Patent attorney work

Because the work related to industrial property rights procedures requires highly specialized knowledge, the legal system allows patent attorneys to perform this exclusively (called exclusive services). This avoids procedural delays and enables citizens to obtain their rights quickly and accurately. Exclusive services include representing clients in patent application procedures to the Japan Patent Office and preparing related documents.

One of the main duties of a patent attorney is to support clients in protecting and utilizing intellectual property, such as ideas created by their inventors and brands built by their companies, as legally protected rights, in their role as their agents.

The value of intellectual property is not visible as it is, and the role of a patent attorney is to make it visible.

Note: Article 75 of the Patent Attorneys Act prohibits persons who are not patent attorneys from engaging in the exclusive business of patent attorneys as a business (so-called " non-practice of law ").

The fields in which patent attorneys can work are expanding

With the recent advancement of technology, the importance of intellectual property has increased. In this context, patent attorneys are expected to provide useful advice to clients and their companies by utilizing not only their legal knowledge of intellectual property, but also their advanced technical perspectives, including cutting-edge technology, specialized knowledge of design and branding, and their extensive international experience through procedural support at foreign intellectual property offices, etc.

Specifically, the scope of our work is wide-ranging, including formulating strategies for obtaining and concealing intellectual property rights while taking into account the actions of competitors, brand strategies to improve a company's presence, business feasibility evaluations for M&A, appealing to investors to raise funds, and negotiations and contracts for expanding overseas.

In particular, in order to accelerate innovation, it is necessary not only to acquire rights to ideas, but also to utilize them strategically in anticipation of future business development, and patent attorneys are also required to provide consulting services that promote such intellectual property strategies.

In this way, the role of patent attorneys as key players in supporting Japan's technological development will continue to grow in importance.

How to become a patent attorney

You can become a patent attorney by passing the patent attorney examination and completing the practical training (link to external site) stipulated in Article 16-2, Paragraph 1 of the Patent Attorney Act . There is an exemption system
for the patent attorney examination based on a master's or doctoral degree, or other official qualifications .

Eligibility

There are no restrictions on educational background, age, nationality, etc. There is
a growing need for patent attorneys with diverse skills, so people with a variety of backgrounds, regardless of whether they have a science or humanities background, can be successful in the patent attorney examination.

Patent attorney introduction pamphlet

We have posted a pamphlet introducing patent attorneys, "WANTED" (PDF: 965KB) (This pamphlet was created in March 2020). Please take a look as it introduces patent attorneys active in a variety of fields.

Source: https://www.jpo.go.jp//news/benrishi_about/index.html