IP Intelligence for Business

We analyze your market and assist you in developing and executing IP strategies.

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Open Innovation

We help you collaborate with domestic and foreign companies through intellectual property.

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Business Development

For overseas clients, we assist business development in Japan. 

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About Us

We have expertise and experience in intellectual property and are based in Japan. We help you develop your business in Japan by leveraging IP, and provide the following services:
  • IP Intelligence for Business to recognize your position in the market and execute your business strategy successfully
  • Open Innovation to help you collaborate with domestic and foreign companies through intellectual property
  • Business Development for overseas clients to help you business development in Japan 
Partnership

Satoshi Watanabe, the founder of WATANABE research & consulting is a consultant having extensive experience in the area of intellectual property. First, he started his career at IBM as an engineer. His job was to evaluate mainframe computers of Japanese competitors. Sometimes, he analyzed their patents and research papers to predict their next computers. He was honored to receive the president’s award for that project. Also, he handled a copyright infringement lawsuit for computer software. He worked with in-house and outside IP counsels to prepare evidences for the court. After all, that was a good timing for him to move to the IP world. When the dispute was settled, he moved to the IP department. In the IP department, he had experiences to handle all types of IP cases over a decade; i.e. patent, copyright, trademark, contract and licensing.

Someday, he began to take an interest in open innovation. Then, he got a chance, bang on cue, to work for Intellectual Ventures (IV). IV has its headquarters in the US, and manages the world’s biggest IP funds. In IV, he worked with researchers and engineers to create great solutions to future problems. Then, he developed patents for the solutions and licensed to its customers.

Currently, he utilizes his career and experience to help his clients develop their business at home and overseas by maximizing the value of their IP assets.

Satoshi Watanabe Founder of WATANABE Research & Consulting

Services

IP Analytics

You need IP intelligence to recognize players in your market, e.g. who are your competitors and potential partners, how is your position in the market, what’s strengths and weakness. We provide you with market research and other researches based on IP data.

On-Demand IP Department

You need to run IP operations in accordance with your IP strategy within the limited resource and budget. So, we offer the On-Demand IP Department service for you. You can outsource your daily IP operation work in a cost effective way.

Virtual CIPO (Chief Intellectual Property Officer)

The Virtual CIPO service provides you with a CIPO function on an outsource basis. We help you develop your IP strategy consistent with your business strategy for the success of your business. Also, we help your higher management team make right decisions from an IP perspective.

IP Development

We help you develop quality patents, trademarks, and designs which you will be able to actually use for your business.

Open Innovation

Technology Transfer, IP Transaction, On-Demand AI Team
Open Innovation provides you with opportunities to reduce research costs, spread risks and bring innovations to market more quickly. Therefore, it is now one of important strategies for you. The Open Innovation service can help you identify potential partners. Also, we are willing to play the role as a bridge between you and the identified potential partners. Since we have a global network, e.g. US, EU, Israel and China, we can help you cross-border open innovation. Furthermore, we can develop solutions for your problems by ourselves, since we have a team of world-class technical experts. It is the On-Demand AI Team service.

Business Development

Are you planning to expand your business to Japan? If so, we can help you. We provide you with a cost-effective business development service. We will act as your Japan desk or branch office to support your business. Also, we can help you find your business partners to establish a Joint Venture (JV) or conduct Mergers and Acquisitions (M&A).

Maximize the value of your IP assets

We help you to develop your business at home and overseas by maximizing the value of your IP assets. If you have an interest in working with us, please feel free to contact us.

Recent IP & Business Blog

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    • Blog
    • FAQ
    • News
    • Transactions
Joint research

Japanese Government to Tackle Problem of Jointly-Owned Patents between Universities and Industry

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Will IPwe facilitate IP-based financing?

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Japanese Government established “Good Faith Negotiation Guidelines for SEP Licenses”

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Do you have an effective Patent Defense strategy?

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IPwe Smart Pool

Why recommend SMEs to join IPwe’s Smart Pools?

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Registered Trademark

What you need to know before you try to sell a trademark

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Projects

Foreign Filing Network of Patent and Trademark


Working with The PCT Network, we introduce to Japanese IP firms the foreign filing network of patent and trademark. The PCT Network is the largest foreign network of IP professionals in the world for foreign filing, and connects international associates in order to provide the best IP filing services around the globe. For Japanese, please check here.

IPwe Patent Transaction Platform


Working with IPwe, we introduce their unique patent transaction platform to Japan. IPwe created the first platform for the world’s patent ecosystem, connecting buyers and sellers of patents and patent-related services, creating a tradable asset. IPwe leverages the power of artificial intelligence (AI), data mining, predictive analytics and blockchain to unlock global patent value. For Japanese, please check here.

Cross-Border Investment & Collaboration


Working with a US-based M&A advisory firm, we will help our clients in Japan find opportunities for investment in and partnerships with US and European technology companies, which includes setting up of joint ventures to manufacture products of such technology companies, and do sales and marketing in Japan and other Asian countries.

BijuSoft On-Demand AI project


Working with BijuSoft having a project of top experts in various field of AI, we will assist our customers to integrate the most advanced AI technology in their products. We will also help the customers improve their business by solving their hardest data analytics, IoT, and mobile computing problems to harness the treasure trove of information hidden in their business data. Please check here for more information.

Xinova Invention Program


We are assisting Xinova, a global open innovation platform provider, to find great talent who has potential for invention and assist them to develop new solutions to solve a variety of problems faced by its customers and also develop new applications based on existing technologies owned by the customers. The inventors who develop such good solutions or applications that the customers select or the like will be able to receive monetary rewards. Please contact us if you have interest in joining Xinova’s innovator network to invent with us.

China – Japan technology transfer


We are assisting a Chinese incubation company HTB Innovation with technology transfer between their client companies and Japanese companies or research institutions.

Publication

Intellectual Property Magazine Dec 2019/Jan 2020 Issue | November 29 2019
Patent changes create friction
Patent Information Fair & Conference in Tokyo | November 6 2019
(Japanese) Interview about the IPwe platform (YouTube)
知財情報&戦略システム No.25 | November 6 2019 (This article introduces the IPwe platform for patent transactions.)
(Japanese) AIとブロックチェーンを使ったグローバル特許取引プラットフォーム – フジサンケイ ビジネスアイ
SankeiBiz | September 18 2019 (This article features IPwe, and contains my comments.)
(Referred/Japanese) 特許取引の「IPwe」、いよいよ日本上陸か
経済産業調査会 | February 7 2019 (This article gives a quick summary on how to use patent information for patent monetization – 2 of 2.)
(Japanese) 調査・解析から見た知財戦略 第17回 – 特許の活用における調査・解析 [下] – 特許ニュース
経済産業調査会 | January 10 2019 (This article gives a quick summary on how to use patent information for patent monetization – 1 of 2)
(Japanese) 調査・解析から見た知財戦略 第16回 – 特許の活用における調査・解析 [上] – 特許ニュース
IAM Magazine 88 | March 2018
(Interview) Out of Court
経済産業調査会 | February 2016 (This book summarizes leading IP cases in US, Europe, China, and Korea. Satoshi Watanabe contributed this for patent, copyright and antitrust cases in US and Europe.)
(Japanese) 知的財産法判例教室 グローバル版 米欧中韓

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