Waseda-RIAJ Endowed Course Lecture Series

Copyright Protection of Applied Art in Japan and EU

April 24, 2026 marked the first decision by the Supreme Court of Japan on the copyrightability of applied art in Japan. Meanwhile, in the EU, whilst the Court of Justice of the European Union appears to be moving towards recognising copyright protection relatively broadly in cases such as the Cofemel case (C-683/17), the Brompton Bicycle case (C-833/18) and the Mio case (C-580/23), the question of how EU Member States should interpret these rulings has become an issue, and there appears to be debate on this matter in Germany as well.

Accordingly, this symposium featured presentations from Japan and Germany on the latest developments, followed by a discussion on future perspectives. This event was held as a special lecture as part of the 2026 Academic Partnership Programme of the Recording Industry Association of Japan (RIAJ).

Date & Time: April 27, 2026, 18:30-20:30
Place: Ibuka Masaru Memorial Hall, International Conference Center
Language : English & Japanese (simultaneous)
Moderator : Prof. Tatsuhiro Ueno (Waseda University)

Speakers : Prof. Ansgar Ohly (LMU Munich), Prof. Yasuto Komada (Sophia University)