News & Events

Seminar in Beijing, China / Tips for Prosecuting Software Invention Patents (including AI-related Inventions) in Japan

2026-05-21

Wataru Otani presented a seminar, jointly organized with the Capital Intellectual Property Association of China, titled “Tips for Prosecuting Software Invention Patents (including AI-related Inventions) in Japan.” He discussed drafting standards for software patents in Japan, examination trends in the AI field, differences between Japan and China in evaluating inventive step, and the examination approaches for AI-related patent grants in Japan.

Click here for details.

Opening a New Office in Kyushu

2025-10-29

We are pleased to announce the opening of our Kyushu branch office in Fukuoka, Kyushu. Please do not hesitate to contact us if you have any questions with regards to our new branch in Kyushu, and our team will be happy to help.

Upcoming Webinar Series

2025-09-03

This autumn, the trademark experts from Sonoda & Kobayashi are pleased to present you with a series of three dedicated webinars.

In this series, you will learn:

How to take action against infringers in China
How to navigate the Japanese trademark system in the age of AI
How to combat and prevent trademark squatting

…and much more.

These webinars are scheduled for:

Trademark Infringement in China (register)
- September 25, 2025 – 15:00 CEST/09:00 EST
Japanese Trademark Issues in the Digital Era (register)
- September 30, 2025 – 10:00 CEST
Trademark Squatting in Japan and China (register)
- November 20, 2025 – 15:00 CEST/09:00 EST