The hiring of Tetsuo Shiba, ex-director general of patent examination at the JPO, last year was a considerable coup for the patent team at Shobayashi International Patent & Trademark Office, particularly for its work on optical devices and business machinery. This boutique prosecution powerhouse includes Honda Motor, IBM Japan, Yahoo! Japan, Airbus and Mitsubishi Heavy Metal among its enviable list of clients. Managing partner Masayuki Shobayashi undertook several complicated matters this year, convincing JPO trade mark examiners that Stormy Blue satisfied the distinctiveness criteria for registration when the words were considered as a whole entity, and correcting the patent claims of an application by Asahi Beverage that protected its patent right against third-party opposition. Partner Fumihiko Yagisawa also played a role in advising Universal Entertainment on its software patents.