Patent Attorney

Education:

Master of Engineering, Tokyo University (The University of Tokyo)

Bachelor of Engineering, Tohoku University

Experience:

Passed U.S. Patent Bar in 1997. (Not Registered).
Technical Consultant, Pillsbury Madison & Sutro, LLP (USA) 1995-1998.
Associate, Tani & Abe, 1992-1995.
Registered as Patent Attorney in 1993. Designed Electric Circuits of G4 Facsimile Machines adopted for ISDN at Canon Inc., 1987-1992.

Publications:

Management of Patent Law Firm (Interviewed Article), Patent Dec. 2008 Patent, Patent Attorney's Association.

1.Office Management Focused on Business Succession
December 10, 2008 published
Patent

2.Patent Visualization (Property Strategies for Electronics/Software Inventions)
November 20, 2008 published
Property Management

3.Synchronize responses to world Official Actions for valid patents
  Taking Leadership For Protecting And Creating Businesses
Asia Law & Practice IP Profile 2008

4.Application Strategies for Obtaining a Basic Patent
Intellectual Property

5.How to Obtain a Strong Patent 1st-4th
May 20, 2008 published
Patent and Trademark

6.A Discussion on a Mistranslation in Chinese and Japanese of a Patent Specification
February 25, 2008 published
A.I.P.P.I 2008 Vol. 53 No. 2

7.How to Obtain a Strong Patent Final (How to Obtain a 'Strong Patent' with Strategic Themes)
February 11, 2008 published
Nikkei Electronics

8.How to Obtain a Strong Patent 3rd (Determining the Direction of an Invention Regarding Prior Arts)
December 31, 2007 published
Nikkei Electronics

9.How to Obtain a Strong Patent 2nd (Finding a Solution for an Art Issue)
December 3, 2007 published
Nikkei Electronics

10.How to Obtain a Strong Patent 1st (A Change of a Filing Method is the First Step to Obtain a Strong Patent)
November 5, 2007 published
Nikkei Electronics

11.Mutual Understanding through Patent (Creat a New Vision)
January 1, 2007 published
COMPANYTANK

12.Backing Up Leading Technologies (Fast Growing Patent Offices)
March 1, 2005 published
Square 21 Vol. 237

13.Chapter 3: 'Approaching' and 'Protecting' with Intellectual Property
January 21, 2004 published
How to get the most out of Intellectual Property in the future

14.Top firms in trade marks
Managing Intellectual Property November 2003

15.Japan to extend copyright term / January 2003
   Japan enacts IP reforms / December 2002
Managing Intellectual Property December 2002 / January 2003

16.Japan to reinforce IP framework by 2003
Managing Intellectual Property July / August 2002

17.Record Japan patent award in doubt
Managing Intellectual Property May 2002

18.Japan gives software patents green light
Managing Intellectual Property April 2002

19.Increased online rights protection on the way in Japan
Managing Intellectual Property March 2002

20.Asia IP Focus, Japan: A strategic approach for TM protection
Managing Intellectual Property September 2001

21.The Japanese Patent Process: A Strategic Approach To Patent Protection
IP ASIA Patent Yearbook 2001 (Euromoney Publications)

"Software Patentability (Software Statutory Subject Matter) in Japan, Comparison Between Rejected and Allowed Patent Applications," Kanto-Publication Inc, 1994 (First Edition) and 1995 (Second Edition).
"Considerations for Patent Filing in the United States," 1998.
"Patent Marketing-to Turn Your Patents Profit," 1999.
"Intellectual Property Protection in the United States for Japanese Companies," JETRO Management Seminar No. 28, 1997.
Various Articles for "New Era of Intellectual Property in the United States," (Translation), International Legal Practice and Strategy, Monthly Publication Vol.VI-4, 5, 7, 10, 11, 12, ILS Publishers.

Member:

Japan Patent Attorney's Association (JPAA)
Electrical Information and Communication Society

Practice:

Patent Prosecution (Computer Software, Data Communication, Radio Communication, Semiconductors, Electronics), Design Patents, Trademarks, Licensing, Litigation, Opinions, Business Consulting, Japan Entry Consulting.
Admitted to stand before the JPO, Supreme Court, Tokyo and Osaka High Courts, and all District Courts in IP Litigations.

Patent Attorney

Class I Information Technology Engineer
Member of The Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE)
Member of Information Processing Society of Japan (IPSJ),
Software Engineer

Education:

Mr. Hideya Akashi holds a Bachelor’s of Engineering (Information Science) and a Masters of Engineering (Information Science) degree from Kyoto University.

Experience:

From 1993 until 2001, Mr. Akashi worked as a multiprocessor R&D researcher for the Central Research Laboratory of Hitachi Ltd. managing logical design of the parallel computer, SR2201, and system design of the Intel Itanium (TM) processor server. His specialty is information technology, focusing on processor and chipset architecture.

With his strength in electronics related inventions, Mr. Akashi handles many inventions related to memory circuits, CPU circuits, timing control circuits, various communication devices, semiconductor testing circuits, operating systems and language processing systems.

Patent Attorney

Education:

Masters of Mechanical Engineering, Keio University

Bachelor’s of Mechanical Engineering, Keio University

Joined Ryuka IP Law Firm in April 2000

Experience:

1. Patent application and process

Mr. Higashiyama has handled a variety of patent applications and communicated with the Japanese Patent Office to receive patents for Japanese and overseas companies. His patent processing experience includes the following: image processing, digital cameras, surveillance cameras, X-ray, communication protocol, CDMA, upper-layersapplication software, electronic beam exposure devices, semiconductor-testing devices, and microswitches.

2. Patent visualization

Produced inventions related to surveillance cameras, X-rays, album software, and fuel cells. The Ryuka IP Law Firm launched several new businesses based upon Mr. Higashiyama’s inventions.

3. Legal opinions

Mr. Higashiyama has produced legal opinions, established policies to design around the patent claims of others, and made proposals on patent warning handling.

4. Lawsuits

Acted as a procedural attorney for a lawsuit regarding a judgment cancellation.

5. Communication with overseas patent attorneys

In 2006, Mr. Higashiyama visited and presented the following to nine US patent offices: "Differences of Arguments Against US Non-Obviousness and JP Non-Easiness Office Actions."

Patent Attorney

Education:

Masters of Engineering, Nagoya University
Bachelor’s of Engineering, Nagoya University
Mr. Iiyama’s education emphasis is quantum engineering.

Experience:

(1) From 1993 until 1998, served as a member of the patent department of NGB Corporation.
• Primarily managed foreign patent applications, and process and legal opinion arrangements.
• Provided interpretation for meetings between Japanese applicants and patent agents of other countries as well as for lectures given by the English speaking patent agents.
• Assisted his clients during visits to their U.S. and European patent agents.

(2) From 2000 until present Mr. Iiyama has been working at the Ryuka IP Law Firm.
• Acting as the leader of the First Japan Technology Department.
• Managing domestic patent applications, process and research. Speciallizing in electrical and mechanical engineering, with projects including printers’ paper-feeding mechanisms, display-use polarizing panels and lens sheets, laser communication devices and various parts supplies.
• For the technologies listed above and related business models, he excels at locating the elements that can be regarded as inventions and developing them to the point at which they can be filed as patent applications.

Overseas Technology Department Head
Technical Specialist

Education:

Shibaura Institute of Technology, Bachelor of Science

Experience:

From 1984 until 1999, Mr. Ohba served as a foreign patent engineer at the patent department of the NGB Corporation, handling Japanese patent applications for overseas clients, as well as interim process, legal opinion arrangements, and lawsuit support. During this time Mr. Ohba established connections with many patent law firms in the United States, Europe and Asia. Mr. Ohba established relationships with many firms in Germany, the United Kingdom, China, Korea, Taiwan and Singapore.

Mr. Ohba’s experience in patent technology includes magnetic recording media and its production devices, inkjet printers, laser printers, printer consumable supplies, fiber-optic communications, medical devices (especially endoscopy devices), vehicular lighting systems, vehicular brakes and controllers, satellite communication auction systems, super conducting elements, vehicular audio systems and laser disk devices.
Mr. Ohba attended many face-to-face meetings with U.S. patent examiners together with his clients. He has also participated in the European Patent Office’s hearing for patent objections and judgments.
Mr. Ohba’s U.S. lawsuit case support includes more than 100 days spent for deposition, discovery, and preparation for meetings and supervising interpretation.

Patent Attorney

Qualifications:

Software Design and Development Engineer

Education:

Bachelor of Engineering, Tokyo Institute of Technology

Experience:

1997-2000

Worked at Sharp Corporation as optical designer of backlight system used in TFT-LCD module, mainly backlight system of small-sized LCD devices for use in car navigation systems 2000-Present
At Ryuka, Mr. Takata is engaged in patent application and examination procedures in the technical fields of electrical circuits and control systems, specifically timing circuits, control circuits, measurement circuits and digital signal processing of semiconductor test apparatuses and control technique of fuel cells.

Patent Attorney

Education:

Bachelor of Engineering, University of Tokyo
Master of Engineering (specialized in precision engineering), University of Tokyo

Experience:

From 2004 to 2006 Japan Intellectual Property Association the Second Patent Committee (Served as Vice-chairman between 2005 and 2006) Co-writer of the articles, industrial impact of revised utility model law (2005), Provision for tariff laws based on industrial laws (2006), and trends of recent infringement lawsuits (2007) , written in a view of industry and published in Intellectual Property Management Magazines.
From 1998 to July 2008, Mr. Morikawa worked for Canon Inc. as a designer of single-lens reflex cameras and later as a member of the intellectual property department.
While in the intellectual property department, Mr. Morikawa was mainly engaged in discovering new and inventive ideas for digital cameras and camcoders and growing such ideas into patent rights.
Another main responsibility was evaluation of the patent rights of Canon Inc. and competing companies in relation to disputed cases.

Mr. Morikawa’s main technical area of specialty is machinery and control. Specifically, he is extensively experienced in the fields of antivibration control, user interface, and image file management.

Chief Telecommunications Engineer
First-degree Radio Engineer
Project Management Professional

Education:

Bachelor of Science in Electric Engineering of Department of Technology at Tokyo University (1987),
Master's degree in Electric Engineering at California Institute of Technology (1993)

Experience:

1987- Cannon Inc. Engaged in developments of telephone switching systems, wireless LAN, facsimiles, inkjet MFP, digital televisions, etc. Specialized in digital communication circuits, digital communication protocol, IP telephones, ASIC, ECC, image processing (JPEG), CPU peripheral circuit, and PLL.
2008- Joined RYUKA IP Law Firm.

Quality Management Representative of Chinese Patent Applications

Education:

Graduated from Dalian University of Foreign Studies in China, School of Japanese Studies

Experience:

In 1977, Ms. Hou started working for China Aerospace Industry Corporation (China National Space Administration) and was engaged in scientific and technical information research. While working there, she participated in such projects as computer technology training at Hitachi Ltd., technical cooperation with General Electric Company (U.S.), a joint project with Mitsubishi Motors Corporation and the launch of China National Microwave Laboratory, and served as technical interpreter and translator in relation to introduction of the CAD technique and transfer of manufacturing technology of CT scanning systems and ultrasound diagnostic systems. She was invited at public expense as a technical trainee by Japan Quality Assurance Organization and stayed in Japan from April 1991 to April 1992.
Also, she stayed in Japan as a foreign researcher of Japan National Institute for Japanese Language from April 1992 to May 1993. Her research theme was "Comparative study of Japanese and Chinese for machine translation." In 1998, Ms. Hou started Japanese-Chinese translation of patent specifications. In 2003, she participated in Chinese Patent Law training sessions. From 2002 to 2006, she worked for a major patent attorney's office in Beijing as a technical specialist, and was engaged in revising Chinese patent application specifications prepared by Japanese clients, checking the formality of such documents, proofreading translated documents, and drawing up patent specifications.
She was involved in about 300 cases of patent applications and translations in a variety of technical fields ranging from photoelectric devices, electrical devices, automobiles, optical communication and semiconductors. She came to Japan again in April 2006 for her research, titled "Comparative study between Japanese and Chinese regarding special expressions used in intellectual property documents,” and is currently living in Tokyo.

U.S. Attorney (California)

Education:

Juris Doctor, UCLA School of Law (2007)
Bachelor of Arts and Science (Physics and Music), Stanford University (2004)

Bar Admission:

Admitted to the California Bar (2007)

Experience:

Mr. Hamon attended Stanford University as an undergraduate, where he received a Bachelor of Arts and Science, with majors in physics and music. After graduating in 2004, he attended UCLA School of Law, where he received a Juris Doctor.
During his law school summers, he worked as a law clerk for the Los Angeles County District Attorney, Hate Crimes Unit, and he worked as a legal intern for Sega Entertainment U.S.A., Inc. He also worked as a research assistant for a professor and as a media planning intern for an online advertising company.

After graduation, he took and passed the California Bar exam, and was admitted to the California Bar in 2007.
Mr. Hamon joined Ryuka in 2008, and is engaged in drafting arguments and amendments in response to office actions of U.S. patent applications and proofreading English letters and documents.

U.S. Liaison

Education:

Graduated from Oberlin College, Ohio in 2002

Experience:

Worked as an Intern at MIT's Laboratory for Nuclear Science during the winter of 2001.
Began work at a patent firm in Japan in 2006, where I dealt mainly with translating patent specifications concerning imaging apparatuses, information processors, and electronic devices.
Joined RYUKA international patent law firm in 2007, and currently deal mainly with the translation of patents concerning semiconductors, imaging apparatuses, and electronic devices.

Korean Liaison

Education:

Graduated from Hanyang Women's College (Japanese Interpretation), Korea

Experience:

1998 to 2006: Worked for Hansung International Patent and Law Office in Korea Engaged in correspondences with Korean Patent Office and assisted patent application and examination procedures.
2006-2008: Yamanashi Eiwa College in Japan, Department of Humanities.
2008-Present:At Ryuka, Ms. Lee deals with correspondences with the clients in Korea.