“The Power of a Single Notebook: How a Japanese Court Ruled on an Employee Invention Dispute by Identifying the Real Inventor,” by Yasuhiro Sato (The Invention 2025 No.9)

Yasuhiro Sato wrote an article published in The Invention 2025 No.9.  Yasu’s article, “The Power of a Single Notebook: How a Japanese Court Ruled on an Employee Invention Dispute by Identifying the Real Inventor” discusses a recent court decision regarding patent laws. Based on a detailed research notebook outlining the invention’s core principles and a conversation with the defendant, the court determined that the true inventor was a professor. The defendant had actually alleged in the initial court that the professor was not the inventor. This decision clearly demonstrates the importance of objective evidence in Japanese courts.