Sonderhoff & Einsel Law and Patent Office is pleased to announce that we have welcomed three new patent attorneys: Saori MAEKAWA, Dr. Kazunari YOKOYAMA and Hisako TANAKA.

Since her registration as a patent attorney in 2001, Ms. Maekawa has been involved in a wealth of trademark registration applications at multiple patent attorneys’ offices. She will continue to work on domestic and international trademark cases for a wide variety of clients ranging from startup ventures to large corporations, always striving to understand her clients’ situation and needs and provide appropriate services.

After earning his PhD, Dr. Yokoyama began his career at a patent office, where he worked for a number of years. Thereafter, he spent 16 years in the domestic manufacturing and service industries and became experienced in intellectual property (IP) matters. Capitalizing on his strong IP background built over his time in private industry, Dr. Yokoyama handles the proposal and execution of IP strategies to contribute to the management and business of his clients in private industry, working across subjects including the mechanical and chemical fields in general with a special focus on control devices, and oversees patent-related tasks ranging from drafting of specifications to exercise of rights.
Dr. Yokoyama strongly believes that interpersonal communication is an important aspect of all his work.

After graduating university with a major in physics and working in management at an engineering company, Ms. Tanaka entered the patent field. Making use of her knowledge as a physics major, Ms. Tanaka performs domestic, outbound and inbound tasks in the electrical and mechanical fields, including software. She has experience at several patent offices, where she has mainly been engaged in patent rights acquisition. In addition to her work at patent offices, Ms. Tanaka is also a member of the Small and Medium-sized Venture Support Committee of the Kanto Japan Patent Attorneys Association, where she is involved in the dissemination of information on startup support. An article she wrote is available on the homepage of the Kanto Japan Patent Attorneys Association under the title “An Introduction to Patents for Startups” (Sutato-appu no tame no Tokkyo Nyumon).