Attorney Profiles
Patent Attorney
Sumiko Kobayashi
Partner
Career

1971
Passed the National Civil Service Examination- First Class, Grade A

 

1972
Bachelor of Applied Chemistry, Saitama University, Science and Engineering Faculty

 

1972-1974
Researcher at Saitama University, Science and Engineering Faculty, Applied Chemistry

 

1974-1986
Patent Office (External Agent of the Ministry of International Trade and Industry [MITI] of the Japanese Government), Examiner, Trial Examiner, and Appeal Examiner. (Between 1981-1983 Agency of Science and Industrial Technology [within MITI], Technological Investigations Department)

 

1986
Qualified as patent attorney

 

1986-1987
Travel for the purpose of visiting and giving lectures to intellectual property offices and departments in Europe, the United States of America, Asia and Africa

 

1987-1988
Worked at Sumida Patent Office 1988-1991 Worked at Asamura Patent Office

 

1991-1992
Worked at Pennie & Edmonds, New York (Law Internship)

 

1992-
Joined Abe, Ikubo & Katayama

 

2004
Qualified as procedural attorney practicing intellectual property infringement litigation

 

2006-2008
Member of Interim Committee of Industrial Property Council (Examiner of the Patent Attorneys Examination)

Memberships

Japan Patent Attorneys Association

Member of the Operating Committee of the Japan Intellectual Property Arbitration Center;

National Liaison of Life Science Committee in LESI

AIPPI

AIPLA

Japan Association of the Law of Arbitration and Alternative Dispute Resolution

Japan Association of Arbitrators

Mediator registered with The Japan Commercial Arbitration Association

Board Member of Association for the Study of Industry Legal Affairs

Main Areas of Practice

Sumiko Kobayashi is active in the area of IP litigation, including IP infringement litigation agreements and negotiations, importation restraint, and patent application practice.  She is involved in a variety of patent lawsuits including several major patent lawsuits by requests from not only Japanese companies but also from many U.S., European and Asian companies.  Her major lawsuits include lawsuits in connection to patents for biotechnology and semiconductor manufacturing equipment.  Also, she undertakes procedures for patent oppositions and invalidation trials in connection to such lawsuits.  She advises on the obtainment of valid patent rights and help to implement the advice, and advises on the interpretation of the scope of patent rights to Japanese and foreign corporations.  In particular, she does efficient and substantial work through maintaining very fine tuned communication by not only letters in English but also international telephone calls and meetings with corporation managers and local counsel.  She also advises how to have effective meetings with examiners to advance patent application procedures based on her experience as a Patent Office Examiner and Appeal Examiner.  Furthermore, she is interested in alternative dispute resolution methods and is active in many several related organizations including Japan Intellectual Property Arbitration Center

Awards

Recognized as a top legal practitioner advising on patent law, by Expert Guides (2013)