IP High Court, Case No. 2025 (Gyo-ke) 10056

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Article information

Article type: Case note

Display and classification checked: 2026-09-30

Categories: Patents

Topics: Inventive step / Motivation and teaching away

Published on this website: 2026-09-29

IP High Court, Case No. 2025 (Gyo-ke) 10056

[Women's clothing] (Presiding Judge Moritomi)

*Inventive step recognized.

The configuration of the invention in Exhibit Ko 1 (an old sports bra), in which breast-support flaps overfit breast-engaging pockets, is intended to solve the problem of that invention (preventing pain from breast movement during exercise such as jogging), which differs from the problem of the invention at issue (accommodating various bust shapes, sizes and shaping needs with a single product).

At the time of filing of Invention 1 at issue, it cannot be said that there was motivation to change the configuration so that the breast-support flaps fasten at the lower part of the bust and cover that lower part.

+ Such a change would reduce the area over which the breast-support flaps tighten the breasts and provide inward pressure, making it impossible to solve the problem of preventing excessive movement of the breasts of women engaged in exercise. There is therefore a factor teaching away from the change.

https://lnkd.in/gY5jz9bD

https://lnkd.in/guzTZMdd

hanrei-pdf-95353.pdf — courts.go.jp

Originally posted on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/feed/update/urn:li:activity:7510140552047280128/

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Updates and corrections

This log starts on 30 September 2026. Display and classification checks are distinct from a review of the legal analysis.

2026-09-30 — Presentation update: added the article type, this change log and a link to consultation options. The existing article text was preserved.

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