知財不況

今日の読売新聞に、東海地方における製造業の出願公開が減少傾向にあると掲載されていました。不況の中、研究費は削らないものの出願は厳選するとのトヨタ系企業の話も掲載されていました。
私の会社も当然のことながら出願、維持案件の厳選に動いています。

日本の特許事務所の経営状態はどうなのでしょうか？
あまりニュースなどで報道されないし、国内案件は担当していないので国内事務所との接点が少なく状況がわからないのですが間違いなく受注は落ち込んでますよね。それに、大手顧客からの値下げ要求も厳しいでしょうから経営の苦しい事務所も多いのでは？と想像しています。

IPOの調査によれば調査対象の41%の米国企業が米国内への出願を減らすそうです（一番下のリスト参照）。
また、米国外への出願は大幅に減らしているそうです。
Fewer than one-third of companies surveyed expect to file more patent applications this year than last

米国法律事務所のリストラの動きがIP部門に波及しつつあるようです。
Townsend and Townsend and Crew61人をレイオフ
Fish & Richardson120人をレイオフ, Fish & Richardsonさらなる経費削減策
Morgan & Finnegan 倒産
その他多数

特許庁も例外ではないです。
英国特許庁100人レイオフ
EPO18人レイオフ
USPTO予算が危機に ,(LINK)

ところで日本特許庁はどうなっているのでしょう
これまで審査官補を大量に雇い入れ、IPCCと同じ機能を持った民間調査機関を沢山作って調査担当者を大幅に増やして来ましたが経費をまかないきれるのでしょうか？

Patent Filing Survey Results 5/18/2009 (LINK)
**Eighty-five IPO corporate members completed the survey. The survey was conducted from April 14 to April 23.
Not every company responded to every question.

1. For calendar year 2009, what is your company’s plan or expectation for filing new U.S. patent applications compared with 2008?

• 29% of respondents said filings would increase
• 41% of respondents said filings would decrease
• 30% of respondents said filings would remain unchanged
• Of those who said filings would increase, 48% said the increase would be 1 to 5%, 26% said the increase would be 5 to 10% and 26% said the increase would be greater than 10%
• Of those who said filings would decrease, 34% said the decrease would be 1 to 5%, 16% said the decrease would be 6 to 10% and 50% said the decrease would be greater than 10%

2. If you have a basis for answering that is more than mere speculation, what is your company’s plan or expectation for filing new U.S. patent applications in 2010 as compared with 2009?

• 41% of respondents said filings would increase
• 9% of respondents said filings would decrease
• 50% of respondents said filings would remain unchanged from 2009

3. For calendar year 2009, what is your company’s plan or expectation for maintenance fee payments?

• 17% of respondents said payments would increase
• 34% of respondents said payments would decrease
• 49% of respondents said payments would remain unchanged from 2008

4. For calendar year 2009, what is your company’s plan or expectation for payment of extension fees?

• 5% of respondents said payments would increase
• 37% of respondents said payments would decrease
• 58% of respondents said payments would remain unchanged from 2008

5. For calendar year 2009, what is your company’s plan or expectation for filing of RCE’s?

• 8% of respondents said filings would increase
• 20% of respondents said filings would decrease
• 72% of respondents said filings would remain unchanged from 2008

6. For calendar year 2009, what is your company’s plan or expectation for filing of appeals?

• 21% of respondents said filings would increase
• 16% of respondents said filings would decrease
• 63% of respondents said filings would remain unchanged from 2008

7. For calendar year 2009, what is your company’s plan or expectation for filing new PCT applications with the USPTO as Receiving Office?

• 15% of respondents said filings would increase
• 22% of respondents said filings would decrease
• 63% of respondents said filings would remain unchanged from 2008