Japan Excel-software ruling highlights expanding reach of work-for-hire doctrine
By Toko Sekiguchi ( May 7, 2026, 07:43 GMT | Comment) -- Japan’s Intellectual Property High Court upheld a ruling that an internally developed Excel-based accounting system belonged entirely to the employer that used it, rejecting arguments by the employee who built the software that the work had been created voluntarily outside ordinary duties.Japan’s Intellectual Property High Court upheld a ruling that an internally developed Excel-based accounting system belonged entirely to the employer that used it, rejecting arguments by the employee who built the software that the work had been created voluntarily outside ordinary duties....
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