HISTORY
SINCE
1966
An office was established by Akira Aoki (Doctor of Engineering), a former corporate researcher, in Akasaka, Minato-ku, Tokyo with the aim of founding an ideal patent firm. Emphasizing the protection of inventions not only in Japan but also abroad, the firm, as presented to domestic clients, was named “Aoki Domestic and International Patent Office”
Due to expansion of office operations, the office was relocated to Toranomon 1- chome, Minato -ku
Attorney Shoichi Ui (former judge) was invited to join the firm in view of “the importance of not only acquiring rights but also protecting and utilizing rights”
Legal department established
Due to the enhancement of the legal department, the firm name as presented to domestic clients was changed to “Seiwa Patent & Law”
The new office name “Seiwa” is composed of the first character of the founder’s name “Ao”, which can also be read as “Sei”, and “wa”, which represents the teamwork of the staff members
The name of the office as presented to overseas clients was maintained as “A. AOKI & ASSOCIATES”
The office was relocated to the 37th Mori Building, 3-chome Toranomon, Minato-ku, in order to consolidate the scattered office spaces
2000
The name of the firm as presented to overseas clients was also changed to “SEIWA PATENT & LAW” to unify the Japanese name and overseas name
The structure of the firm was changed from the private office of the founder Akira Aoki to a partnership (based on Article 667 of the Civil Code)
The office was relocated to Toranomon Hills Mori Tower, 1-chome Toranomon, Minato-ku, with the aim of expanding the business and further development
ORGANIZATION
Each member of the Patent Department is involved in all aspects from invention discovery and the obtainment of rights domestically and abroad to appraisal and enforcement of rights. Each member belongs to one of three departments according to their technical field of specialty, and also belongs to a client-specific group in order to precisely service the specific needs of each client.
Our trademark attorneys have extensive experience and expertise and provide a full range of trademark-related services to our clients domestically and worldwide, including searches, applications, oppositions, cancellations, and invalidations. Our attorneys also work in cooperation with our lawyers regarding the handling of matters such as infringement, counterfeiting measures, assignment and license agreements, and domain name protection.
In response to the ever-changing design protection system, we provide thorough services to meet the needs of our clients regarding domestic and international design applications and design protection, as well as matters related to design and product appearance. We work in cooperation with our lawyers regarding appraisals and litigation.
Based on our diverse knowledge and experience, we provide legal services such as domestic and international litigation, appraisal, contracts, negotiation, and intellectual property consulting, with a particular focus on intellectual property-related cases. We also handle a wide variety of other matters, including antitrust law, intellectual property-related taxation, product liability, the Economic Security Promotion Act, and general corporate legal affairs. By collaborating with patent attorneys in other departments, we provide high-quality services in all technical fields.
青和特許法律事務所
SEIWA PATENT & LAW
