Shiga International Patent Office

What Shiga International Patent Office does

Shiga International Patent Office (弁理士法人志賀国際特許事務所) is a Tokyo-based Japanese patent attorney corporation founded in 1965, providing full-service intellectual property legal services across seven practice areas: patent prosecution, design protection, trademark registration, IP litigation and trials, licensing contracts and strategic consulting, prior-art and technology searches, and customs recordation. The firm operates a sales-led go-to-market, engaging corporate clients' IP and legal departments directly to handle filings, office action responses, trials, and multi-jurisdictional IP strategy across Japan and international markets (PCT, European, U.S., and Asian jurisdictions).

Its core offering is fee-based professional services delivered by a team of patent attorneys (弁理士), lawyers, and PhDs covering electrical, information processing, chemistry/materials, biotechnology, and mechanical engineering disciplines. Beyond billable legal work, the firm has developed an integrated content and education business: the 'Enhancing Competitiveness' (競争力を高める) book series published continuously since 2015, monthly IP Topic bulletins covering PCT statistics and global IP law changes, an annual Patent Law Amendment Report series, and a recurring seminar program (in-person and Zoom webinars) on design practice, patent search analysis, trademark practice, AI/IoT and FinTech patents, and international IP strategy. Distribution is entirely direct—through engagement with enterprise IP departments and inbound from rankings, seminars, and publications—with no disclosed named customers or segment revenue split.

The firm is independently owned with no disclosed parent company, funding rounds, or M&A activity. Its competitive differentiators are sustained Tier 1 recognition in the IP STARS Japan Rankings for Patent Filings among domestic firms (2025 and 2026), Tier 3 in Trademarks, ISO 27001 (ISMS) certification obtained in November 2025, and a recently strengthened litigation practice via the April 2025 hire of Hattori Satoshi, former Chief Trial Chief of the Japan Patent Office. Revenue is not publicly disclosed, as Japanese 弁理士法人 are not required to publicly report financials.

Name

Shiga International Patent Office

Legal name

弁理士法人志賀国際特許事務所

Website

https://shigapatent.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1965

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

501–1,000 employees

Short description

Shiga International Patent Office is a Tokyo-based Japanese patent attorney corporation founded in 1965, offering full-service intellectual property legal services—patent prosecution, design, trademarks, litigation, licensing consulting, searches, and customs—to corporate clients requiring domestic and international IP protection.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Intellectual Property Legal Services

NAICS

Legal Services (5411), Offices of Lawyers (54111), All Other Legal Services (541199)

SIC

Services-Legal Services (8111)

akta.pro primary industry

Patent Prosecution & Portfolio Management (BPAHAMAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

IP Search, Watch & Competitive Intelligence (BPAHAMAI), Trademark Prosecution & Brand Protection (BPAHAMAB), Intellectual Property (IP) Law (BPAHAAAF), IP Compliance, Anti-Counterfeiting & Enforcement (BPAHAMAK)

Keywords

• Patent prosecution services
• Trademark registration services
• Intellectual property litigation
• Patent search analysis
• IP licensing consulting

Headquarters

HQ city

Tokyo

HQ country

Japan

HQ region

Asia

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure, Others

Revenue model

1. Professional IP Services: Fee-based professional services for patent prosecution, trademark registration, design filings, litigation support, IP consulting, searches, and customs recordation. Revenue generated through professional service fees for handling IP applications, opinions, and advisory services.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Shiga International Patent Office is a Japanese patent attorney corporation providing full-service intellectual property legal services across seven practice areas: patent prosecution (filing, prosecution, trials, appeals), design filings and prosecution, trademark registration and prosecution, IP litigation and trial representation, licensing and IP strategy consulting, prior-art and patent searches/analysis, and customs recordation for counterfeit interdiction. The firm serves corporate clients with patent attorney, lawyer, and PhD professionals across multiple technical fields, and complements its practice with educational seminars, an in-house knowledge publication library, and ISO 27001-certified information security practices.

Product overview

志賀国際特許事務所は、特許・意匠・商标・訴訟審判・契約コンサルティング・調査・税関の7領域を主力業務とする総合知的所有権事務所。業務法人形態で運営され（2022年7月に弁理士法人へ名称変更）、知財実務シリーズ書籍・IPレポート・知財トピックス・セミナー等のナレッジ produit также提供。調査部門による先行技術調査・特許分析服务も展開する。

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Patent services (特許業務) Full-service patent practice covering patent application filing, examination requests, trials, and appeals agency — handled by patent attorneys and specialists across electrical, information processing, chemistry, materials, biotech, and mechanical engineering fields for Japanese and international clients.
• Design services (意匠業務) Full design (意匠) practice covering application filing, examination, and appeals agency work for industrial designs, images, building/interior designs, and graphical user interfaces.
• Trademark services (商標業務) Full trademark practice covering application filing, examination, and appeals agency work for brand marks across Japanese and international jurisdictions.
• IP litigation and trial services (訴訟・審判業務) Trial and litigation representation for patent rights, trademark rights, and other IP rights before the Japan Patent Office and courts, including infringement suits, invalidity trials, and trials for correction.
• Licensing and IP strategy consulting (契約・コンサルティング業務) Advisory practice covering licensing agreements, IP strategy consulting, and related transactional matters, including dialogue pieces with KPMG Consulting on utilization of IP and intangible assets in growth strategy.
• IP search and patent analysis services (調査業務) In-house prior-art searches, invalidity/invalidation searches, and patent search/analysis services executed by a dedicated investigations department, supporting due diligence, freedom-to-operate, and patentability opinions.
• Customs IP recordation services (税関業務) Customs-side IP procedures for stopping the import of counterfeit goods, including recordation of IP rights with Japan customs and related enforcement support.
• IP Practice Series — 'Enhancing Competitiveness' publication library (知財実務シリーズ書籍) Commercial book series authored and edited by firm professionals covering patent specification drafting, patent search/analysis, trademark practice, design practice, chemical/material patent drafting, patent litigation & trial, and IP liaison — continuously published since 2015 to mark the firm's 50th anniversary.

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature1 record

Partnerships

Two partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• WIPO Japan Office (WJO)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 10 November 2025WIPO Japan Office (WJO)派遣の留学生4名（出身国：サモア、シリア、ザンビア、ナイジェリア）に対する1週間の研修プログラムを実施。特許庁訪問や弁理士による知財実務の講義を提供。双方にとって研修生の出身国への理解を深める機会となった。
• KPMGコンサルティングminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 11 July 2025対談記事を共同公開。成長戦略における知財・無形資産の活用について、KPMGコンサルティングとのそれぞれの視点から意見を交わした。

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Sugiura & Associates (S Patent Law Firm): Japanese IP firm providing patent, trademark, and design services with comparable technical expertise — competes directly in the domestic Japanese prosecution market.
• Fukami Patent Office: Established Japanese patent firm specializing in patents, designs, and trademarks with strong technical specializations — directly competes for the same mid-to-large Japanese corporate IP filings.
• Nakamura & Partners: Long-established Japanese patent attorney firm with similar seven-area IP service portfolio, comparable technical bench of attorneys and PhDs, and Tier 1/2 IP STARS positioning — a direct head-to-head competitor in Japan patent prosecution.
• TMI Associates: One of Japan's largest full-service IP and general law firms with deep patent prosecution, trademark, and litigation practices — directly competes for the same Japanese corporate IP mandates and is regularly co-ranked in IP STARS.
• AERA Patent Attorneys: Tokyo-based patent attorney firm offering patent prosecution, trademark, design, and litigation services — comparable full-service scope competing for similar Japanese IP clients.
• Ohno & Partners: Japanese patent and trademark firm with a comparable multi-disciplinary technical bench and similar service mix — direct competitor for Japanese corporate IP prosecution work.
• Yuasa and Hara: Major Tokyo-based IP firm covering patents, designs, trademarks, and litigation with a similarly broad technical bench — directly comparable in scale, service mix, and Japanese corporate client base.
• Hiraki & Associates: Tokyo patent attorney firm providing full IP services including patent prosecution, trademarks, designs, and litigation — directly comparable in offering and target clients.

Broad incumbents

• Fish & Richardson: Large international IP law firm with extensive Japanese patent prosecution capability and global office network — broader incumbent that overlaps in patent prosecution but operates at much greater scale across multiple jurisdictions.
• Finnegan: Global IP-focused law firm handling patent prosecution, litigation, and PTAB matters — broader incumbent that competes for high-end international patent work where Shiga's clients also engage foreign counsel.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInshigapatent.com/en

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles9 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Shiga International Patent Office