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Deep TechFrom joint research agreements with universities and research institutions to ownership of results and technology licenses, our attorneys sort them out to fit your commercialization timetable.

Free consultation Why LegalAgent
Response time
1 business day*
First consultation
30 min free
Scope
Joint research · IP ownership · Licensing · Regulation

* As a rule, for contract reviews and routine legal questions. For complex or urgent matters we propose a schedule that fits the matter.

Client companies served*

150+

Selected clients shown, in no particular order. * Clients and partners. Not limited to Deep Tech matters.

OPTIEUM Biotechnologies KADOKAWA FRONTEO YAMAP ACROVE LAPRAS AVA Intelligence ReDelta Concrew LINEA Innovations TECHSUITE YStory

Research-stage and commercialization-stage contracts, sorted out separately

Joint research agreements signed at the research stage often assume non-exclusive licenses and publication terms, and may need revisiting at the mass-production or licensing stage. After reviewing your R&D structure and the technology itself, we sort out joint research, ownership of results, licensing, regulatory compliance and preparation for fundraising due diligence as a whole, and restructure your contracts to fit the commercialization timetable.

  • Your joint research agreement with a university does not contemplate mass production
  • Ownership of results and data with a joint development partner is unclear
  • Employee invention disclosures and assignments are not on record
  • The mass-production schedule was set before checking regulations

Why LegalAgent

With LegalAgent, you can clarify rights before commercialization

We support the commercialization of your technology in three ways: fast answers, fees you know before we start, and reviews that look at contracts, IP and regulation together.

  1. 01Speed

    Typical law firms3–5 business days

    LegalAgent1 business day, as a rule

    Worked back from production and fundraising dates

    We answer contract reviews and routine legal questions within one business day as a rule. If the timing of mass production or fundraising is set, we propose an order for reviewing contracts and IP, worked back from that schedule.

  2. 02Fees

    Hourly billingTotal unknown at the start

    LegalAgentScope and fee set before we start

    The contracts in scope and the fee, set before we start

    We ask about your R&D stage, the types and number of contracts involved and the number of counterparties, and give you an estimate before we start. Matter-based work is generally on a fixed fee.

  3. 03End to end

    • Joint research agreements
    • Ownership of results
    • License agreements
    • Fundraising DD

    From joint research to DD preparation, in one continuous review

    Rather than handling them separately, we align the timing of patent filings, the scope of what you manage as trade secrets and disclosure materials for investors within your overall business plan.

* Response times are for contract reviews and routine legal questions; they vary by matter.

How it works

The AI Agent organizes contracts and records; attorneys determine who holds which rights

The AI Agent organizes joint research agreements, license agreements and employee invention disclosure records and prepares drafts; attorneys decide ownership of results and the scope of licenses.

AI Agentdoes the work

  • Extracts the definition of results and publication terms from joint research agreements
  • Lists records of employee invention disclosures and assignments
  • Drafts license clauses with reference to templates

Attorneysmake the judgment

  • Decide ownership of results, shares in joint applications and licenses
  • Decide the scope of exclusivity, consideration and milestone terms
  • Take responsibility for the final contract revisions and negotiation strategy
ConsultationRevisions and DD materials delivered
  1. STEP 01Reviewing the technology and R&D structure

    Review the technology, the R&D structure and the contractual relationships with each party, and sort out how they relate to rights, regulation and fundraising

    Summary of matters to check and response plan

  2. STEP 02Organizing contracts and IP

    Review ownership of results and data, shares in joint applications, the scope of licenses and records of disclosures and assignments

    List of contract and IP issues

  3. STEP 03Checking consistency with regulation and the commercialization timetable

    Review the anticipated regulatory issues and the outlook for required filings and permits, and compare them with the commercialization and fundraising schedules

    Table mapping regulatory issues to the commercialization timetable

  4. STEP 04Revising and drafting contracts and negotiation support

    Prepare proposed revisions to, or new drafts of, joint research agreements, license agreements and other contracts, and set out the negotiation strategy with the other party

    Proposed contract revisions or drafts; negotiation strategy memo

  5. STEP 05Support with fundraising due diligence and internal explanations

    Carry the results of organizing IP and contracts into due diligence responses and explanatory materials for investors and management

    Due diligence response materials; explanatory materials for internal use and investors

  • Attorneys make the final callAn attorney checks every deliverable and takes responsibility for it.
  • Your inputs are not used to train AIOn top of attorneys' statutory duty of confidentiality, we work in an environment where your inputs are not used to train AI.
  • An AI Agent built in-houseOur own engineers develop it. Information Security Policy

Use cases

Common requests and what you receive

For each consultation situation specific to R&D-driven companies, we summarize what LegalAgent reviews and the deliverables.

  1. 01

    You want to sort out the rights before commercializing the results of joint research with a university

    If left aloneMass production or provision to third parties goes ahead while the treatment of employee inventions, joint applications and licenses remains vague, and negotiations with the university over the scope of rights drag on

    What we doWe review the joint research agreement and related memoranda and sort out ownership of results, shares in joint applications and the scope of licenses

    What you receive
    • Summary of joint research agreement issues
    • Memo on rights
    • Materials for discussions with the university

  2. 02

    You are considering exclusivity terms and consideration for a technology license

    If left aloneYou sign while the scope of exclusivity, the definition of the licensed technology and milestone conditions are unclear, and your use of your own technology is restricted when the business expands

    What we doFrom the position of licensee and licensor respectively, we review the scope of exclusivity or non-exclusivity, the definition of the licensed patents and know-how, and the consideration and milestone clauses

    What you receive
    • Proposed revisions to the license agreement
    • Summary of consideration and milestone issues
    • Negotiation strategy memo

  3. 03

    Prototyping is under way while ownership of R&D results remains vague under the joint research agreement

    If left aloneDifferences in understanding arise with joint research partners or contractors over ownership of prototypes, data and know-how, and negotiations stall at the mass production or alliance stage

    What we doWe review existing joint research agreements and service agreements, and identify gaps between the ownership clauses for results, data and know-how and what is actually happening

    What you receive
    • Table of gaps between the contract and reality
    • Draft revised clauses
    • Internal explanatory materials

  4. 04

    You want to organize IP and contractual matters ahead of fundraising due diligence

    If left aloneJoint research agreements, records of employee invention disclosures and license agreements are not well managed, you are asked to explain the rights during due diligence, and the fundraising schedule slips

    What we doWe review how joint research agreements, license agreements and employee invention disclosures are managed, and identify the issues that will need explaining in due diligence and any gaps or excess in materials

    What you receive
    • Due diligence preparation materials on IP and contracts
    • List of issues
    • Supplementary materials for explaining to investors

  5. 05

    You want to check whether regulations apply to an advanced technology service and how they affect the commercialization timetable

    If left aloneLate awareness of whether regulatory compliance is needed and which filings and permits are required forces changes to the business plan just before mass production or service launch

    What we doWe review the technology and the commercialization plan, and set out the anticipated regulatory issues and their relationship to the commercialization timetable

    What you receive
    • Memo on regulatory issues
    • Table mapping issues to the commercialization timetable

Published matters

See all matters

Scope of our deep tech support

We set out the issues to review at both the R&D stage and the commercialization stage from the perspectives of contracts, IP, regulation and fundraising.

Joint research and development with universities and research institutions
Taking into account the research structure and the university's decision-making process, we sort out the content of the joint research agreement and the rights involved.
  • Reviewing and drafting joint research and development agreements
  • Ownership of results, joint applications and licenses
Technology licensing and IP strategy
Taking into account whether you are licensing in or licensing out, we check that the contract terms are consistent with your overall IP strategy.
  • Reviewing license-in and license-out agreements
  • Checking consistency between IP strategy and contracts
Regulatory compliance and commercialization timetable
Based on the characteristics of the technology, we align regulatory compliance and contract design with the timing of commercialization.
  • Sorting out regulatory issues in advanced technology fields
  • Contract design for commercialization and alliances
Organizing IP and contracts for fundraising
We organize in advance the IP and contractual matters that will be examined in fundraising due diligence.
  • Reviewing IP and contracts ahead of fundraising due diligence

Our approach

What we focus on in Deep Tech

In deep tech matters, we focus on the following points.

  1. 01

    Treating R&D-stage contracts and commercialization-stage contracts separately

    Joint research agreements and the allocation of employee inventions proceed within a research-stage framework, but mass production, licensing and alliances often require different contract structures, so we do not confuse the two and restructure the contracts to fit the timing of commercialization.

  2. 02

    Designing negotiations around the decision-making processes of universities and research institutions

    Universities and research institutions have their own decision-making processes, such as review by industry-academia collaboration offices and board approval, so we design the negotiation timetable and the terms that can be conceded in light of the other side's procedures.

  3. 03

    Aligning IP strategy with the fundraising schedule

    Rather than handling them separately, we align the timing of patent filings, the scope of what is managed as trade secrets and the preparation of disclosure materials for investors and due diligence within the overall business plan.

  4. 04

    Building regulatory compliance into the commercialization plan from the early stages

    Rather than checking regulatory compliance just before signing contracts or starting mass production, we build it into the commercialization timetable from the early stages of R&D and share the outlook for required filings and permits early.

Pricing

Deep tech fees

In deep tech, the technology, the R&D stage and the range of contracts and issues to review vary greatly from matter to matter, so we provide a quote after hearing the details.

How fees are set

Scope and fee agreed before we start

Matter-based work is generally on a fixed fee. For complex or urgent matters, we propose a schedule and an estimate that fit the matter.

First consultation

A free 30-minute online meeting.

You can come to us before your documents are in order. Tell us what you know so far.

Free consultation

What we check before quoting

  • The technology field and R&D stage (research stage, prototype stage, preparation for mass production)
  • The types and number of contracts concerned, such as joint research agreements and license agreements
  • The number of counterparties, such as universities and research institutions, and the complexity of their decision-making processes
  • Whether issues such as regulatory compliance or fundraising due diligence also need to be reviewed
  • Whether ongoing IP and contract management support is needed

Our quote varies individually with the technology and the complexity of the contractual relationships, so we will give you a fee after the consultation.

Team & Record

Attorneys who know intellectual property and contracts handle your matters

Contract reviews and drafts
2,000+
Startup legal matters
200+
Financing matters
65Since 2024, issuer and investor side
Legal and investment DD
20+

* Approximate figures based on matters handled by our firm; actual figures vary by matter.

Engineers

Shinya Makita and Sota Miya build our product on the same team as the attorneys.

Practical Guides to Joint Research, IP and Licensing

Employee inventionsEmployee Invention Rules and OSS Management: How the Requirements of Article 35 of the Patent Act and Article 15 of the Copyright Act Differ

The requirements for rights to vest in the company differ between Article 35 of the Patent Act and Article 15 of the Copyright Act. We connect the invention disclosure and reasonable benefits process, acquisition of rights from contractors, and operation of an OSS register to records that can be explained in legal due diligence.

Related practice areas

FAQ

Frequently asked questions

Can we consult you at the research stage, before the path to commercialization is clear?

Yes, you can consult us at the research stage. Sorting out joint research agreements and the disclosure and assignment of employee inventions before the direction of commercialization is settled makes later negotiations and fundraising preparations easier.

Can an attorney attend negotiations with universities or research institutions?

We consider how to proceed according to the specifics of each consultation. Our support centers on preparing proposed contract revisions and setting the negotiation strategy, and you are welcome to discuss whether attendance is needed on a case-by-case basis.

Our technology is highly advanced and specialized. Do you need to understand its details in advance?

Rather than the detailed workings of the technology itself, we focus on hearing about the commercialization plan, the contractual relationships and the structure of IP ownership. If you have materials explaining the technology or existing contracts, the review can proceed smoothly.

Can we consult you when we do not yet have a joint research agreement and have only oral arrangements?

Yes, you can consult us before there is a contract. After hearing about the current arrangements and the research structure, we identify the matters that should be put into a contract.

Can we consult you on this page about industry-specific regulation, such as in space or healthcare?

Contract and IP issues common to R&D-driven companies are handled on this page. For consultations on space-specific regulations and satellite data, please also see Space Law, and for consultations on whether medical device rules or the Pharmaceuticals and Medical Devices Act apply, please also see the Healthcare, Pharma and Medical Legal page.

Can we engage you only for IP prosecution or drafting a license agreement?

Yes. We also accept engagements limited to drafting or reviewing a license agreement, separate from joint research or regulatory compliance. For consultations centered on the prosecution procedure itself, please also see the Intellectual Property page.

Can you organize our IP and contracts even if we have no plans to raise funds?

Yes, we can do so even if no fundraising is planned. Putting contracts and records of disclosures in order at an early stage lets you prepare the necessary materials quickly for future fundraising or business alliances.

Contact

Talk to us about sorting out joint research and IP

Please tell us about the technology, your R&D structure and the contractual relationships known at this point. You can consult us even before contracts and disclosure records are in place.

  • A free 30-minute online first meeting
  • You can consult us at the research stage, before commercialization is in sight
  • You can consult us even with only oral arrangements and no contract