New visitor at CeBIL - Takeshi Komatani
30 August - 9 September 2025
Takeshi S. Komatani, Ph.D., LL.M., is a litigation-certified Japanese patent attorney and an acclaimed IP strategist, specialising in the pharmaceutical and life sciences sectors. His expertise, deeply rooted in his early career as a pharmaceutical researcher at F. Hoffmann-La Roche AG in Basel, Switzerland, lies in crafting and executing comprehensive IP strategies that bridge cutting-edge science with sophisticated legal practice, driving innovation from academic research to global commercialisation.
As a principal patent attorney at Takashima International Patent Office, Takeshi advises a diverse portfolio of hundreds of clients, including universities, start-ups, and multinational corporations in the pharmaceutical and life-tech fields domestically and internationally. He is also an active IP mentor and advisor for prominent public initiatives, including the Japan Patent Office's IPAS and VC-IPAS programs and the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare's MEDISO program, supporting the next generation of innovators.
Takeshi is deeply engaged in academia, contributing to the education and development of future leaders in IP and life sciences. He serves as a Visiting Professor at Kobe University's Graduate School of Science, Technology and Innovation (since 2021) and Doshisha University's Graduate School of Medical Sciences (since 2023). He also lectures regularly at esteemed institutions such as Keio University Law School (IP law practice in life sciences), the University of Tokyo (IP studies in pharmaceutical medicine), and Osaka University, where he contributes to the EU-certified PharmaTrain program. His international teaching and speaking engagements are extensive, with recent contributions to the JPAA, the AIPPI, the IFAP, the WIPO Academy, CIPA (UK), Technische Universität München (Germany), the Polish Academy of Sciences, Akron University Law School (USA), KAIST (Korea), Private Universität im Fürstentum Liechtenstein and universities across Asia, Europe and the United States.
Internationally, Takeshi holds key leadership positions within the International Association for the Protection of Intellectual Property (AIPPI), serving as Head of the Genetic Resources Subcommittee, Vice Chair of the TRIPS Standing Committee, and Senior Director of AIPPI-Japan. His interdisciplinary approach is grounded in dual doctoral training—a Ph.D. in Pharmaceutical Sciences from the University of Tokyo and a second Ph.D. in Law from Keio University (already defended), complemented by an LL.M. in Global Legal Practice with IP Certificate therefrom. His most recent Ph.D. dissertation was directed to IP protection of pharmaceutical research data, which was featured in the most recent annual conference of Japan Association of Industrial Property Law held in June, 2025.
He is a board-certified member of the Japanese Association of Pharmaceutical Medicine and holds pharmacist license certifications in Kampo-Japanese traditional medicine and natural medicines. His contributions have been recognised with numerous accolades, including e.g., the IP BASE AWARD Grand Prix from the JPO (2023), AIPPI Committee Awards (2024, 2025), and the prestigious Science Leadership Award in Pharmaceutical Medicine from the International Federation of Associations of Pharmaceutical Physicians & Pharmaceutical Medicine (IFAPP) (2024).
ORCID number: 0000-0001-6794-6384