About us
Since its foundation of 1991, Dai-ichi International PATENT OFFICE, P.C. has been providing highly professional and high-quality service not only to companies in Japan but also to companies all over the world, with our experienced patent attorneys having experience as a patent examiner and administrative judge in Japanese Patent Office.
Specifically, with respect to the fields of information communication technology (ITC), software, other electronics field, and mechanical technology, we have many personnel with advanced technical knowledge.
As for Trademarks and Industrial Designs, we provide high-quality service meeting the diversified needs of clients, with our patent attorneys and staffs with expertise in legal system in Japan and in countries abroad.
Recently, Japanese Patent Office is focusing on shortening the examination period, and is currently providing one of the fastest examination in the world. Also, backed up by the frequent revisions of relevant laws, Japanese Patent Office is realizing the cutting-edge prosecution, including, but not limited to, PPH (Patent Prosecution Highway), Super accelerated examination, and consolidated examination.
Practice Area
Filing applications for Patents, Utility Models, Designs, and Trademarks to JPO, handling trials against examiner's decision of refusal (appeal) and trials for invalidation, participate in suit against appeal/trial decision, national phase entry of PCT applications, filing responses to Notification of Provisional Refusal for trademark applications under the Madrid Protocol, filing requests for restoration of rights, etc.
1. Best practice provided by former Examiners and former Administrative Judges
Our firm provides your clients with best practice for obtaining IP rights at JPO, through patent attorneys with experiences as Examiners and Administrative Judges, and with great familiarity in actual practices within JPO.
The examination practice in Japan is performed along the laws and guidelines that are found in the right-side banner of this page. However, in order to best correspond to the office actions issued by the Examiners, it is important to interpret the intention of the Examiner behind the office action deeply.
Our expert patent attorneys match the content of the office action and the desire of the client, on the basis of the long experience as Examiners and Administrative Judges, propose advices and amendments in order to maximize the benefit of your client, and execute the entrusted work steadily.
Another specialty of our office is that we utilize interviews with the Examiners and Administrative Judges actively.
2. Precise translation
One of the major reasons that prevent the foreign Applicants from obtaining IP rights in JPO is improper translation.
In our office, the patent attorney in charge manages the translation strictly, and prepares precise Japanese translation that readily accepted by the Examiners and Administrative Judges in Japan with time and care.
3. Business flow
Upon receiving a request to file an application, we will absolutely file the application within the period of priority.
In case an office action is issued, we will provide the comments and the like to the client along a rough flow identified below.
| Issuance of office action from JPO |
|---|
| around 10 days | English translation of office action is sent to your office |
|---|
| around 3 weeks | Advices such as comments, arguments, proposed claim amendment from the patent attorney in charge is sent in English to your office |
|---|
In case of foreign Applicants, the response to JPO must be submitted within 3 months from the date of dispatch of the office action. One-month extension up to 3 months is total is available.
In order to prepare full and complete response to JPO, our office requests the instruction for responding to office action be given no later than 10 working days before the due date.
Contact
DAI-ICHI INTERNATIONAL PATENT OFFICE, P.C.
e-mail：gyomu_gaikoku@daiichi-ipo.or.jp
8-2 Kanda-sudacho 2-chome, Chiyoda-ku Tokyo 101-0041 JAPAN
PHONE: +81-3-6381-0805FAX: +81-3-6381-0806
On foot 4 minutes from No.4 exit of subway Hibiya Line and JR Line "Akihabara" Station.
On foot 1 minutes from A1 exit of subway Toei Shinjyuku Line "Iwamotocho" Station.
Our People
Patent attorney
| Kazuo SEKI | Shinji IWASAKI | Takashi YAMASHITA |
| Masaomi NAGAI | Taro ISHIKAWA | Kenichi KOBAYASHI |
| Masao SAWADA | Jiro HAYASHI | Masami HARADA |
| Ryuichi SEKIYA | Fumihiro HAYAKAWA | Susumu IWASAKI |
Of-Counsel
| Yoshiaki NUMAGATA | Yasue NUMAGATA |
Patent Engineer
| Kazuyuki IZUMI | Kikue MINAKA | Andrew BROSCOFF |
Paralegal
| Minako TAKEUCHI | Masako NUMAGATA | Kaoru NAKAJIMA |
Kazuo SEKI
Managing Partner, Patent Attorney Member of the AIPPI, Member of the APAA
Areas of Practice:
Semiconductor, Electronics
Education:
University of Electro-Communications (BE 1982)
Past Employment Positions:
Japan Patent Office (1982- 2013)
Director General, Patent Examination Department (Electronic Technology)
Director, Trial & Appeal Division
Patent Examiner
Japan-China Economic Association Beijing office (1998-2001)
Director, Intellectual Property Office
Institute of Intellectual Property (2001-2003)
Director, Research Department
Industrial Property Cooperation Center (2005-2007)
Managing Director, Policy & Planning Department
Shinji IWASAKI
Partner,Patent Attorney
Areas of Practice:
Electricity, Information processing, Data storage
Education:
Nagoya Institute of Technology (BE 1977, Electrical Engineering)
Kyushu University (ME 1979, Electrical Engineering)
Past Employment Positions:
Japan Patent Office (1979-2012)
Chief Administrative Judge (Department head)
Administrative Judge
Patent Examiner
Intellectual Property High Court (2005-2008)
Researcher
Takashi YAMASHITA
Partner,Patent Attorney
Areas of Practice:
Physics, Optics, Semiconductor
Education:
University of Tokyo(BS 1986, Physics)
Graduate School of Science, University of Tokyo(MS 1988, Physics)
Past Employment Positions:
Japan Patent Office (1988- 2021)
Director General, Trial & Appeal Department
Director General, Patent Examination Department (Electronical and ICT technologies)
Director, Trial & Appeal Division
Administrative Judge
Patent Examiner
Ministry of Foreign Affairs(2000-2003)
First Secretary, Permanent Mission in Geneva
World Intellectual Property Organization(WIPO)(2010-2013)
Director, PCT international Cooperation Division
Masaomi NAGAI
Patent Attorney
Areas of Practice:
Mechanical and electronic technologies
Education:
Tokyo University of Science (BE 1995, Mechanical Engineering)
Tokyo University of Science (ME 1997, Mechanical Engineering)
Past Employment Positions:
Matsuyama Co., Ltd. (1997-2003)
Taro ISHIKAWA
Patent Attorney
Areas of Practice:
Mechanics, Medical device
Education:
University of Tokyo (BE 1993)
University of Tokyo (ME 1995)
Past Employment Positions:
Japan Patent Office (1995-2013)
Administrative Judge
Patent Examiner
Embassy of Japan in Morocco (2006-2009)
Chief of Economic Division
Private Patent Office (2014-2016)
Kenichi KOBAYASHI
Patent Attorney
Areas of Practice:
Mechanical and Optical technologies
Education:
Tohoku University, Department of Technology (BE1981, Precision Engineering)
Past Employment Positions:
Hino Motors Co., Ltd. (1981-1986)
Okabe International Patent Office (1987-1996)
Masao SAWADA
Patent Attorney
Areas of Practice:
Semiconductor, IT, Medical equipment
Education:
Tokyo University of Education: Master’s Degree (physics)
Past Employment Positions:
Japan Patent Office
Study of electronics at Pennsylvania State University (1980-1981)
Chiyoda International Business Law Firm (1985-1987)
Philips Japan Co, Ltd.(1987-1998)
General Manager of Legal Department
Sawada & Associates (1998-2010)
Ashida & Kimura Patent Attorneys (2010-2017)
Jiro HAYASHI
Patent Attorney
Areas of Practice:
Trademark
Education:
Aoyama Gakuin University, College of Literature
Past Employment Positions:
Japan Patent Office(1971-2009)
Chief Administrative Judge (Department head)
Director, Trademark Division
Director, Machinery Division(Trademark)
Director, International Trademark Application Division
Polaire Intellectual Property Corporation (2009-2018)
Masami HARADA
Patent Attorney
Areas of Practice:
Design
Education:
Chiba University of Engineering (ME 1983)
Past Employment Positions:
Japan Patent Office(1983- 2014)
Chief Administrative Judge
Senior Director, Industrial Machinery Division(Design Examination Division)
Director, Household Equipment Division(Design Examination Division)
Director, Design Registration System Planning Office
Design Examiner
Ryuichi SEKIYA
Patent Attorney
Areas of Practice:
Magnetic Recording, Optical Recording, Instruments, Audio Devices, Visual Devices, Electronics Devices, Amplifiers, Batteries, Power Systems
Education:
Tohoku University (BE 1981, Communication Engineering)
Tohoku University (ME 1983, Information Engineering)
Past Employment Positions:
Japan Patent Office (1983-2019)
Principal Administrative Judge
Principal Examiner
Fumihiro HAYAKAWA
Patent Attorney
Areas of Practice:
Trademark
Education:
Bachelor of Physics, Faculty of Science, Tokyo University of Science
Past Employment Positions:
Japan Patent Office (1979- 2019)
Senior Director, Industrial Services Examination Division(Trademark).
Director, Machinery Examination Division(Trademark).
Director, International Trademark Application Examination Division.
Director, International Trademark Classification Management Office.
Trademark Examiner
Susumu IWASAKI
Patent Attorney
Areas of Practice:
IT, Semiconductor
Education:
Hokkaido University (BS 2004, Physics)
Japan Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (MS 2007, Material Science)
Past Employment Positions:
NTT Electronics Co., Ltd (2007-2010)
Fukuchi International Patent Firm (2010-2012)
Maeda and Yamagata Patent Firm (2012-2015)
SUBARU TECHNO CORPORATION (2015-2020)
COLOPL, Inc. (2020-2022)
Yoshiaki NUMAGATA
Patent Attorney
Areas of Practice:
Aircraft Interior, Machine Tool, Railway Vehicle, Air Conditioner
Education:
Nihon University (BE 1963) Aeronautical Engineering
University of Minnesota (1976-1977) Computer Science
Past Employment Positions:
Japan Patent Office (1966-1988)
Administrative Judge
Patent Examiner
Japan External Trade Center Toronto Canada (1980-1984)
Director of Technology and Energy
Yasue NUMAGATA
Patent Attorney
Areas of Practice:
Mechanics (copy machines, etc.), Trademarks, Designs
Education:
Japan Women’s University (BS 1966)
Past Employment Positions:
Japan Patent Office (1966-1971)
Patent Examiner
Private Patent Office(1979-1987)
Andrew BROSCOFF
Patent Engineer
Areas of Practice:
Distributed Computing, IoT, Software, Information Processing, Communication Systems
Education:
Gustavus Adolphus College (MN, USA)-Bachelor of Arts- Physics (2013)
Kansai Gaidai University Japanese Studies Program (Hirakata-shi, Osaka) (2012)
Past Employment Positions:
Served as an Assistant Team Lead at the IBM Rochester Patent Center before moving to Japan in 2015.
Employed in the Intellectual Property Department of Disco Corporation until 2016.
Began collaborating with Dai-ichi International Patent Office in 2017.
