Wikipedia
Benrishi (弁理士) is a Japanese legal profession specifically licensed to practice intellectual property law. Most benrishi specialize in patent law, but are also allowed to practice in copyright, trademark, unfair competition and trade secret law.
While benrishi are often referred to as " patent attorneys" in English, their qualifications differ from patent attorneys in the United States and Germany in some aspects. Benrishi are not necessarily required to possess legal educations. Benrishi also have greater authority than patent specialists in other countries, as they are allowed to represent clients in administrative proceedings and out-of-court bargaining related to IP rights.
The benrishi examination (弁理士試験 benrishi-shiken) covers a broad range of intellectual property law (patent, utility model, design, trademark, treaties, copyright and unfair competition law) and limited fields of law and science. The benrishi examination consisted of three stages. The first stage is the multiple choice exam, the second stage is the essay exam, and the final stage is the oral exam.
, 9,300 benrishi are practicing in Japan, approximately as many per capita as in the United States. Entrance to the profession is regulated by a low pass rate (about 7% as of 2008; it was less than 3% until about 1997) on the benrishi examination only. The Japan Patent Office and government officials have expressed an interest in attracting more individuals to the profession as part of a broader series of reforms in Japan's legal professions.
Different from a U.S. patent agent, a benrishi is qualified to prosecute trademark applications, assist clients in copyright and licensing matters, and to represent clients in some court proceedings and custom seizure matters.