SHIPWAY IP

SHIPWAY IP was established in 2022 as the second U.S. office of SOEI to further support our clients in need of intellectual property protection in the United States. The primary goals of the Seattle office are to improve interoffice communications, augment employee expertise in U.S. patent law, and sustainably grow SOEI’s international presence.

Being located on the west coast of the U.S., the Seattle office provides an important communication bridge as a result of the time differences between our regional offices. During the morning hours in Seattle, the employees of SHIPWAY IP can easily communicate with our Washington D.C. office as well as schedule interviews with examiners at the USPTO. And during the afternoon, there is a substantial overlap of time for communicating with our offices and clients located in Japan. The central location of the Seattle office not only allows for convenience in setting up meeting times, but also increases the speed at which SOEI is able to prepare and file documents to avoid delay.

The Seattle office is currently staffed by one U.S. patent attorney and two Japanese patent attorneys. Employees of SOEI who transfer to the Seattle office for assignments of 1-2 years are able to work on a daily basis with experienced U.S. attorneys to fine tune their U.S. patent skills. Future growth of the Seattle office is planned in the coming years to increase the number of registered patent agents at SOEI who are qualified to practice before the USPTO.

Please reach out to our office if you require any assistance in obtaining patent protection or other U.S. legal work such as patent opinion letters.

U.S. Patent Attorney/U.S. Attorney-at-Law (Washington)　
Bryan KIRKPATRICK