When you come up with a new idea or complete a new product, you may realize that it would be beneficial to acquire some form of rights to leverage that idea or product. However, you might wonder what kind of rights are suitable.
In such cases, please do not hesitate to consult us.
Can you acquire rights for that idea or product? Or is it impossible to acquire any rights?
We can be of assistance at the stage of resolving these initial IP-related questions.
Benefits of Filing a Patent Application
By acquiring a patent right, you can prevent competitors from entering your market.
Furthermore, marketing effects can be expected from holding a patent right.
It is also possible to adopt a strategy of first proceeding with procedures to acquire a patent in Japan, and then proceeding with overseas applications for global expansion.
Flow of Patent Acquisition
We listen to the details of the idea you are considering for patent acquisition and grasp the contents of the invention and technology.
We conduct a preliminary search to see if it is likely that a patent can be obtained by filing an application for the invention.
Once the prospect of obtaining a patent is confirmed through the prior art search, we draft the documents for the application.
We will send the completed documents to you for your confirmation.
Once you have confirmed the contents, we will submit the documents to the Japan Patent Office (JPO).
Submission to the JPO is done online via a dedicated terminal.
After filing, a “Request for Examination” procedure must be performed to have an examiner review the application. We will prepare the necessary documents for this request.
It takes a long period of about 11 months from the Request for Examination until the examination results are actually notified.
If you wish to know the results early, we recommend the “Request for Accelerated Examination.”
Once the examination is complete, you will receive a notification of the results from the examiner. If a Notification of Reasons for Refusal is received, we will draft a Written Opinion/Amendment to counterargue. We provide full support for creating these counterarguments.
Once a Decision to Grant a Patent is received, we perform the final registration procedures. Upon completion, the “Patent Certificate” will be sent to our office.
We will forward the Patent Certificate to you upon receipt.
A patent right can be maintained for 20 years from the filing date. To maintain the patent right, it is necessary to pay fees called annuities to the JPO at prescribed timings. Failure to pay results in the loss of rights.
We also provide full support for rights management and annuity payments.
Fees and Expenses
| Step | Description | Our Fees | JPO Fees | |
| 1 | Consultation | Free | ||
| 2 | Prior Search | 80,000 JPY~ | ||
| 3, 4 | Drafting & Filing | 250,000 JPY~ | 14,000 JPY | Varies by content. |
| 5 | Request for Exam | 18,000 JPY | 142,000 JPY~ | Varies by claims. |
| 6 | Office Action | 120,000 JPY~ | Varies by content. | |
| 7 | Registration | 120,000 JPY~ | 13,800 JPY~ | Varies by claims. |
To Those Considering Patent Acquisition
After the consultation mentioned above, we believe we can provide specific proposals tailored to your case and more detailed content.
Initial consultations are free of charge.
Please feel free to contact us via the inquiry form below.