FAQ

February 23, 2016

What is a Certificate on Registered Company Information?

Any company that has registered in Japan may obtain a Certificate on Registered Company Information from the Legal Affairs Bureau. The document officially certifies the company’s registration as a real company in Japan. It includes information about the company such as the company name, location, business purpose, directors and date of establishment among other things. This Certificate is normally required whenever there is a need to prove the authenticity of the corporation. Common situations that require the presenting of the Certificate include opening a bank account, filing notifications with administrative authorities, purchasing assets for which name registration is required (real […]
February 23, 2016

What types of things can be covered by copyright law?

To receive the protection of copyright law in Japan, an object must contain the “thoughts or sentiments” of its creator. While this sounds like a very deep and existential question it is broadly interpreted to mean some indication of human mental activity. This means that natural objects or art created by animals cannot be copyrighted.
February 23, 2016

What are the categories of objects that can receive a copyright in Japan?

To be subject to copyright law and receive the protection of a copyright, an object must be part of either the literary, scientific, artistic or musical domain. Some examples of literary works include novels, poems and comedy routines. Musical works include songs but the actual lyrics themselves are classified as literary works.
February 23, 2016

Is it possible to copyright a translation or musical remix?

Normally, for a work to be copyrighted it must be original. Therefore, someone who directly copies another work cannot receive copyright protection for the copy.