Intellectual Property Protection · ¥34,000
Your name, your work, your marks — protected with clarity
Advice on protecting trade marks, designs, trade secrets and copyright in commercial materials. Before you adopt a name or file an application, before you license your work, and when infringement is observed — this engagement addresses each of those moments.
Back to Home Send an EnquiryWhat This Engagement Delivers
At the end of this engagement, you will have a search report conducted before any application is filed, a clear account of what registration achieves and what it does not, a renewal calendar for any rights that are registered, and practical advice on licensing or infringement steps as applicable to your situation.
Search report before any filing
A search is conducted before any application is filed or any name is formally adopted. Conflicts and obstacles are identified at the point where they are easiest to address.
Plain account of what registration covers
Registration protects specific rights in specific territories and classes. What it prevents — and what it does not — is explained plainly, so expectations are grounded in the actual effect of the right obtained.
Renewal calendar
Registered rights lapse if not renewed. A renewal calendar for your portfolio is included so that deadlines are known well in advance, not discovered after a right has already lapsed.
What Tends to Go Wrong — and When
Most intellectual property problems for product companies, studios and consumer brands arise from decisions made before the legal dimension was considered. A name is adopted after a quick online search. A design is developed without confirming whether similar marks are already registered. Materials are licensed without terms that specify what the other party can and cannot do with them.
These decisions are understandable — early-stage work moves quickly, and intellectual property can feel like something to address once the business is more established. The difficulty is that the cost of a conflict discovered late is significantly higher than the cost of a search conducted early. Rebranding, clearing a conflicting mark, or disputing an infringement that has been running for some time are all substantially more involved than the precautions that would have avoided them.
There is also a common misunderstanding about what registration achieves. Companies sometimes assume that having a registered trade mark prevents all unauthorised use of their name or mark in all contexts. In practice, registration covers specific classes of goods and services in specific territories. Activity outside those classes, or in markets where the mark is not registered, is not necessarily covered.
Similarly, copyright exists in creative works without registration in many jurisdictions, but the ability to enforce it depends on how well the ownership and creation circumstances are documented. Trade secrets remain protected only as long as appropriate confidentiality measures are maintained. Each type of right has its own logic, and managing them together requires understanding how they interact.
The Sekihi Approach to Intellectual Property
This engagement is suited to product companies, studios and consumer brands that need to understand what protection is available for their name, mark, creative work or confidential information — and what steps to take to obtain and maintain it.
Registration strategy
The registration route that makes sense depends on the type of right, the territory where protection matters most, and the classes of goods or services involved. This is determined from your situation, not from a standard filing checklist.
Searches before adoption
Before a name, mark or design is formally adopted or an application filed, a search is conducted to identify existing rights that could present a conflict. The search report is provided with an explanation of what the findings mean in practice.
Licensing terms
If you are granting others the right to use your intellectual property — or taking a licence from someone else — the terms that define the scope, duration and conditions of that use are reviewed and explained before they are agreed.
Steps when infringement is observed
Where you believe your rights are being infringed, the steps available are explained clearly. This includes what evidence is needed, what the options are, and what outcome each option is likely to produce — before any formal step is taken.
What the Engagement Looks Like
Enquiry and scope
You describe your situation — what you are trying to protect, the territory where protection matters, and whether there is any existing conflict or infringement you are already aware of. Sekihi responds within three working days to confirm the scope and engagement terms.
Search and strategy
Where a name, mark or design is to be adopted or filed, a search is conducted. The results are reviewed in the context of your specific materials, not abstractly. The registration strategy follows from those findings.
Licensing or infringement advice
If the engagement involves licensing terms or a potential infringement, those matters are addressed alongside or following the search and strategy phase, depending on the situation. All advice is given in writing.
Written output and renewal calendar
The search report, strategy explanation, and any licensing or infringement advice are compiled in writing. The renewal calendar for registered rights is included at the conclusion of the engagement.
The timeline of this engagement follows the registration route chosen. Advice on strategy, searches and licensing can typically be provided within four to six weeks. Where registration is involved, the timeline extends to include the relevant registration authority's processing period, which is outside Sekihi's control but is communicated clearly at the outset.
Fee and What Is Included
Service Fee
¥34,000
Fixed fee for the full engagement, including all items listed
Timeline
Follows the registration route chosen. Advice and searches typically within four to six weeks; registration processing time additional.
Note on registration fees
Official registration fees payable to the relevant authority are separate from this engagement fee and are communicated in advance.
Included in this engagement
Search report before any application is filed or name formally adopted, with explanation of findings
Registration strategy — territory selection, class identification, and route to registration suited to your situation
Plain explanation of what registration does and does not prevent, specific to the rights obtained
Licensing terms review or advice, where licensing is part of the engagement
Infringement steps advice — what evidence is needed, what options are available, and what each option involves
Renewal calendar for all registered rights within the engagement scope
How the Advice Is Structured and What to Expect
The methodology
Intellectual property advice is only useful if it reflects the actual rights involved. The search and strategy work in this engagement is conducted against your specific name, mark, design or creative materials — not a general assessment of the type of right in the abstract.
The search report identifies existing registered rights that could conflict with what you are proposing to adopt or file. Where a conflict is found, the options are explained — whether that means adjusting the scope of the application, modifying the mark, or considering whether the existing right is vulnerable to challenge.
What progress looks like
After this engagement, you will have a clearer picture of what you own, what protection that ownership gives you, and what needs to be done to maintain and enforce it. The renewal calendar provides the ongoing structure to ensure registered rights are maintained without relying on memory.
Not all intellectual property is suitable for registration. Where a right is protected by other means — trade secret arrangements, contractual confidentiality, or the nature of the work itself — this is explained so the appropriate measures are in place rather than the assumed ones.
This service covers advice, searches and strategy. It does not include conducting litigation or representing the client in formal proceedings before a court or registration authority. Where those matters arise, they are discussed as a separate engagement.
Confidence in the Engagement
No commitment at the enquiry stage
Sending an enquiry does not commit you to any course of action. Sekihi confirms whether the engagement is appropriate for your situation and what it would involve, and you decide from there.
If the matter you have described — the type of right, the territory, or the nature of the issue — falls outside what this service covers, this is communicated at the first response stage and at no charge.
A search before any commitment
Where a search is part of the engagement, it is conducted before any application is filed. This is a meaningful distinction: an application fee paid before a search is a cost you may not recover if a conflict is found. Sequencing the search first avoids that outcome.
The engagement fee is fixed once scope is confirmed. Official registration fees — payable to the relevant authority — are stated in advance and are separate from the engagement fee.
How to Proceed
This engagement suits companies that are about to adopt a name or mark and want to confirm there are no conflicts; companies with an existing intellectual property portfolio that has never been formally reviewed; and companies that have observed what may be an infringement and need to understand the options before taking any step.
Step one
Send an enquiry
Describe what you are trying to protect, the territory where protection matters, and whether there is a specific conflict or infringement involved. No documents are required at this stage.
Step two
Receive scope confirmation
Within three working days, Sekihi confirms whether this service is appropriate for your situation, outlines the engagement, and states the fee and expected timeline.
Step three
Share materials and begin
Once you confirm you wish to proceed, relevant materials are shared and the search or strategy work begins. The first output is the search report, followed by the strategy and any further advice.
Begin with an Enquiry
If you are about to adopt a name, file a mark, license your creative work, or respond to what may be an infringement, this is a reasonable place to begin. The initial response is at no charge and carries no commitment to proceed.
Send an Enquiry — No ObligationOther Services from Sekihi
Compliance Documentation Review
Review of internal documentation against sector obligations — personal data handling, record retention, supplier due diligence and internal reporting arrangements.
Business Transfer Advice
Advice on the sale or purchase of a business — structure selection, due diligence, transfer agreements and the treatment of employees, contracts and licences.