Mr. Toyotaka Abe supports clients in patent prosecution, IP transactions (patent sales, acquisitions, and licensing), patent litigation, IP strategies and other related areas, utilizing the legal and business acumen that he acquired through significant in-house and law firm experience. Before joining TMI Associates in 2014, Mr. Abe was the director of intellectual property at Microsoft Japan. He originally joined Microsoft in 2007 at its headquarters in Redmond, Washington, where he was engaged in international patent matters.
Prior to joining Microsoft, Mr. Abe practiced patent law at law firms in Japan and the United States for 10 years, during which time he handled patent matters in the fields of electrical engineering, semiconductors, software, and mechanical engineering. He is licensed as a patent attorney in Japan and is an attorney-at-law in California.
At TMI, Mr. Abe supports several big clients outside Japan as well as inside Japan. In his prosecution work, he provides clients with advice on not only how to obtain patents successfully, but also strategies in view of future licensing/litigation opportunities and business goals. In licensing and transactional matters, some Japanese companies have entrusted him with in-person negotiations with other parties on behalf of the clients. As for patent litigation, Mr. Abe is experienced in multi-jurisdictional litigations in which he seamlessly aligns with clients and law firms in other jurisdictions through cooperation with TMI colleagues.
Year Joined Firm: 2014
Education/Alumni:
- Nagoya University (Materials Processing Engineering, currently Physical Science and Engineering, B.S.)
- Nagoya University (Materials Processing Engineering, M.S.)
Network Memberships: INTA, AIPLA, JPAA, JIPA
