Japanese patent law is based on the first-to-file principle and is mainly given force by the Patent Act (特許法, Tokkyohō) of Japan. Article 2 defines an invention as "the highly advanced creation of technical ideas utilizing the law of nature". English translation The definitive version of Japanese law is the text in the Japanese language. An official English-language translation of the law does not exist, but the Ministry of Justice Japan has the website "Japanese Law Translation", where one can search for Japanese laws and their unofficial English translation. Intellectual property (IP) laws such as Patent Act, Copyright Act, Trademark Act, Design Act and Unfair Competition Prevention Act are included there. In addition, the Industrial Property Digital Library (IPDL) offers public access to IP Gazettes of the Japan Patent Office (JPO) free of charge through the Internet. Reliable information on Japanese IP law in English is also provided by the websites of Intellectual...