To customers from overseas

Due to the global nature of our business, it is common for companies to seek intellectual property rights in a number of different countries. Needless to say, a patent attorney should be very familiar with the patent practice in his own country, and at PMG Patent Attorneys we put great effort into ensuring that we are continuously up-to-date with the Japanese practice in order to obtain the broadest possible patent rights for our clients.

However, there are some differences between the Japanese patent practice and those in foreign countries. These differences often cause confusion for foreign clients who do not understand why their inventions are not patentable in Japan despite being patented in other countries. To alleviate this situation, we advise foreign clients on the best possible strategy for obtaining the broadest possible patent right based on the Japanese patent practice and also explain the differences that distinguish the Japanese patent practice from those of other countries. The training that our attorneys have undergone at patent law firms in Europe and North America has proven to be invaluable for our foreign and domestic clients who file patent applications in Japan and abroad, respectively.

It is our understanding that many foreign companies have had trouble with patent applications when dealing with the Japanese Patent Office. We believe that such problems are the result of insufficient communication or the reluctance of patent attorneys in Japan to communicate with their foreign clients. In view of this, we take particular care to fully communicate all necessary information to our clients in order to obtain the strongest possible patent rights.

For more information on our work, please refer to the “PROSECUTION POLICY” section.