San-A Patent Attorneys

SAN-A Patent Attorneys has capabilities of assisting the prosecutions of patent applications worldwide in the area of mechanical engineering, automotive engineering, variety of technologies related to all areas of automotive components, office furniture, metallic engineering and metallurgy, mining, electric and electronic engineering, semiconductor engineering, computer sciences, communication engineering, business models and financial engineering, chemistries, food sciences, medical-related sciences, pharmaceuticals and biotechnologies.

ABOUT US

SAN-A Patent Attorneys is a leading patent firm consisting of proficient Japanese Patent Attorneys and brilliant staffs. The firm is located in the downtown core district in Tokyo, which means that it just takes several minutes from SAN-A to the Japanese Patent Office (JPO), the Tokyo District Court, the Intellectual Property High Court (IPHC) and the Supreme Court.

SAN-A Means Triple-A (AAA)

SAN-A, pronounced as "san ei" and written with Kanji character as "三栄", symbolizes our business philosophies.
In Japanese, "三 (SAN)" is a numeral that represents three and a multiplicative that represents triple. Therefore, SAN-A means Triple A (AAA), which leads to one of our philosophies: providing AAA-rated practices.
Further, "栄 (A, ei)" indicates glory and prosperity. This character includes our founder's desire: providing assistances to build glorious and prosperous futures of our clients. We continuously provide our assistance to achieving the success of our clients. We believe that the progresses, the achievements and the successes of our clients lead to our success.

SAN-A provides skillful practices on the basis of the history of more than a half century

Mr.Yoshinori Yokobori SAN-A Patent Attorneys were founded in 1955 as "Yokobori & Co." The firm provides the practices based on the historical background of more than a half century, with sophisticated approaches and with total confidences.

SAN-A provides world class practices

We have a number of clients world wide, from: Asia and Pacific such as Taiwan, China, Hong Kong, Macau, South Korea, India, Sri Lanka, Malaysia, Singapore, Indonesia, Vietnam, Cambodia, Philippine, Thailand, Australia and New Zealand; North and South Americas such as USA, Canada, Mexico, Brazil, Chile, Ecuador, Peru and Argentina; Europe such as France, the UK, Ireland, Germany, Italy, Monaco, Switzerland, Denmark, Sweden, Finland, Iceland, Belgium, Netherland, Spain, Portugal, Slovakia, Poland, Hungary, Ukraine, Russia, Austria, Israel, Cyprus and Greece; Middle East such as UAE; and Africa such as South Africa and Egypt.
We provide our proposals for the Response to the issued Action in consideration of the applicants' strategy for intellectual property protection, as well as considering the characteristics of the Japanese practices.

PRACTICES

|PATENTS
Since we founded the firm in 1955, we make efforts in an endless stream to brush up our expertise and skills for achieving stronger protections, as well as adept understandings of variety of technologies. These allows us to provide strategic analysis against an issued Office Action to obtain broader coverage with stronger arguments.

Meeting scenery SAN-A has capabilities of assisting the prosecutions of Japanese patent applications in the areas of mechanical engineering, automotive engineering, variety of technologies related to all areas of automotive components, office furniture, metallic engineering and metallurgy, mining, electric and electronic engineering, semiconductor engineering, computer sciences, communication engineering, business models and financial engineering, chemistries, food sciences, medical-related sciences, pharmaceuticals and biotechnologies.

The followings are the list of the Legal Due Dates in ordinary Japanese Patent prosecution.

Procedures and Due Dates in the Japanese PATENT Proceedings

  • Entry into the National phase in Japan for PCT international application:
    Within 30 months from the first priority date.
    If the National Entry request is filed to the JPO without a translation during the term of elapsing 28 to 30 months from the earliest priority date, the applicant is allowed to file a translation within 2 months from the submission of the National Entry request.
  • Filing an application claiming Paris' Convention priority:
    Within one year from the filing date of the earliest priority application
  • Filing Certified copy of the priority document:
    Within 16 months from the filing date of the earliest priority application.
    (PCT national phase application: within 2 months from the entry if applicant failed to submit it during the PCT international phase(R38-14-1))
  • Filing an Amendment
    • The applicant is allowed to file an Amendment in any time, before a first Office Action is issued.
    • Once a first Office Action is issued, the term for submitting an Amendment is restricted as a term indicated by the Examiner.
    • If a final Rejection is issued, the applicant is only allowed to file an Amendment at the same time of filing a Notice of Appeal.
  • Filing a Request for Examination
    Within 3 years from the filling
  • Payment of the registration fees
    Within 30 days from the despatch date of the Decision to Grant a Patent (extendible for additional 30 days on request)
  • Filing a Notice of Appeal
    Within 3 months (plus one extra month for foreign applicant, i.e., 4 months for foreign applicant) from the despatch date of the final rejection.

|DESIGNS
We also have sufficient capabilities for handling Design applications filed to the JPO. We have in-house skilled draft persons for preparing suitable drawings conformal for the Japanese design practices, on the basis of the drawings included in foreign Design/Design Patent applications.

The followings are the list of the Legal Due Dates in ordinary Japanese Design prosecution.

Procedures and Due Dates in the Japanese DESIGN Proceedings

  • Filing Application claiming a Paris' Convention priority:
    Within 6 months from the filing date of the first priority application
  • Filing a Certified copy
    Within 3 months from the filing date (non-extendable)
  • Payment of the registration fees
    Within 30 days from the Decision to Register the Design
  • Filing an Amendment
    The applicant is allowed to file an Amendment in any time during a prosecution or during an Appeal, before a Decision of Grant is issued or a Final Rejection is settled.

|TRADEMARKS
We also have sufficient capabilities of all the necessary proceedings related to prosecutions of trademark applications including renewals. Our expertise in the Japanese trademark prosecutions with our unique search capabilities provide concrete protections for the good will of our clients.

The followings are the list of the Legal Due Dates in ordinary Japanese Trademark prosecution.

Procedures and Due Dates in the Japanese TRADEMARK Proceedings

  • Filing Application claiming a priority
    Within 6 months from the filing date of the first priority application
  • Filing a Certified copy
    Within 3 months from the filing date
  • Filing an Opposition against the registered trademark
    Within 2 months from the publication of the registration
  • Payment of the registration fees
    Within 30 days from the Grant Decision
    In case of two installment, the first half must be paid within 30 days and the second half must be paid 5 years before the expiration of a 10-year protection period.
  • Renewal of Trademark Right
    Within 6 months before the expiration of a 10-year protection period

|LITIGATIONS
We have patent attorneys who are entitled as representing litigation matters before Courts. Our attorneys are experienced in all areas of trial and appellate practice before the Courts that deal with controversial arguments in Patents, Designs, Trademarks, and Unfair Competitions.

FORMS

The following forms are available in WORD/PDF format for filing purposes as required:

Location



< Address >

B1F Shisei-Kaikan. 1-3 Hibiyakoen, Chiyoda City, Tokyo 100-0012, JAPAN

< Nearest station >

5 minutes from Exit B2 of Tokyo Metro Kasumigaseki Station
5 minutes from Exit A14 of Tokyo Metro Hibiya Station
10 minutes from Ginza Exit of JR Shinbashi Station
1 min. from Exit A7 of Uchisaiwaicho Station on the Toei Mita Line

Contact us

If you would like more information regarding our services or the Japanese intellectual properties, or if you have question or comments, please do not hesitate to contact us: SAN-A Patent Attorneys

Address:

B1F Shisei-Kaikan. 1-3 Hibiya-Koen, Chiyoda-ku, TOKYO, 100-0012, JAPAN

Phone:

+81-3-3508-8686 (03-3508-8686)

Fax:

+81-3-3508-8688 (03-3508-8688)

Email: