"IP is for 'Judgment'" Kohei Okumura, Representative Patent Attorney of IPX Patent Professional Corporation, Appointed Outside Director of LegalTech Inc., Accelerating the Establishment of Management Decision-Making Foundations in the AI Era

LegalTech Inc. (Headquarters: Tokyo, CEO: Tomoyuki Hirai) is pleased to announce that Kohei Okumura, Representative Patent Attorney of IPX Patent Professional Corporation, was appointed as an outside director at the General Meeting of Shareholders held on March 27, 2026.

With the advancement of AI, patent operations are moving beyond the stage of mere "efficiency improvement" and expanding into the realm of management decision-making, specifically "how to perceive and judge inventions."

In response to this change, our company is proceeding with the construction of an "IP judgment platform" that goes beyond the framework of conventional patent support tools, integrating invention organization, patent search, and decision-making based on IP data.

The purpose of this initiative is to present a new IP model for the AI era, fusing patent practice with AI technology to support corporate decision-making.

Background of Appointment as Outside Director

Globally, the source of corporate value is shifting from tangible assets to intangible assets, and intellectual property is transforming from a mere means of rights protection to a core element of business strategy, investment decisions, and competitive advantage.

On the other hand, traditional IP operations are fragmented into individual tasks such as invention, search, and application, and a mechanism for cross-cutting decision-making has not been sufficiently developed.

Furthermore, while the advancement of generative AI is improving operational efficiency, a systematic approach to the essential area of "how to make judgments" has not yet been established.

Against these structural challenges, our company aims to redefine the role of intellectual property itself by building a decision-making support system based on IP data.

Positioning of this Initiative

This initiative is not merely a personnel appointment, but a strategic participation with the following objectives:

- Building a management decision-making foundation based on intellectual property

- Designing a new IP model through collaboration between AI and experts

- Establishing an IP infrastructure applicable to all industries

With Mr. Okumura's participation, we will integrate expertise from both practice and technology to enhance our products and business strategy.

Comment from Kohei Okumura

With the advancement of AI, the process from invention creation to patent practice has already begun to change irreversibly. However, at the operational level, discussions are still limited to "how to use AI as an auxiliary tool," and we are not adequately addressing the fundamental changes.

What we should truly be asking is how to redesign IP practice itself in the AI era.

The "IP judgment platform" advocated by our company directly addresses this question, and I recognize its potential as a foundation to support corporate decision-making, not just an efficiency tool.

Going forward, we will work to build a new IP model from both practical and technological perspectives, and present concrete guidelines to the industry.

Comment from Tomoyuki Hirai, Representative Director & CEO

With the advent of AI, the world of intellectual property has moved beyond the "efficiency" phase and entered the stage of "redesigning judgment itself."

Until now, our company has provided patent support tools, but going forward, we will evolve into an "IP judgment platform" that consistently supports everything from invention organization and prior art understanding to decision-making.

Intellectual property is no longer just an object of management; it is a crucial resource for management decision-making.

With Mr. Okumura's participation, we will design a new form of intellectual property that integrates practice and AI, transforming IP from a "defensive function" to the "core of management."

Our company aims to be a fundamental support for corporate competitiveness as a management decision-making platform based on IP data.

Future Developments

Going forward, we will accelerate the social implementation of the "IP judgment platform" through the following initiatives:

- Development of integrated products for invention organization, patent analysis, and decision-making support

- Support for advanced utilization of IP data in companies

- Strengthening seminars and information dissemination on the theme of AI x IP

- Promotion of management decision-making models based on intellectual property

Company Profile

Company Name: LegalTech Inc.

Established: March 2021

Capital: 379 million JPY (including capital reserve)

Representative Director & President: Tomoyuki Hirai

Location: 4F Toranomon 40MT Building, 5-13-1 Toranomon, Minato-ku, Tokyo

URL: https://www.legaltech.co.jp/

Business Overview:

Provision and development of patent search/invention extraction platform "MyTokkyo.Ai"

Knowledge base for intellectual assetization "IPGenius"

Shared data room for confidential information "LegalTech VDR"