TMI Associates has 102 patent and trademark attorneys (benrishi) in addition to 656 attorneys at law (bengoshi). These professionals – together with over 100 paralegals and other support staff members – form a unique organizational structure that enables the firm to respond in a highly effective and efficient manner to the needs of clients across a wide variety of businesses and technologies throughout the world.

History

Since its establishment in 1990, TMI has grown rapidly and achieved its goal of becoming a full-service law firm that consistently provide valuable and comprehensive legal services of the highest calibre. The firm places great importance on exercising unparalleled legal judgement in areas including intellectual property, litigation, general corporate, corporate finance, antitrust and bankruptcy law. Intellectual property – including patents, designs and trademarks – has been an integral part of the firm’s practice since its establishment, and TMI possesses an unrivalled level of experience and achievements in this area.

Collaboration

By leveraging the close collaboration between its patent and trademark attorneys (benrishi) and IP lawyers (bengoshi), TMI offers its clients high-quality IP services that are unlike those of any other international law firm in Japan.

IP team

• 102 patent and trademark attorneys (benrishi),
• 51 electronical and mechanical attorneys,
• 30 chemical, biotechnology and pharmaceutical attorneys
• 28 trademark and design attorneys; and
• 110 IP lawyers (bengoshi).

As one of the ‘Big Five’ law firms in Japan, TMI currently has by far the largest group of benrishi, which supports the reputation of its strong IP practice in all technical fields.

IP practice

TMI’s practice covers all aspects of intellectual property, including patent and trademark prosecution, transactions (e.g., patent sales, acquisitions and licensing), litigation, pre-litigation analysis, invalidation trials and oppositions, freedom-to-operate analysis, due diligence and import suspension at Customs. The firm files approximately 5,100 trademark, 5,000 patent and 650 Design applications, both in Japan and abroad, and over 30 IP lawsuits per year.

Ability to resolve IP disputes

Our strong litigation team is made up of highly experienced IP litigation lawyers and patent/trademark attorneys with a track record of successful cases, including infringement litigation and invalidation proceedings against decisions of the Japan Patent Office. In order to strengthen its litigation practice, TMI has also recruited lawyers who were previously prominent judges, including former Supreme Court judges and a former presiding judge of the Intellectual Property High Court division.

High-quality services in related areas

• Anti-counterfeiting projects involving civil, criminal and customs procedures to prevent importation of counterfeit products
• Copyright
• Entertainment and sports law
• Protection of know-how and trade secrets
• Prevention against unfair competition
• Contract drafting
• Resolution of disputes arising from IP licensing agreements
• IP due diligence upon acquisition, merger or listing on the stock exchange
• Financing collateralized with IP rights