates guidance information including priority claim deadline information and necessary document information (STEP105). In this embodiment, the control unit 13 generates guidance information including priority claim deadline information indicating that the priority claim deadline is May 1, 2024, and necessary document information indicating the necessary documents required when filing trademark registration applications in Japan, the European Union, and Vietnam.

[0070] The control unit 13 transmits the generated guidance information to the output unit 14 (STEP106). The output unit 14 outputs the guidance information to the user terminal device 20.

[0071] When the guidance information is output to the user terminal device 20 via the output unit 14, an image 100C (see FIG. 14) based on the guidance information is displayed on the display unit 21 of the user terminal device 20 (STEP107).

[0072] Here, while referring to FIG. 14, the image 100C based on the guidance information generated in this embodiment will be described in detail. FIG. 14 is a diagram illustrating the image 100C based on the guidance information according to this embodiment. As illustrated in FIG. 14, the image 100C displays the priority claim deadline and the necessary documents required when filing trademark registration applications in the countries scheduled for filing other than Cambodia, which is the first filing country (i.e., Japan, the European Union, and Vietnam). Therefore, by visually recognizing the image 100C, the user can grasp the deadline for filing trademark registration applications in the countries scheduled for filing other than the first filing country and the necessary documents required when filing trademark registration applications in the countries scheduled for filing other than the first filing country.

[0073] Also in this embodiment, the information processing apparatus 10 can achieve the same effects as those in the first to third embodiments.

[0074] Further, according to the information processing apparatus 10 according to the above configuration, guidance information including priority claim expiration date information generated based on the filing date information, and required document information generated based on the planned filing country information and the required document database 123 is generated. By using such guidance information, the user can smoothly file a trademark registration application in a planned filing country other than the planned filing country indicated by the first filing country candidate information after filing a trademark registration application on the planned filing date indicated by the first filing country candidate information.

[0075] The above embodiments are for facilitating the understanding of the present disclosure and do not limit the present disclosure. The present disclosure can be changed and improved without departing from its gist.

[0076] In the above embodiment, the planned filing countries are four countries (Japan, European Union, Vietnam, and Cambodia), but the number of planned filing countries is not limited to this.

[0077] In the above embodiment, the standard number of days required from the date of filing a trademark registration application in each country recorded in the publication days database 121 until the trademark registration application is published is not limited to the standard number of days illustrated in FIG. 2.

[0078] In the above embodiment, the number of days required from the application decision in each country recorded in the required days database 122 until the application becomes eligible is not limited to the number of days illustrated in FIG. 8.

[0079] In the third embodiment, STEP26 may be executed immediately after STEP23 (that is, between STEP23 and STEP24). In this case, in STEP24, the control unit 13 specifies the number of days required from the filing decision to the filable state in the filing country whose expected publication date is the same as the scheduled publication date or later than the scheduled publication date among the filing countries indicated by the acquired filing schedule information. Further, in this case, when the control unit 13 determines that the number of days required from the filing decision to the filable state has been specified for all the filing countries whose expected publication date is the same as the scheduled publication date or later than the scheduled publication date among the filing countries indicated by the acquired filing schedule information (YES in STEP25), the control unit 13 generates first applicant country candidate information indicating the applicant country with the shortest number of days required from the filing decision to the filable state among the applicant countries whose expected publication date is the same as the scheduled publication date or later than the scheduled publication date (STEP27).

[0080] In the fourth embodiment, the information processing apparatus 10 acquires the filing date information and the first filing country information related to the first filing country when they are input to the input unit 11 and the input unit 11 transmits this information to the control unit 13. However, the present disclosure is not limited to this. For example, as shown by the two-dot chain line in FIG. 1, when the information processing apparatus 10 can communicate with the external database 30 via the Internet or the like, the filing date information may be acquired from the external database 30. The external database 30 is, for example, a database of the Japan Patent Office, a database of the Vietnam National Intellectual Property Office, a database of the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO), a commercial database provided by a trademark service provider, or the like. For example, the database of the Japan Patent Office records filing information related to trademark registration applications filed with the Japan Patent Office. In this specification, trademark registration applications include international trademark registration applications. The filing information includes various information such as, for example, the filing number, registration number, international registration number, trademark, filing date, etc. related to the trademark registration application. Regarding databases other than the database of the Japan Patent Office (for example, the database of the Vietnam National Intellectual Property Office, etc.), similar to the database of the Japan Patent Office, filing information related to trademark registration applications in at least one country is recorded. In this case, as illustrated in FIG. 15, the information processing apparatus 10 acquires the first filing country information and the filing number information when the first filing country information and the filing number information indicating the filing number related to the trademark registration application made in the first filing country are input to the input unit 11, and acquires the filing date information from the external database 30 based on the acquired first filing country information and filing number information.

Explanation of Signs

[0081] 1: Information processing system 10: Information processing apparatus 11: Input unit 12: Storage device 13: Control unit 14: Output unit 15: Bus 20: User terminal device 21: Display unit 30: External database 100, 100A, 100B, 100C: Images 121: Publication days database 122: Required days database 123: Required documents database

Claims

1. A processor, a memory storing at least one instruction executable by the processor, an information processing apparatus comprising: when at least one of the instructions is executed by the processor, the information processing apparatus acquires application schedule country information indicating a country scheduled for filing, which is a contracting state of the Paris Convention, publication scheduled date information indicating a scheduled publication date of a trademark, and application scheduled date information indicating a scheduled filing date; based on the application scheduled date information and a publication days database in which average days required from the date of a trademark registration application in each country until the trademark registration application is published are recorded, for each country indicated by the acquired application schedule country information, calculates an expected publication date in the country of filing; generates first applicant country candidate information indicating a country of filing in which the expected publication date is the same as or later than the scheduled publication date among the countries indicated by the acquired application schedule country information. An information processing apparatus.

2. The first applicant country candidate information is information indicating the country of filing with the latest expected publication date among the countries of filing in which the expected publication date is the same as or later than the scheduled publication date. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1.

3. Based on the application scheduled date information and a days required database in which days required from a filing decision in each country until it becomes possible to file are recorded, for each country indicated by the acquired application schedule country information, identifies the days required in the country of filing; The first applicant country candidate information is information indicating the country of filing with the shortest days required among the countries of filing in which the expected publication date is the same as or later than the scheduled publication date. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1.

4. further acquires application date information indicating an application date of a trademark registration application made in the country of filing indicated by the first applicant country candidate information; generates priority claim deadline information indicating a priority claim deadline based on the application date information; based on the application schedule country information and a required documents database in which required documents necessary for trademark registration applications in each country are recorded, generates required document information indicating the required documents necessary for trademark registration applications in countries of filing other than the country of filing indicated by the first applicant country candidate information. The information processing apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 3, which generates guidance information including the priority claim deadline information and the necessary document information.

5. An information processing method executed by an information processing apparatus, comprising: acquiring application schedule country information indicating a country where an application is scheduled to be filed, which is a member state of the Paris Convention, publication schedule date information indicating a scheduled publication date of a trademark, and application schedule date information indicating a scheduled application date; calculating a predicted publication date in the country where the application is scheduled to be filed for each country where the application is scheduled to be filed indicated by the acquired application schedule country information, based on the application schedule date information and a database of average days required from the date of a trademark registration application in each country until the trademark registration application is published; generating first applicant country candidate information indicating a country where the predicted publication date is the same as or later than the scheduled publication date among the countries where the application is scheduled to be filed indicated by the acquired application schedule country information.

6. A computer program including at least one instruction executed by a processor of an information processing apparatus, wherein when at least one of the instructions is executed by the processor, the information processing apparatus is caused to: acquire application schedule country information indicating a country where an application is scheduled to be filed, which is a member state of the Paris Convention, publication schedule date information indicating a scheduled publication date of a trademark, and application schedule date information indicating a scheduled application date; calculate a predicted publication date in the country where the application is scheduled to be filed for each country where the application is scheduled to be filed indicated by the acquired application schedule country information, based on the application schedule date information and a database of average days required from the date of a trademark registration application in each country until the trademark registration application is published; generate first applicant country candidate information indicating a country where the predicted publication date is the same as or later than the scheduled publication date among the countries where the application is scheduled to be filed indicated by the acquired application schedule country information.

7. A non-transitory computer-readable medium storing the computer program according to claim 6.

Images