Dr. Takuho Sha
Co-founder
Patent/Trademark Attorney, Head of patent department
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Dr. Sha graduated from the Department of Pharmaceutical Chemistry, Faculty of Pharmaceutical Science at Kyushu University and received a Ph.D. in pharmaceutical science (Kyushu University).
After undertaking his post-doctor research in Scripps Research Institute in the US. He joined Takeda Pharmaceutical Company, where he was involved in research and development, and later in domestic and foreign patent practice in the company's IP department for 14 years. He was an IP counsel for Takeda in Japan and Europe. He was also a general manager of IP department for a Japanese pharmaceutical company. In 2008, he founded Sha International Patent Office.
From 2019, Sha International Patent Office has been changed to Sha Patent and Trademark Firm, a registered business legal entity.
His practice includes:
- Domestic and foreign patent prosecution in the fields of chemicals, pharmaceuticals, biotechnology, regenerative medicine and foods, as well as trial and litigation practice;
- Various types of patent searches, patent due diligence, and opinions as to patent validity and infringement;
- IP support for universities, startup companies and small or medium-sized enterprises; and
- IP counseling.
Mr. Hakucho Sha
Co-founder
Managing partner
Patent/Trademark Attorney, Head of trademark and design department
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Mr. Sha completed a master's course in the Faculty of Intellectual Property at the Osaka Institute of Technology.
Mr. Sha has career experience at a major IP law firm where he was involved mainly in domestic and foreign trademark and design practice. He also has internship experience in the US, the UK, and China.
Mr. Sha also works as a lecturer on the examination board for qualifying to be a patent/trademark attorney, at Osaka Institute of Technology. He was one of the authors of the book "Basis of Four Laws on Intellectual Property," published in 2015.
Mr. Sha is a member of board of international information, IP management and trademark in JPAA (Japan Patent Attorneys Association).
His practice includes:
- Domestic and foreign trademark/design prosecution, third party observations, opposition, trials, and litigation;
- Domestic and foreign trademark/design searches;
- Counseling on global brand strategy;
- Trademark/design support for universities, venture companies, and small-to-medium-sized enterprises;
- Trademark/design dispute such as Letter of warning, infringement litigation and IPR border enforcement;
- Trademark/design risk management;
- Trademark/design licensing and agreement;
- Resolution of disputes on unauthorized registration and use of domain names; and
- Practice regarding unfair competition, copyrights, geographical indication (GI) registration and plant variety registration.
Dr. Kenji Tobetto
Patent/Trademark Attorney
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Dr. Tobetto graduated from the Department of Agriculture at Tottori University and received a Ph.D. in agriculture (Tottori University). Dr. Tobetto has domestic and foreign-patent practice career experience both in a pharmaceutical company and in a patent law firm.
His practice includes:
- Domestic and foreign patent prosecution in the fields of chemicals, pharmaceuticals, agrichemicals, biotechnology, regenerative medicine, foods and medical equipment as well as trial and litigation practice; and
- Various types of patent searches, patent due diligence, and opinions on validity and infringement.
Mr. Yutaka Isobe
Patent/Trademark Attorney
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Mr. Isobe graduated from the department of science at Kyoto University and received a master’s degree in synthetic organic chemistry (Kyoto University).
He was involved with both domestic and foreign patent practice and was an IP counsel for Sumitomo Pharmaceuticals Company.
He was also a professor at Nagoya university and provided IP counseling for universities, startup companies and small or medium-sized enterprises.
His practice includes:
- Domestic and foreign patent prosecution in the fields of chemicals, pharmaceuticals, biotechnology, and regenerative medicine, as well as trial and litigation practice;
- Various types of patent searches, patent due diligence, and opinions on validity and infringement;
- IP support for universities, startup companies and small or medium-sized enterprises; and
- IP counseling.
Mr. Yasushi Sasaki
Patent/Trademark Attorney and Litigator
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Mr. Sasaki graduated from the Department of Industrial Mechanical Engineering, Faculty of Engineering at Osaka University.
Mr. Sasaki has long-term career experience in domestic and foreign patent, design and trademark practice at patent law firms.
His practice includes patent prosecution in fields including semiconductors, electronics, mechanics and medical equipment, especially as these fields relate to computer software and business methods. His practice also involves trials and litigation.
Ms. Chiaki Otsuka
Patent/Trademark Attorney
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Ms. Otsuka graduated from the Department of Industrial Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, Osaka Institute of Technology.
After working for an electronics manufacturer, she gained many years of practical experience in domestic and international patents and trademarks at IP law firms.
Her practice includes patent prosecution in fields including semiconductors, electronics, mechanics and medical equipment, especially as these fields relate to control system, information technology, computer software, business models and AI.
Mr. James Judge
US Patent Agent
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Mr. Judge has a B.A. from Princeton University, and extensive scientific education in physics, electronics, and biology. As a U.S. patent agent, he has been working in Japan for over 25 years, handling the preparation, filing, and prosecution of U.S. patent applications for Japanese applicants. During that time, Judge also has translated hundreds of patent specifications from Japanese into English, and lectured and taught courses on J–E patent translation. He also has extensive experience drafting patent specifications in English for Japanese clients.
The technical areas with which Judge has extensive familiarity in patent translation and prosecution include electromechanical devices, precision mechanisms, medical instruments, telecommunications, optical devices and device materials, and semiconductor devices.
Mr. Judge is a veteran of patent translation and prosecution consulting in Japanese patent attorney firms, and in two major industrial and commercial manufacturing companies.
Mr. Judge is an advisor and patent-translation instructor with The Technical English Association of Japan (TEAJ). He also heads an organization for hosting presentations about foreign IP called the Foreign Intellectual Property Society (FIPS).
Ms. Sayuri Asaka
Patent/Trademark Attorney
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Ms. Asaka majored in mechanical systems engineering at the Faculty of Engineering Design, Kyoto Institute of Technology.
Ms. Asaka has long-term career experience in domestic and foreign patent practice at patent law firms. Her practice includes patent prosecution in fields including mechanics, medical equipment, and electronics.
Mr. Yoshitaka Tani
Patent/Trademark Attorney
Of counsel
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Mr. Tani graduated from the Department of Pharmaceutics, Faculty of Pharmaceutics at Kyoto Pharmaceutical University, and qualified as a pharmacist.
Mr. Tani has career experience at Takeda Pharmaceutical Company and at Tani International Patent Office, where he was involved in domestic and foreign patent, design and trademark practice for many years.