JAPAN Law and Practice Contributed by: Takahiro Inoue, Tomohiro Kuribayashi, Yoshiyuki Takanashi and Daisuke Inaba, TMI Associates
TMI Associates has grown from its establishment 36 years ago and its original 11 members to become one of the five largest law firms in Japan, with over 720 attorneys and more than 100 patent/trade mark attorneys, based in 27 locations. TMI has compre- hensive transactional and dispute resolution capa- bilities, a distinctive regulatory focus and a renowned IP practice. In addition to its locations in Japan, TMI has overseas bases in China, Myanmar, Singapore, Vietnam, Cambodia, Thailand, Indonesia, Malaysia,
the US, the UK, France and Belgium, and has desks focused on the Philippines, Australia, Brazil, Mexico, and Kenya. TMI’s unique and unparalleled ability to form collaborative teams combining lawyers as well as patent and trade mark attorneys has enabled it to become a leading law firm in Japan and worldwide in the practice areas surrounding IP, media, sports, entertainment, and telecommunications and technol- ogy.
Authors
Takahiro Inoue specialises in copyright law, and media and entertainment law; he has extensive experience in both transactional and litigation matters in these fields. Over the past 12 years, he has handled a
Yoshiyuki Takanashi has been engaged in numerous patent matters, including patent litigation, patent invalidation trials before the Japan Patent Office, and patent licensing. He has experience in handling patent
wide range of entertainment and intellectual property matters, representing various clients in the media and entertainment industry, including major domestic and international studios, record labels, music publishers, talent agencies, book publishers and apparel brands. He is admitted to practise law in both Japan and California, and has significant expertise in cross-border transactions, particularly in the entertainment industry, and in international intellectual property matters.
cases involving a wide range of technologies. Drawing on the in-depth knowledge he acquired during his undergraduate and master’s studies in engineering, he has developed particular expertise in patent issues related to IT (especially telecommunications technologies) and in Standard Essential Patents (SEPs). He also has extensive experience in cross-border patent disputes, collaborating with attorneys around the world.
Daisuke Inaba is a partner at TMI Associates, having joined the firm in 2015 and been promoted to partner in January 2026. He advises companies for which intellectual property is central to their business, and has
Tomohiro Kuribayashi is a partner at TMI Associates whose practice covers both contentious and non- contentious IP matters, with a particular focus on trade marks, designs, copyright, unfair competition
particular expertise in IP-driven transactions, including intellectual property due diligence, licensing and commercialisation matters. He holds an LLM in Law, Science & Technology from Stanford Law School and advises clients in both Japanese and English, particularly supporting overseas clients entering Japan and bridging international clients with Japanese companies. He is admitted in Japan and California, and is a member of the Dai-ichi Tokyo Bar Association.
and trade secrets. He has extensive experience in representing both domestic and international clients in IP litigation, enforcement and dispute resolution matters. He also advises on a broad range of IP transactions and brand management matters, including licensing, collaboration agreements and cross-border commercial arrangements. Drawing on his experience seconded to a major listed IT company in Japan, his practice also extends to technology-related matters, including software and technology agreements.
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