Board Members
Masahiro Asamura
Senior Managing Partner
Patent Attorney
Atorney at Law
Masahiro Asamura is Managing Partner at ASAMURA IP P.C. and also represents Asamura Law Offices.
As a patent attorney, Mr. Asamura was first assigned to our firm’s Chemical Patent Department, where he handled chemical-related domestic and overseas patent applications (including foods, polymers, synthetic fibers, pharmaceuticals, and biotechnology). Later, when Japan adopted the new law school system, he joined Waseda Law School, and became a lawyer by successfully passing the bar examination and then completing his legal apprenticeship at Kagoshima District Court. After registering as a lawyer, Mr. Asamura worked as an associate for two years at Nagashima & Hashimoto, where he focused on foreign and domestic patent disputes and other related legal work.
In 2011, he returned to ASAMURA IP P.C. and established Asamura Law Offices, which is linked with the main firm.
Besides the management of ASAMURA IP P.C., as a patent attorney and lawyer, Mr. Asamura is currently teamed up with patent attorneys working at ASAMURA IP P.C. in a wide range of areas. These include consultations about disputes related to patents, trademarks, designs, and copyrights as well as the Unfair Competition Prevention Act and similar areas, inter-party trials (invalidation trials and trials for cancellation), litigation rescinding trial decisions (ex parte, inter partes), warning letter correspondence, negotiations, cross-border injunctions, and litigation.
Mr. Asamura studied a wide range of materials at the Department of Materials Science in Chiba University’s Faculty of Engineering, from organic materials and high-polymer materials to inorganic materials. He also researched macrocyclic compound synthesis in the university laboratory.
As a master’s degree student at the University of Edinburgh, he researched a method for quantitative analyzing iron components in soil. Then at Lancaster University, he researched a method for analyzing compositional changes in fumaric acid and fulvic acid by soil depth.
Mr. Asamura has served as a member of the Japan Patent Attorneys Association’s Amicus Brief Committee (2011-2013), and as a member of the Association’s Intellectual Property Litigation Committee (2013 – 2014) where he was involved in examining court cases as well as the Japanese litigation system as related to intellectual property.
Education
BSc in Material Science, Chiba University, March 1996
MSc in Environmental Chemistry, University of Edinburgh, October 1997
MRes in Environmental Science with Distinction, Lancaster University, October 1998
J.D., Waseda University Law School, March 2007
Professional career
ASAMURA IP P.C. (Chemical Department) (April 1999 – October 2007)
Trainee, Legal Training and Research Institute of Japan, Supreme Court of Japan (November 2007 – December 2008)
Nagashima & Hashimoto (January 2009 – December 2012)
ASAMURA IP P.C. & Asamura Law Offices (2011)
Managing Partner of ASAMURA IP P.C.(2013)
Senior Managing Partner of ASAMURA IP P.C.(2019)
Examinations passed
Patent Attorney Examination (Selected subjects: Organic Chemistry, Biochemistry, and Fiber Engineering) (October 2001)
National Bar Examination (Selected subject: Intellectual Property Law) (September 2007)
Registrations
Registration Number of Patent Attorney: 17295
Registration Number of Lawyer: 38807
Affiliation
Senior Managing Partner
Languages
Japanese, English
Specialty Fields
Inter-parties trials (invalidation trials and trials for cancellation), litigation rescinding trial decisions, appraisals, warning letter correspondence, license negotiations, infringement litigation, and contract drafting.
Major seminars”Latest Trends of Patent Cases in Japan: A Focus on Progressivity,” a training seminar sponsored by the Patent Attorneys Club (2013)
“Damage Calculation: Analysis of IP litigation precedents” at Training Festival held by Japan Patent Attorneys Association (May and August, 2014)
Memberships
Patent attorney association and other memberships
Member of the Japan Patent Attorneys Association (JPAA), 2001 – present
Member of the Asian Patent Attorneys Association (APAA), April 2011 – present
Member of the International Association for the Protection of Intellectual Property (AIPPI), April 2011 – present
Bar Associations and Other Memberships:
Daini Tokyo Bar Association, January 2011 – present
Publications
“Q&A on Protection of Personal Information in the Social Media Age. Compiled for Daini Tokyo Bar Association” (joint-author), (Nippon Hyoron Sha Co., Ltd). (September 2012)
Hobby
Travel. Overseas dramas and movies about lawyers (The Practice, Boston Legal, The Good Wife, etc.)
Comment
ASAMURA IP P.C. has been working with patent applications in Japan and overseas for 120 years. With the opening of the Asamura Law Offices, we look forward to serving you in areas following acquisition of patent rights, including the exercise of intellectual property and dealing with disputes. I feel confident that our ability to provide our clients with a one-stop service covering the period after patent rights acquisition, will enable us to provide patent application services of an even higher quality.
Ken Kanai
Managing Partner
Patent Attorney
Joined ASAMURA IP P.C.: 2005
Patent Attorney since: 2005
Registration Number: 13747
Ken Kanai is a Managing Partner who is responsible for developing strategic business relationships, working closely with Senior Managing Partner. As an Administrative Partner in 2014, he established IP valuation and other professional services.
Prior to joining the executive team, Mr. Kanai belonged to the patent 1 division (currently Mechanical and Electrical Department) and was involved in patent prosecution in the field of mechanical engineering, particularly manufacturing equipment, products, internal combustion engines and medical equipment.
As a system engineer, he was primarily involved in factory automation (FA) system development and construction and later engaged in engineering work and technical sales.
Education
BSc. in Transportation Engineering from Nihon University
Languages
Japanese
Memberships
● Member of the Japan Patent Attorneys Association (JPAA)
● Member of the Asian Patent Attorneys Association (APAA)
● Member of the International Association for the Protection of Intellectual Property (AIPPI)
● Member of the Publicity Department, Kanto Branch (JPAA)
● Member of the Planning and Management Committee for overall policy
● Member of the Patent Committee (JPAA)
● Member of the Internship System Steering Committee (JPAA)
Awards
Special Award by the Japan Patent Attorneys Association, 1 July 2013
Seminars
Patents and Trademarks: an Introduction, New Generation Management Study Group, July 2006
Publications
“The Invention” (Hatsumei), January 2011
Kiyoshi Asamura
Senior Advisor
Patent Attorney
Patent Attorney since: 1963
Education
Waseda University, B.S. Electrical Engineering, 1959
De Pauw University, Columbia University(U.S.A) 1959-1961
Launguages
Japanese, English
Memberships
The Japan Patent Attorneys Association:
Member : 1963 – present
Councilor : 1967 – 1969, 2002 – 2004
Vice-President : 1979 – 1980, 1992 – 1993
President : 1993 – 1994
Official Commendation
Minister of International Trade and Industry Award: April 18,1985
Blue Ribbon Medal for Services to Japan as a Patent Attorney : April 29, 1995
Special Award of the Japan Patent Attorneys Association : July 1, 1999
Intellectual Property Achievement Awards: April 18,2014
Mr.Kiyoshi Asamura was elected as an Honorary President of the Asian Patent Attorneys Association: November 11,2014