NITE Patent Microorganisms Depositary (NPMD)
The role of NITE Patent Microorganisms Depositary (NPMD) is to accept, preserve, and furnish patent microorganisms as an 'international depositary authority' as stipulated by the Budapest Treaty and as a depositary organization of Japan designated by Japan Patent Office.
About NPMD
NPMD's activities
Aside from the distribution of biological resources, patent depositary is also an important task for a biological resource center (BRC) to protect intellectual properties of individuals. This has been commonly practiced in overseas BRCs such as ATCC and DSMZ.
Along this line, NITE Patent Microorganisms Depositary (NPMD) was established in April 2004 as one of the centers within NITE, to carry out its tasks as a depositary organization of Japan designated by the Japan Patent Office and at the same time as an 'international depositary authority' as stipulated by the Budapest Treaty.
NPMD is committed to protecting the intellectual properties of depositors through the advanced technical assistance provided by the Biological Resource Center, NITE (NBRC)
The characteristic feature of depositary at NPMD
Until the establishment of NPMD, it was not possible in Japan to preserve patent microorganisms once their depositary terms have expired.
Of such microorganisms, NPMD selects those that appear to be still useful and transfers them to NBRC if agreed by the depositors. They then are preserved at NBRC and distributed to the public. This opens up a way to exploit further the functions of such microorganisms in research and development.
Acceptable Microorganisms
Microorganisms to be deposited
We will accept only those organisms listed in the following table.
| Bacteria | Actinomycetes | Archaea | Yeasts | Fungi |
| Plasmids (in host or not in host) |
Bacteriophages (in host or not in host) |
Animal Cell | Embryos |
Regulations
- 1.
- Microorganisms to be deposited must be of biosafety level 2 or lower as defined by NBRC. To obtain a list of microorganisms classified by their biosafety levels, please contact us by e-mail (npmd@nite.go.jp).
- 2.
- In the case of genetically modified organisms, they must be of P2 level or lower as stipulated by the ordinance 2004-001 jointly legislated by the Ministry of Education, Science, Culture and Sports and the Ministry of the Environment, which is entitled 'Ministerial ordinance stipulating containment measures to be taken in type 2 use of LMOs for research and development'.
Amount and Storage Forms of Samples
Please deposit ampoules or tubes of the same lot of either L-dried, lyophilized or frozen microbial sample.
| Kinds | Forms | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Bacteria, Actinomycetes, Archaea, Yeasts, Fungi, Bacteriophages | L-dried, lyophilized or frozen | 10 ampoules/tubes |
| Plasmids | dried or frozen | 10 tubes (100 ng each) |
| Animal Cell | frozen | 12 tubes (1x106 cells each) |
| Embryos | frozen | 12 tubes (12 embryos constitute one tube) |
Depositary Procedure
A flow chart
We will accept patent depositary as stipulated by the Budapest Treaty and in the way described in the chart shown below.
To obtain more information, please contact us by writing to the following address. We will then provide you with documents necessary for your application of patent depositary.
Furnishing Procedure for Patent Microorganisms
A flow chart
We furnish the requesting party with the deposited microorganisms according to Rule 11 of the Ragulations*. A request for the furnishing of a samplel will be accepted as shown in the following flow chart.
*Please refer to the ‘Budapest Treaty on the International Recognition of the Deposit of Microorganisms for the Purposes of Patent Procedure’.
Please note that the requesting third party should obtain authorization of the depositor or certification of the Industrial Property Office (IPO) before requesting the particular microorganism. We will then notify the depositor that his/her deposited microorganism(s) will be sent to the third party.
Request forms
Please fill and submit the appropriate form from the followings with your signature. The use of these forms is mandatory.
Revised Date May 1, 2024
| For a request from the authorized party by the depositor under Rule 11.2(ii) | |
|---|---|
| Form BP-10 for request | File[Word:58KB] |
| Form BP-13 for acknowledgement, agreement for furnishing and use of samples |
File[Word:47KB] |
| For a request from the certificated party by IPO under Rule 11.3(a) | |
| Form BP-11 for request | File[Word:72KB] |
| Form BP-14-1 for acknowledgement, agreement for furnishing and use of sample |
File[Word:48KB] |
| For a request under Rule 11.3(b) | |
| Form BP-12 for request | File[Word:52KB] |
| Form BP-14-1 for acknowledgement, agreement for furnishing and use of sample |
File[Word:48KB] |
Schedule of Fees
Revised Date April 1, 2025
| Category | JPY |
|---|---|
| (a) Storage | |
| (i) refrigerated or frozen | |
| - original deposit (for 30 years) | 125,070*¹ |
| - new deposit | 55,550*¹ |
| - extension of storage duration (per year) | 15,070*¹ |
| (ii) subculturing of active culture | |
| - original deposit (for 30 years) | 2,746,590*¹ |
| - new deposit | 55,550*¹ |
| - extension of storage period (per year) | 102,410*¹ |
| (b) Issuance of an attestation under Rule 8.2 | 2,900 (tax exempt)*² |
| (c) Issuance of a viability statement | |
| (i) when a viability test is carried out | 38,610*¹ |
| (ii) based on the last viability test | 2,900 (tax exempt)*² |
| (d) Furnishing of a sample (shipping fee excluded) | |
| - the destination is Japan | 57,310*¹ |
| - the destination is outside of Japan | 52,100 (tax exempt)*² |
| (e) Issuance of a communication under Rule 7.6 | 2,900 (tax exempt)*² |
- *1 An additional charge of 4,730 JPY will be charged for orders paid from outside Japan.
- *2 An additional charge of 4,300 JPY will be charged for orders paid from outside Japan.
Methods of Payment
You can make a payment by bank transfer
Contact us
- NITE Patent Microorganisms Depositary (NPMD), Biological Resource Center, National Institute of Technology and Evaluation
-
Phone number:+81-438-20-5580
Address:#122, 2-5-8 Kazusakamatari, Kisarazu-shi, Chiba 2920818, Japan MAP
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