Hirotsuna Yamashita

Of Counsel

Contact:
hirotsuna@hea-ip.com
+81-78-392-3260

Bar and Court Admissions
Commonwealth of Virginia
Japanese Patent Attorney
U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (2009-2016) 
Gaikokuhou Jimu Bengoshi

Experience
Japan Patent Office, Tokyo Japan (20 + years)

  • Chief Patent Appeal Examiner, Appeal Dept.  (2003 to 2005)
  • Director of Image Processing Division, 4th Patent Dept. (2001 to 2003)
  • Director of Computer Systems Office, 4th Patent Dept. (2000 to 2001)
  • Examiner  (1982 – various dates)
  • Assistant Examiner (1978-1982)

Institute of Intellectual Property               
Director of Washington D.C. Office, Washington D.C.  July 1993 to June 1996
World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO), Geneva
Consultant (1988-1989)

Education
University of New Hampshire School of Law, J.D., 2008
Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, GA, U.S.A. Non-degree student (Nuclear Engineering), 1986-1987
Kyushu University, Fukuoka, Japan, Bachelor of Engineering (Naval Architecture), 1978

Memberships
American Intellectual Property Law Association (AIPLA)
Japan Patent Attorneys Association (JPAA)　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　Tokyo Bar Association

Languages
Japanese (native)
English (fluent)

Mr. Yamashita is a registered US attorney and a registered Japanese patent attorney.  He was also a registered US patent attorney.  Mr. Yamashita has unique career experiences from his 40 years in the intellectual property field that make him an expert in US and Japanese patent practice.

Prior to joining the firm, Mr. Yamashita worked as a U.S. patent attorney in Alexandria, Virginia at a large patent boutique.  He has over 8 years of experience practicing before the United States Patent and Trademark Office in the broad fields of mechanical and electrical engineering.  His practice includes handling every aspect of US patent prosecution; prosecuting appeals before the USPTO Patent Trial and Appeal Board; and filing and prosecuting reissue applications.  Mr. Yamashita also worked for the Japan Patent Office (JPO) for more than 20 years.  His career at the JPO included stints as Chief Patent Appeal Examiner, and Director of Image Processing Division.  Further, Mr. Yamashita was Director of the Washington D.C. Office of the Institute of Intellectual Property, and a consultant at World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) in Switzerland.  He is fluent in Japanese and English.

Mr. Yamashita is an expert in US patent practice and Japanese patent practice. Mr. Yamashita’s expertise allows him to highlight the differences between Japanese patent practice and US patent practice. Due to his native Japanese fluency and his dual legal expertise, Mr. Yamashita can provide specialized advice regarding US patent practice in Japanese to the clients who have filed and plan to file US patent applications.

Legal Publications (Books) （米国特許法関係の本）

< Back