Legal Department: SOEI Patent & Law Firm

[Vice President, Director-General, Legal, Design, and Trademarks, Director of the International Client Services Group]

Mr. Kurokawa received his B.S. (1992) and M.S. (1994) in Mathematical Engineering and Information Physics from the University of Tokyo. Following his graduation, he worked for NKK (now JFE), a Japanese steel corporation, as an engineer in the fields of measurement and control equipment.
Since joining to SOEI in 1997 and qualifying as a patent attorney in 1999, he handles not only patent prosecutions, oppositions and expert opinions especially in the fields of mobile communications, computer architecture and software, but also consults with inventors and clients and counsels them on procuring and enforcing worldwide intellectual property rights.
He is a member of JPAA, INTA and APAA. He was a member of the JPAA’ s International Activities Center for many years, and he sometimes served as a delegate to international intellectual property conferences and meetings. From 2003 to 2007, he was an adjunct professor at Toyama University where taught patent law.
He enjoys wine and scuba diving (but not together).

[Director of the Legal Department, Japanese Attorney-at-Law]

■ Education

• Bachelor of Engineering (Chemical　Engneering), University of Tokyo, 1977
• Master of Engineering (Chemical　Engneering), University of Tokyo, 1979
• Legal Training and Research Institute, 2007

■ Professional Carriers

• Chemical engineer, Kasawaki Heavy Industries Ltd., 1979-1988
• Patent Attorney, Kasawaki Heavy Industries Ltd., In House Counselor of IP department, 1989-2007
• Attorney-at-Law and Patent Attorney, SOEI, 2007-

■ Practice Areas

• Intellectual property (infringement litigation, invalidation trial, customs injunction, negotiation on license/ franchise/ joint development/ technology transfer agreements)
• Unfair business practice and Antimonopoly
• General civil dispute
• Corporate general
• Enforcement and provisional injunction

■ Membership

• Dai-ichi Tokyo Bar Association
• Japan Patent Attorneys Association (JPAA)

[Japanese Attorney-at-Law]

• Bachelor of Economics, University of Tokyo, 1997
• Bachelor of Engineering (Electronics), Tokyo University of Science, 2005
• Legal Training and Research Institute, 1999

■ Professional Carriers

• Attorney-at-Law, Aoki Christensen and Nomoto, 1999-2001
• Attorney-at-Law and Patent Attorney, SOEI, 2001-

■ Practice Areas

• Intellectual property (infringement litigation, invalidation trial before Japanese Patent Office, customs injunction, negotiation on license/ franchise/ joint development/ technology transfer agreements)
• Unfair business practice and Antimonopoly
• General civil dispute
• Corporate general
• Enforcement and provisional injunction

■ Membership

• Dai-ichi Tokyo Bar Association
• Japan Patent Attorneys Association (JPAA)

[Japanese Attorney-at-Law]

■ Education

• Bachelor of Engineering (Aeronautics), University of Tokyo, 1985
• Legal Training and Research Institute, 2007

■ Professional Carriers

• Mechanical engineer, Tokyo Gas Co., Ltd. Research Institute, 1985-1988
• Reporter, Mainichi newspaper, 1988-1993
• Numerical analyst of nuclear power station, Affiliated Company of MHI, 1994-1996
• Patent Engineer, SOEI, 1996-2006
• Attorney-at-Law and Patent Attorney, SOEI, 2007-

■ Practice Areas

• Intellectual property (infringement litigation, invalidation trial before Japanese Patent Office, customs injunction, negotiation on license/ franchise/ joint development/ technology transfer agreements)
• Unfair business practice and Antimonopoly
• General civil dispute
• Corporate general
• Enforcement and provisional injunction

■ Membership

• Dai-ichi Tokyo Bar Association
  Consumer Affairs Committee
  Steering Committee on Legal Counseling
• Japan Federation of Bar Associations (JFBA)
• Japan Patent Attorneys Association (JPAA)