Creo Law & IP LPC クレオ国際法律特許事務所

What Creo Law & IP LPC クレオ国際法律特許事務所 does

CREO Law & IP LPC (クレオ国際法律特許事務所) is a Tokyo-headquartered intellectual property law firm founded in 1978 as Nishiwaki IP Firm and operating today as a Limited Liability Company following rebrandings in 2001, 2010, and 2015. The firm delivers a comprehensive IP service stack across patent, design, and trademark prosecution in Japan and overseas; oppositions and invalidation trials before the Japan Patent Office; IP litigation including infringement and unfair competition matters; corporate legal advisory such as licensing and contract drafting; prior art and invalidity searches; and Japanese–English translation services. Service delivery is organized around specialized departments — Foreign, Domestic, Chemical, and Design — overseen by senior patent attorneys and supported by dual-qualified attorneys-at-law and patent attorneys.

The firm serves a diversified client base of more than 5,700 entities, ranging from Japanese startups and SMEs to large enterprises and multinational corporations requiring global trademark and patent portfolio management. Approximately 50 professionals and staff execute the work, with technical coverage spanning chemicals, materials, electrical engineering, mechanical engineering, optical engineering, and life sciences including bioinformatics, digital health, and AI-driven drug discovery. Business development is sales-led and relationship-driven, with no disclosed pricing beyond quote-based professional fee arrangements; customer acquisition is supported by active participation in international IP industry bodies (INTA, AIPPI, APAA, LES Japan, JTA), an internal Generative AI study session series, and a dedicated foreign-facing practice with established Korean and US partner relationships.

The underlying technology layer is a conventional professional-services IP practice augmented by ongoing adoption of generative AI tools for operational efficiency, research, and document preparation. The firm maintains no proprietary AI products, no data products, and no API or SDK offerings. Revenue is not publicly disclosed and there is no outside investment, parent company, or public listing; ownership is private and the firm has grown organically over nearly five decades, with 2024–2025 lateral hires (Sasaki, Yazaki, Fujinuma) and an October 2025 Korean partner visit signaling continued measured expansion.

Name

Creo Law & IP LPC クレオ国際法律特許事務所

Legal name

CREO Law & IP LPC

Website

https://en.nipo.gr.jp

Company type

Private

Founded year

1978

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Tokyo-based intellectual property law firm offering patent prosecution, trademark and design protection, IP litigation, oppositions, prior-art searches, and Japanese–English translations to startups, SMEs, and multinational corporations in Japan and overseas.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Intellectual Property Legal Services

NAICS

Offices of Lawyers (54111), Legal Services (5411)

SIC

Services-Legal Services (8111)

akta.pro primary industry

Intellectual Property (IP) Law (BPAHAAAF)

akta.pro secondary industries

IP Filing, Annuities & Renewals Administration (BPAHAMAJ), IP Search, Watch & Competitive Intelligence (BPAHAMAI), Copyright Services & Content Protection (BPAHAMAC)

Keywords

• Intellectual property law
• Patent prosecution services
• Trademark registration services
• IP litigation services
• Design protection services

Headquarters

HQ city

Tokyo

HQ country

Japan

HQ region

Asia

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Legal and Patent Attorney Services: Professional services revenue from attorneys and patent attorneys providing intellectual property legal services including patent prosecution, trademark registration, design protection, oppositions, invalidation trials, appeals, and IP litigation. Services are billed on professional service fee arrangements.
2. Translation Services: Japanese-English translation services for patent documents, search reports, and legal documents.
3. Search Services: Various searches including prior art searches, nullifying/invalidation searches, and preparation of English-language summary/translation of searched documents.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

CREO Law & IP LPC is a Japanese law and patent firm offering comprehensive intellectual property legal services. The firm operates as a unified team of attorneys and patent attorneys providing patent, design, and trademark prosecution in Japan and overseas; opposition and invalidation trial proceedings; IP litigation and dispute resolution; corporate legal advisory services; prior art and invalidity searches; and Japanese-English translation services. The firm has approximately 50 professionals and staff serving over 5,700 clients.

Product overview

CREO Law & IP LPC is a law and patent firm offering comprehensive intellectual property services. The firm operates as a unified team of attorneys and patent attorneys providing patent, design, and trademark prosecution in Japan and overseas; opposition and invalidation trial proceedings; IP litigation and dispute resolution; corporate legal advisory services; prior art and invalidity searches; and Japanese-English translation services. The firm has approximately 50 professionals and staff serving over 5,700 clients.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Patent Prosecution Services Patent application filing, prosecution, and management in Japan and overseas, including utility model prosecution. Service targets inventors, R&D teams, and corporations seeking patent protection.
• Trademark Prosecution Services Trademark application filing, prosecution, and management in Japan and overseas. Service targets brand owners and corporations seeking trademark protection.
• Design Prosecution Services Design application filing, prosecution, and management in Japan and overseas. Service targets product designers and corporations seeking design protection.
• Oppositions and Invalidation Trials Opposition proceedings and invalidation trials before patent and trademark offices. Service targets corporations seeking to challenge or defend IP rights.
• IP Litigation and Dispute Resolution Litigation against trial decisions, infringement litigation, and unfair competition prevention law litigation. Service targets corporations involved in IP disputes.
• Corporate Legal Advisory Services Consultations, opinions, negotiations on general corporate legal affairs including warning documents, license agreements, and contract drafting. Service targets corporations seeking IP-related advisory support.
• Prior Art and Invalidity Searches Various searches including prior art searches, nullifying/invalidation searches, and preparation of English-language summaries and translations. Service targets patent applicants and litigants requiring technical research.
• Translation Services Japanese-English translations for patent documents and legal materials. Service targets multinational corporations and foreign clients requiring patent and legal document translation.

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• Korean Partner FirmsminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 October 2025President Reishi Nishiwaki, together with Patent Attorneys Takashi Kumon and Masahiko Kimura, visited Korean partner firms for courtesy meetings from October 21 to 24, 2025. They engaged in productive discussions on patent prosecution practices and shared insights on the latest developments in patent procedures between Japan and Korea.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves9 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• TMI Associates: One of Japan's largest IP and technology law boutiques offering patent/trademark prosecution, oppositions, and IP litigation. Directly comparable to CREO in core IP practice scope, with a Tokyo headquarters and overlapping multilingual patent-attorney talent pool.
• Aoyama & Partners: Tokyo IP boutique providing patent, trademark, and design prosecution alongside litigation support. Comparable mid-sized Japanese IP firm with a similar life-sciences and engineering coverage profile.
• Yuasa and Hara: Long-established Tokyo patent firm providing patent and trademark prosecution, appeals, and IP litigation. Closely matches CREO's full-spectrum domestic IP prosecution and dispute resolution offering with a similarly experienced attorney bench.
• Hiraki & Associates: Tokyo patent firm covering patent prosecution, design, and trademark matters with multilingual capabilities. Comparable to CREO in servicing foreign applicants doing business in Japan and Japanese filers abroad.
• Shusaku Yamamoto Patent Law Office: Highly ranked Japanese patent firm with a strong prosecution and litigation practice across technical fields. Overlaps heavily with CREO in serving enterprise and SME clients on domestic and cross-border patent work.
• Hiroe & Associates: Japan-based patent and trademark firm offering prosecution, oppositions, and dispute resolution. Functions as a like-for-like Japanese IP boutique peer with overlapping technical expertise and international clientele.

Broad incumbents

• Baker McKenzie: Global law firm with a dedicated Tokyo IP practice handling patent prosecution, trademarks, and cross-border IP disputes. Poses top-down competitive pressure on Japanese IP boutiques for multinational portfolios.
• Jones Day: Global law firm operating in Tokyo with an active patent prosecution and IP litigation practice. Competes with CREO for inbound Fortune 500 IP work in Japan while offering a much broader international footprint.
• Anderson Mori & Tomotsune: Major full-service Tokyo law firm with a substantial IP practice handling prosecution, disputes, and transactional IP for multinationals. Competes with CREO for high-end corporate IP mandates while serving a broader legal-services mandate.
• Hogan Lovells: Global law firm with a strong Tokyo IP/life-sciences practice handling patent litigation and prosecution. Comparable at the cross-border enterprise level where it competes for the same multinational filings CREO pursues.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/creo-law-ip-lpc-%E3%82%AF%E3%83%AC%E3%82%AA%E5%9B%BD%E9%9A%9B%E6%B3%95%E5%BE%8B%E7%89%B9%E8%A8%B1%E4%BA%8B%E5%8B%99%E6%89%80

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles21 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 Creo Law & IP LPC クレオ国際法律特許事務所