Prosecution

Efforts have recently been made to harmonize the patent prosecution procedures in the trilateral (US, European and Japanese) patent offices in order to enable inventors to obtain worldwide protection by following more or less the same procedures in different countries. On the other hand, while it may be possible to harmonize external procedures, it is a more difficult matter to be able to change ways of thinking which are ingrained into one's culture. This harmonization movement may therefore lead people to experience increased frustration and may have people asking why the Japanese examiners so often miss the point.The attorney's principal task during patent prosecution is to persuade the examiner that the invention in question is patentable.

Therefore, the attorney must structure his arguments in such a way that the examiner will be effectively persuaded. The structure required for such arguments may differ substantially country-to-country due to cultural differences and differences in ways of thinking.This is where the strengths of our team shine through. Now, more than ever, it has become insufficient for an attorney to be simply "bilingual", i.e. simply translating the arguments of inventor and examiner literally. We at Sonoda Kobayashi have a high level not only of linguistic ability, but also of intercultural awareness. We offer a clear path of communication between inventor and examiner without getting lost in argumentation over trivial details incited by misunderstandings and misinterpretations. This is achieved through our clear understanding of the thought processes on both sides. We believe that the benefits of our unique combination of intellectual property experience, technical expertise and intercultural consciousness will become immediately evident in our services.