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Japanese, English
JPAA, AIPPI Japan
1. About the firm
Beyond Precedent. Propelling Business Forward.
MORITA & OTANI IP is a Tokyo-based intellectual property boutique established in June 2025. The firm was founded to provide partner-led IP counsel to innovation-driven companies -- and in particular, to startup founders and venture capital funds shaping Japan's next economy. Although recently formed, the firm draws on its founders' combined decades of experience advising domestic and international clients on patent prosecution, litigation and IP strategy at leading Japanese patent and law firms.
The firm's defining commitment is to seed- and early-stage engagement. At this stage, both upside and uncertainty are extraordinary; the business itself is often still taking shape, and IP questions rarely admit textbook answers. The firm embraces that complexity, working alongside founders to translate business and technical insights into commercially meaningful IP positions that move with the business. It pairs legal rigor with practical guidance: what to file, when, and where, and how each patent asset supports fundraising, partnerships, market entry and exit. The aim is to let founders make business decisions with confidence.
2. Sector focus
The firm operates across two principal technology pillars:
- Biotechnology and Pharmaceuticals -- pharmaceuticals, medical devices, diagnostics, agricultural biotech and academic spin-outs.
- Information Technology and Telecommunications -- software, artificial intelligence (AI), telecommunications and connected devices.
3. Generative AI
The firm runs a generative AI workflow -- for invention capture, prior art analysis and drafting -- on dedicated on premises infrastructure, so client information never leaves the firm.
4. Startup and VC practice
A key feature of the firm is its dedicated focus on the seed-to-exit arc. The firm advises founders from the seed stage onward on building defensible IP moats calibrated to commercial milestones, fundraising rounds and exit strategy, and acts for Japanese venture capital funds on IP due diligence for portfolio companies. The firm regularly publishes and lectures on IP strategy for high-growth companies.
5. International capability
The firm's international practice is centered on outbound work for Japanese clients building global patent portfolios, with the United States and Europe as principal destinations, coordinated through a trusted network of foreign associates. The firm also acts for foreign clients seeking patent protection in Japan. English is a working language of the firm, whose members are active in the Japan Patent Attorneys Association (JPAA) and AIPPI Japan.
Yutaka Morita, Life sciences IP, contact@morita-otani.com
[Assumed lead represe ntation of a high profile academic patent portfolio] Acting as counsel on a leading Japanese university patent portfolio covering iPS cell-derived rejuvenated antigen specific T cells. The patents were secured in Japan, the United States and Europe, with the portfolio subsequently licensed to a US cell-therapy startup.
[Biotech spin-off: from drafting to global licensing] Drafting and prosecuting the foundational patent for a biotech spin-off from a Japanese pharmaceutical company. When a US biotech opposed the Japanese patent while simultaneously seeking a license, the firm's founders defended validity and converted the leverage into a worldwide license at approximately ten times the opening offer. The US licensee was later acquired by a global pharma ceutical company for over USD 10 billion.
Kan Otani, Patent (prosecution), contact@morita-otani.com
[Foundational IoT platform patent and international portfolio] Architecting and prosecuting the core patent portfolio spanning Japan, the United States, Europe and China for a Japanese startup's cloud based IoT connectivity platform. Claims were structured to capture the platform's architecture -- separation of carrier facing routing layer from cloud side processing -- rather than individual features, securing protection at the architectural level. The portfolio now underpins the startup's overseas expansion.
[Business-model patent for a pharmacist-focused SaaS startup] Securing a Japanese patent on the central feature of a startup's business support tool for pharmacists, structured to deter competitive entry. The matter was subsequently profiled in Nikkei -- Japan's leading business daily and parent of the Financial Times -- as an example of business model patent protection.
[Seedstage filing tracking a startup through pivot to IPO] Filing a patent for a Japanese startup
at the time of its seed financing, with the resulting claims continuing to read on the company's
product through its pivot and on the core feature of the product at IPO.
Key practice areas:
Life sciences IP, Patent, Trade mark
Sector expertise:
Artificial intelligence, Biotechnology, Chemical, Computer technology & services, Electronics, Healthcare, E-commerce, ICT & software, Life sciences, Medical device, Internet, Nanotechnology, Pharmaceutical, Semiconductors, Technology hardware, Telecommunication, Universities & research
