SUGIMURA & Partners is a leading Japanese IP law firm founded in 1923. With offices in Japan and the United States, SUGIMURA provides convenient IP services to both domestic and international clients.
As of 31 March 2017, SUGIMURA expanded its services to include legal matters encompassing litigation and dispute resolution.
Customised IP solutions
SUGIMURA delivers results-oriented solutions and offers customised services tailored to clients’ needs. SUGIMURA understands the importance of branding within an organisation’s corporate strategy and provides comprehensive trademark-related services. The firm has extensive experience representing clients in trademark and design matters, including clearance, registration, negotiation, litigation and border enforcement. SUGIMURA has distinguished itself through its quality of work and has been listed as a leading Japanese trademark prosecution law firm.
SUGIMURA attorneys also provide a full range of patent prosecution, licensing and counselling services. Similar to its trademark practice, SUGIMURA has differentiated itself for its quality patent draftsmanship and continues to be ranked among the top patent prosecution law firms in Japan. Its attorneys combine legal insight, technical expertise and business acumen to deliver practical solutions and strategies for IP protection in Japan.
Reputation for quality
SUGIMURA has earned an international reputation for its quality Japanese IP prosecution. SUGIMURA attorneys are not only skilled in the nuances of IP laws and regulations; they also possess technical and practical expertise across every technology and business sector. SUGIMURA attorneys have years of experience working in major corporations as researchers, engineers, IP professionals and in-house counsel. Some have also served for decades at the Japanese Patent Office (JPO). This combination of expertise allows SUGIMURA to understand the perspectives of corporations and patent and trademark owners, as well as the JPO, enabling it to deliver practical and effective solutions to further clients’ business objectives.
While most Japanese IP firms outsource translation work, SUGIMURA retains in-house translators to strengthen the quality of cross-border prosecution and ensure the technical accuracy and legal appropriateness of translated documents. The translation department is skilled in Japanese, English, German and Chinese.
In addition to in-house translators, SUGIMURA has in-house IP draftsmen. The inclusion of in-house translators and draftsmen increases quality, ensures congruency and avoids time delays in IP prosecution.
Diverse clientele
SUGIMURA represents both Japanese and international clients pursuing patent, design and trademark protection in Japan. Its clientele ranges from individual inventors and start-ups to well-established academic institutions and multinational corporations from all sectors of the global economy, including automotive, aviation, transportation, food and beverages, consumer goods, fashion, sports and recreation, chemical, software and hardware, electronics, e-commerce, biotechnology, pharmaceutical, medical, energy, agriculture, entertainment and media, construction, semiconductors, optics, telecommunications and manufacturing.
International capabilities
SUGIMURA has significant experience providing legal advice to international clients concerning patent and trademark prosecution and enforcement in Japan. SUGIMURA attorneys are often sought to consult on the important differences between Japanese IP practices and clients’ domestic IP practices. SUGIMURA’s high level of technical expertise, extensive knowledge of Japanese IP practice and experience in cross-border trademark and design prosecution enable the firm to provide succinct advice regarding Japanese IP matters in a manner that is understandable and actionable.
To better serve international clients, SUGIMURA established an affiliate office in Palo Alto, California, in the heart of Silicon Valley. With the Silicon Valley office, SUGIMURA offers clients convenient accessibility and around-the-clock responsiveness.
Community involvement
SUGIMURA attorneys are active in their community, presenting on topics related to Japanese IP practice at in-house client presentations, patent and trademark seminars and law school classes. The firm also publishes articles on Japanese IP practice in magazines distributed worldwide.