2015 (Gyo-Ke) 10200 [Press-Through Pack] <Takabe> — Merely improving accuracy is a matter of design choice
Updated: 2 days ago
Article information
Article type: Case note
Category: Other Japanese law
Topics: Design choices
First published on this website: 2026-11-01
Display and classification checked: November 2, 2026
Originally published on Ameblo: 2025-01-03 (Japan time). Full English translation.
2015 (Gyo-Ke) 10200 [Press-Through Pack] <Takabe>
*Merely improving accuracy is a matter of design choice
Even specifying ANSI grade “A” scanning accuracy is a matter of design choice.
“So long as the applied barcode can be read accurately, the degree of barcode-reading accuracy is a matter that a person skilled in the art appropriately determines.”
(Excerpt from the court's reasoning)
The space for displaying a barcode necessarily is limited … the size of the barcode display is a matter of design choice appropriately selected according to the space for displaying it, so long as its function can be ensured … and a barcode size of “nominally 0.169 mm/module” for barcodes used on prescription drugs … is conventional, well-known technology …. Moreover, it goes without saying that barcodes should be easy to read. So long as a barcode reader can accurately read the applied barcode, the degree of barcode-reading accuracy is a matter that a person skilled in the art appropriately determines. Accordingly, … achieving the highest quality, “A,” in the “overall evaluation prescribed by the ANSI standard when scanned ten times with a barcode verifier” is merely a matter of design choice ….
Update history
The first-published date remains unchanged. Display maintenance, classification changes, related-article updates, and text corrections are recorded separately.
November 1, 2026: First published on this website.
November 2, 2026: Added article information, classification, topics, language navigation, related articles where the same case was confirmed, consultation guidance, and SEO. The original text and first-published date were preserved.
Comments