Japan

Firm overview

ABE & PARTNERS works in wide areas of international and corporate matters with a focus on intellectual property law and international commerce. The patent litigations that ABE & PARTNERS has participated in to date, covers the fields of pharmaceuticals, chemistry, electronics and machinery, which involve advanced technology such as biotechnology, semiconductors, etc., and which are cross-border matters. Our firm has extensive experience on representing and advising multinational and domestic clients in pharmaceutical industry and is currently involved in the drastic battle between brand pharmaceutical companies and brand pharmaceutical companies and also the one between brand pharmaceutical companies and generic companies. Our firm also have experience of IP due diligence in pharma M&A between big pharma.

Mr. ABE, managing partner of ABE & PARTNERS, is currently a Guest Professor of Osaka University Graduate School of Medicine and formerly a lecturer of The University of Tokyo Graduate School of Medicine and Faculty of Medicine.  He is an arbitrator in Japan and sit on various positions in Japanese medical/pharmaceutical societies.

Network Memberships: AIPLA, INTA, IBA, AIPPI

Firm overview

With extensive global reach and deep local expertise, we offer an unparalleled
blend of skills to help our clients navigate the complexities and seize the
opportunities of doing business in Singapore and across the Asia Pacific region. Baker McKenzie Wong & Leow, a joint law venture between Baker McKenzie and
Wong & Leow LLC, stands at the forefront of legal excellence.

We have the capabilities to offer comprehensive advice on both domestic
Singapore law and intricate cross-border issues, ensuring our clients receive
holistic and seamless legal support. As the preferred counsel for numerous
companies leveraging Singapore as a strategic hub for their regional operations,
our lawyers excel in managing multijurisdictional transactions and mitigating
cross-border risks with precision.

Our Singapore office is seamlessly integrated into a global network,
providing on-the-ground expertise across ASEAN countries and access to
Baker McKenzie’s expansive international network. This unique positioning
enables us to adeptly support the diverse domestic and international needs
of our clients, delivering tailored solutions that drive success in a dynamic
global market.

Firm overview

RYUKA IP Law Firm is led by IP professionals with diverse backgrounds in many technical fields and expertise in a variety of jurisdictions. Our key practice areas include patents, trademarks, copyrights, licensing, designs, utility models, and litigation, with areas of technical specialty in electronics, telecommunications, software, optics, mechanical engineering, semiconductors, electronic materials, and chemicals. Ryuka’s visualization and consulting experts support inventors in the realization of their ideas and our talented patent attorneys and other IP practitioners work with professionalism to keep our clients’ valuable assets safe. Our clients can always expect a prompt response, and we have always demonstrated professionalism to meet our clients’ needs and expectations. 

Our client list is extensive and varied, including well-established domestic and international companies, smaller startup organizations, and individual inventors. We aim to provide universally high quality service to all companies, regardless of their size or status, in an effort to contribute to the realization of their full business potential. Clients range from hands-on companies that research and develop ideas, to international law firms for whom we open doors to the Japanese IP system. The quality of our client list and the strength of our client relationships attest to the quality and dedication of our staff.

RYUKA currently has 109 employees, of which 35 are attorneys.

Firm overview

ITOH Patent Attorney Corporation (hereinafter “ITOH”), established in 1967, specializes in all IP matters. Located in the center of Tokyo, ITOH comprises 300 staff members, including 65 Japanese patent attorneys (three of whom have passed the US Patent Bar exam), an attorney at law (of counsel), 4 US patent attorneys, 5 Chinese patent attorneys, 2 Korean patent attorneys, 50 patent engineers and 160 administrative staff members.

In recent years, as Japan has been concentrating on strengthening IP rights to increase the country’s prosperity and as the world’s IP systems have become more harmonized, the global protection of intellectual property has become much more important. In the midst of this change, all members of ITOH continue to strive to offer high-quality and prompt services that completely satisfy our international clients’ needs.

In 2024, as well as in previous years, ITOH was ranked as one of the top 3 IP firms in terms of number of Japanese patent filings.

With respect to patents, ITOH has specialized knowledge in all technical fields, with a focus on artificial intelligence (including machine learning), the Internet of Things, quantum computing, information processing, image processing, fintech, materials-informatics, telecommunications (5G, beyond 5G), digital healthcare, biotechnology, automatic control systems, semiconductors, medical, materials, materials-informatics, chemistry and others.

ITOH also has great expertise in designs and trademarks. One team at the firm handles design issues exclusively, while another handles trademark cases exclusively.

Since its inception, ITOH has handled not only domestic applications, but also a lot of applications filed by Japan-based clients in other countries across the globe. ITOH’s policy is to have all foreign specifications in English, Chinese and Korean prepared by its in-house patent attorneys and technical specialists, who have extensive knowledge and experience of international patent practices.

ITOH can accurately translate English, Chinese and Korean language specifications into Japanese for filing and prosecuting patent applications in order to secure enforceable patent rights in Japan. ITOH’s patent attorneys and technical specialists are fully versed and knowledgeable in Japanese patent prosecution, enforcement procedures and practices.

With a team of experts who can handle all technical fields, are always up to date on the latest developments in laws and regulations and can draw on knowledge gained through over 58 years of experience, ITOH is equipped to draft and prosecute effective patent applications in order to ensure enforceable patent rights in Japan. As a rule, ITOH conducts interviews with inventors in order to gain a full understanding of their inventions and accurately determine the objectives of clients.

Eight of ITOH’s patent attorneys have previously worked as examiners at the Japanese Patent Office (JPO), giving great insight into the JPO’s practice. In addition, ITOH strategically conducts interviews with JPO examiners so as to avoid file wrapper estoppel issues. Furthermore, another eight of ITOH’s patent attorneys have previously worked in the IP departments of leading Japanese companies such as Sumitomo Heavy Industries, Toshiba, Fujitsu, Hitachi, and others. This in turn gives ITOH the edge in terms of understanding the IP strategies of companies.

Using their extensive experience and thorough legal and technical knowledge gained over the years, the practitioners at ITOH handle not only patent applications, but also trials before the JPO, lawsuits before the IP High Court against JPO appeal decisions, infringement litigation and expert opinions.