Ohara & Furukawa, Author at Ohara & Furukawa

August 29, 2016

What is a Non-disclosure Agreement (NDA)?

A non-disclosure agreement (NDA) is an agreement signed between two or more parties to prevent the disclosure of confidential information. It also can be called a confidentiality agreement (CA), confidential disclosure agreement (CDA), proprietary information agreement (PIA) or secrecy agreement (SA).

August 26, 2016

What kind of government fees are required to form a company in Japan?

The Japanese government assesses a number of taxes and fees during the course of the establishment of a new corporation in Japan. Some of these fees include a stamp for the articles of incorporation (approx. 30,000 JPY) and a registration license tax (150,000 JPY or 0.7% of the capital investment, whichever is higher).

August 24, 2016

What is the Utility Model Act?

The Utility Model Act protects the shape or structure of a device. Typically, Utility Model applications are reserved for inventions that are simpler than those covered by the Patent Act and as such, the application process is also streamlined. However, the 10 year protection granted is only half as long as the duration of a patent right.

August 22, 2016

Is it possible to get a debt paid back from a company that files for bankruptcy?

It is always possible that a debtor company may file for bankruptcy if confronted with a debt that it cannot pay. However, this does not necessarily mean that the creditor will not be able to collect at lease part of the debt. A creditor should be given proper notice before the start of a bankruptcy hearing and will have a chance to claim part of the bankrupt debtor’s assets.