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Space LawFrom satellite data terms of use to joint R&D and a preliminary assessment of permits and licenses, our attorneys review everything end to end in line with your business plan.

Free consultation Why LegalAgent
Response time
1 business day*
First consultation
30 min free
Scope
Satellite data · Joint research · IP · Permits

* 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 Space Law matters.

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

Reviewing regulation, IP and fundraising in the order of your business plan

Whether you are building a service on satellite data or conducting joint research and development with universities and research institutions, regulatory compliance, intellectual property and fundraising tend to move forward with different people at different times. We organize the terms of use for satellite data, the preliminary assessment of permits and licenses, ownership of results and explanations to investors according to what needs to be settled at which stage of your business plan.

  • The terms of use with the data provider are not reflected in the contract
  • You have no clear view of the permits and licenses needed for launch and operations
  • IP ownership under the joint research does not anticipate commercialization
  • Fundraising and the regulatory and IP reviews are proceeding separately

Why LegalAgent

With LegalAgent, you can work through the issues up to commercialization in order

We support the commercialization of your space business in three ways: fast answers, fees you know before we start, and an approach that reviews regulation, IP and fundraising together.

  1. 01Speed

    Typical law firms3–5 business days

    LegalAgent1 business day, as a rule

    We work back from your launch or closing

    We answer contract reviews and routine legal questions within one business day as a rule. When there is a deadline, such as a launch or the closing of a funding round, we set the order of our review from that date.

  2. 02Fees

    Hourly billingTotal unknown at the start

    LegalAgentScope and fee set before we start

    We set the contracts and issues to review, then quote

    We ask about the types and number of contracts to review, the business model that needs a preliminary assessment of permits and licenses and the number of joint research counterparties, and give you an estimate before we start. Matter-based work is generally on a fixed fee.

  3. 03End to end

    • Satellite data agreements
    • Joint R&D
    • IP ownership
    • Preliminary permit assessment

    We check that regulation, IP and fundraising fit together

    Rather than handling satellite data use agreements, joint R&D agreements and explanatory materials for investors separately, we organize them so that what they say about regulatory compliance and IP stays consistent.

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

How it works

The AI Agent organizes the materials; attorneys decide who owns the rights

The AI Agent extracts issues from your business plan and draft contracts and prepares first drafts; attorneys make the calls on data terms of use, ownership of results and the preliminary assessment of permits and licenses.

AI Agentdoes the work

  • Maps data flows and parties from the business plan and draft contracts
  • Draws on past contract examples and templates
  • Drafts joint R&D agreements and terms of use

Attorneysmake the judgment

  • Decide data terms of use and the ownership of results and IP
  • Assess which permits and licenses your business model may require
  • Take responsibility for the final contract clauses and explanatory materials
ConsultationRevisions and issue memo delivered
  1. STEP 01Confirming the business and the data and research setup

    Confirm the service, the data flow, the joint research counterparties and the status of IP ownership

    A list of points to confirm and the response strategy

  2. STEP 02Organizing the contract structure and risk allocation

    Review data use terms, ownership of deliverables and intellectual property, allocation of responsibility and termination terms

    List of issues by contract and analysis of risk allocation

  3. STEP 03Preliminary assessment of permit, license and regulatory issues

    Set out the types of permits and licenses that may be required depending on the business model and where to confirm them

    Memo with a preliminary assessment of permits and licenses

  4. STEP 04Preparing proposed contract revisions and negotiation strategy

    Prepare proposed contract revisions, comments for the counterparty and alternative negotiation proposals

    Proposed contract revisions, negotiation strategy memo

  5. STEP 05Reflecting the results in fundraising and internal and external explanations

    Organize the regulatory compliance status and intellectual property rights in a form that can be reflected in investor materials and internal explanations

    Items to reflect in investor materials, internal explanatory materials

  • 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

From the use of satellite data to fundraising, this map sets out the consultation situations specific to space business.

  1. 01

    We are planning an analytics service using satellite data and want to confirm the terms of use with the data provider

    If left aloneSigning a contract while terms of use, secondary use and the scope of responsibility remain unclear, and discovering restrictions on the scope of use or liability issues after the service launches

    What we doReview the contract terms with the data provider, whether secondary use is permitted, the allocation of responsibility and the scope of provision to third parties

    What you receive
    • Data use agreement review results
    • Proposed revisions to terms of use and supply conditions
    • Internal risk explanation

  2. 02

    We are planning to launch and operate a satellite and want a preliminary view of the permits and licenses required

    If left aloneProceeding with the plan without knowing which permits and licenses the business model requires, affecting the development and operation schedule

    What we doAfter confirming the business, the mode of operation and the parties involved, set out the types of permits and licenses that may be required depending on the business model and where to confirm them

    What you receive
    • Memo with a preliminary assessment of permits and licenses
    • List of issues to confirm
    • Analysis of the impact on the schedule

  3. 03

    We are about to sign a joint research and development agreement with a university, research institution or large company

    If left aloneSigning while ownership of deliverables, data and intellectual property remains ambiguous, making it impossible to sort out the rights at the commercialization stage

    What we doConfirm the research content, cost sharing, policy on publishing results and ownership of intellectual property, and build them into the contract clauses

    What you receive
    • Draft or proposed revisions to the joint R&D agreement
    • IP ownership table
    • Negotiation strategy memo

  4. 04

    We want to raise funds for our space business while handling regulatory compliance and IP organization in parallel

    If left aloneThe fundraising schedule and the regulatory and IP reviews proceed separately, and consistency with investor explanations and contract terms is lost

    What we doConfirm the progress of fundraising, the regulatory issues and the state of intellectual property, and consider consistency with the investment agreement and explanatory materials

    What you receive
    • Issue analysis memo
    • Items to reflect in investor materials
    • Internal progress summary

Published matters

See all matters

Scope of our space law support

For each set of issues, satellite data, joint research and development, intellectual property, and regulation and fundraising, we set out the points we review and the deliverables.

Satellite data and data use agreements
We review contract terms for the acquisition, analysis, provision and secondary use of satellite data.
  • Review of satellite data use and supply agreements
  • Preparing terms of use for data services
Joint research and development and business alliances
We review joint research and development agreements and business alliance agreements with universities, research institutions and large companies.
  • Review and drafting of joint R&D agreements
  • Setting the negotiation strategy for business alliance agreements
Intellectual property and licensing
We review ownership of intellectual property and license terms for patents, know-how, software and data.
  • Analysis of IP ownership
  • Review and negotiation of license agreements
Alignment with regulatory compliance and fundraising
We provide a preliminary assessment of permits and licenses that may be required depending on the business model and set out the points to confirm for fundraising.
  • Preliminary assessment of permit, license and regulatory issues
  • Organizing regulatory and IP issues for fundraising

Our approach

What we focus on in Space Law

In space law, we place weight on the following perspectives.

  1. 01

    Reviewing regulation, IP and fundraising end to end in line with the business plan

    Rather than handling issues relating to satellite data terms of use, preliminary assessment of permits and licenses, joint R&D agreements and fundraising separately, we organize them based on what needs to be settled at which stage of the business plan.

  2. 02

    Balancing allocation of results and commercialization in joint R&D

    Joint research with universities, research institutions and large companies involves both the publication and academic significance of research results and securing the rights needed for commercialization. Taking the counterparty's position into account, we consider terms that allow your company to secure the rights it needs for commercialization.

  3. 03

    Reviewing contract terms with data providers and suppliers with business expansion in view

    We review procurement contracts for satellite data and related software and components in light not only of the current scope of use but also of future service expansion and the possibility of provision to third parties.

  4. 04

    Issue analysis that keeps consistency with investor explanations in mind

    For companies raising funds in parallel, we organize the regulatory compliance status and intellectual property rights in a form consistent with explanations to investors and contract terms.

Pricing

Space law fees

For space-related business consultations, we provide an estimate after hearing about the business and the contracts and issues you want reviewed.

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

  • Types and number of contracts to review (data use agreements, joint R&D agreements, license agreements, etc.)
  • Complexity of the business model requiring a preliminary assessment of permits and licenses
  • Number of joint R&D counterparties (universities, research institutions, large companies)
  • Whether parallel handling with other processes such as fundraising is needed
  • Whether contract and regulatory reviews are requested on an ongoing or one-off basis

The estimate is finalized individually according to the business you consult us about. Please start by letting us know about the business and the contracts and issues you want reviewed.

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 contracts and IP in space business

IP ownershipCheckpoints for Reviewing Intellectual Property Ownership Clauses: Sorting Out Deliverables, Pre-Existing Assets and AI Use

Receiving delivery does not automatically transfer the copyright. Separate new work from pre-existing libraries, and with modification, provision to third parties and use after termination in view, decide which rights are assigned and what scope is licensed.

Related practice areas

FAQ

Frequently asked questions

Can we consult you while the business plan is still at the concept stage?

You can consult us at any point, from the earliest stage of the business plan to when draft contracts arrive from a data provider or joint R&D counterparty.

Can we consult you before the draft contracts or research plan are settled?

Even before the business or the expected contract counterparties are settled, we can begin reviewing based on the information known so far.

Can you handle circumstances specific to the space sector?

Where there are circumstances specific to the space sector, such as the handling of satellite data or joint research and development, we handle them after confirming the business and the data and contractual relationships.

Can you tell us definitively which permits and licenses are required?

Because the required permits and licenses may vary with the business model, we review the specific business and provide a preliminary assessment. For matters where a definitive answer is difficult, we clearly indicate where to confirm and what additional points should be checked.

Can you handle joint R&D agreements with universities and research institutions?

Yes. We confirm the research content, cost sharing, policy on publishing results and ownership of intellectual property, and then organize the contract clauses.

How do you proceed when we want to pursue fundraising and regulatory compliance in parallel?

While checking the progress of fundraising, we organize regulatory and intellectual property issues in parallel and confirm consistency with investor materials and contract terms.

How does this differ from Deep Tech or Intellectual Property?

For support for research and development startups in general, please see the Deep Tech page; for obtaining intellectual property rights and licensing in general, please see the Intellectual Property page. In space law, we review these together with the business plan specific to satellite data and space business.

Can you handle matters with deadlines, such as an approaching launch schedule?

For matters with approaching deadlines, such as a launch schedule or a fundraising closing, we will advise on the response strategy after hearing about the situation.

Contact

Tell us about your business and where your plans stand

Please share the information known at this point, such as the business and the satellite data source or joint R&D counterparty. We can begin reviewing even before the details are settled.

  • A free 30-minute online first meeting
  • You can consult us while your business plan is still a concept
  • You can consult us on matters with a launch or closing deadline