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Japanese probe finds IP, know-how appropriations may violate fair-trade rules

( February 27, 2026, 05:27 GMT | Official Statement) -- MLex Summary: Japan’s regulators for competition, small- and medium-sized enterprises, and IP said Friday in a press conference that a large-scale cross-sector survey of nearly 7,000 companies and 148 in-depth interviews identified widespread unfair practices across industries, such as forced royalty-free transfers or licensing, unfair price setting, unfair non-disclosure agreements, uncompensated disclosure of technical data and one-sided ownership of co-developed products. They may constitute abuse of superior bargaining position under competition law and other related statutes. A final report is slated for mid-March, followed by a public consultation late-March. Statements (in Japanese) attached....

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