Firms in the spotlight: SUGIMURA & Partners

Since its inception in 1923, SUGIMURA & Partners has been dedicated to the IP protection needs of our clients, through which we have built a reputation for excellence within the IP field. In particular, SUGIMURA strives to offer a full spectrum of high-quality IP legal services to meet the diverse needs of our domestic and overseas clients.

(1) One-Stop IP Services

As of March 1, 2017, our firm was re-launched as SUGIMURA & Partners to reflect our new capability for handling contentious work, such as patent and trademark infringement actions. By working together with SUGIMURA’s prosecution division, the newly formed legal division creates a synergy that enables us to offer a “one-stop IP service” to a diverse range of clients, both domestic and overseas.

This expansion reflects our commitment to rise to the legal and technological challenges presented by the Fourth Industrial Revolution. With Koji Sugimura at the helm of our legal practice and Kenji Sugimura at the helm of our prosecution practice, we have the capability to meet to these challenges by offering truly innovative, comprehensive and integrated IP and legal services, focused clearly on meeting the evolving needs of our clients.

(2) Commercial Focus

SUGIMURA’s attorneys have years of experience working in-house at major corporations as researchers, engineers, and IP professionals. We also have attorneys who have served for decades at the Japan Patent Office (JPO) and in the IP High Court. This combination of expertise allows us to understand the perspectives of corporations and patentees as well as the JPO and the Japanese courts, ensuring that we can deliver practical and effective solutions to further the business objectives of a diverse range of clients.

(3) International Expertise

SUGIMURA’s attorneys have extensive experience in providing clients with legal advice on foreign intellectual property matters. We regularly consult on important differences between foreign intellectual property law and practice, and Japanese intellectual property law and practice. SUGIMURA attorneys are able to prepare specifications that are drafted with consideration of the specific requirements necessary to secure protection in overseas countries at the time of filing in Japan. This skill ensures that our clients can secure strong patent rights not only in Japan but also overseas.

(4) Trademark and Design Expertise

In addition to its comprehensive patent services, SUGIMURA has a strong presence in the trademark and design field.

Our trademark and design team handle prosecution and litigation cases for our domestic and international clients, and work closely together with the attorneys in our legal division to provide strategic advice to our clients. To ensure confidentiality and quality, all drawings necessary for the application process are drafted by our in-house drafting team.

(5) In-House Docketing Solution

We have developed an in-house docketing solution that meets the needs of both our firm and our clients for tailored workflow solutions at lower cost, whilst maintaining absolute data security and robust deadline management. In addition to management of critical data, such as due dates, family information and case documents, our system provides customisable workflows that facilitate close internal collaboration between all members of SUGIMURA (attorneys, technical experts, support staff), and also efficient communication with our clients. The system remains under continuous development to ensure that it meets the evolving needs of SUGIMURA as a modern patent law firm.

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