Nishimura & Asahi

IP/IT practice, Trademark/design team

Partner, Tokyo

Hitomi is a partner in the firm’s IP/IT practice and heads the trademark/design team. She covers all aspects of intellectual property (IP), information technology (IT), and data privacy and advises both Japanese and international clients on disputes and transactions in related areas.

Hitomi handles patents, copyrights, trademarks, trade secrets, and other IP-related matters in multiple business sectors, including IT, life sciences and healthcare, machinery, food, fashion, environment and energy, entertainment, financial services, and e-commerce. Ms. Iwase’s expertise encompasses all forms of IP transactional work, both cross-border and domestic, including licensing, strategic alliances, joint development, and asset transfers, as well as various types of IP disputes, including patent/trademark infringement litigation. Hitomi also assists clients in anti-counterfeiting and in the development of IP portfolios and prosecution strategies. Hitomi regularly advises clients on emerging legal issues relating to the latest technology, such as IoT and artificial intelligence (AI), as well as on complex system-related transactions and disputes over such transactions. In the area of data privacy, Hitomi provides extensive advice on data protection and privacy compliance, including on establishing global compliance systems and incidents such as data breaches. Hitomi also advises on related areas such as e-commerce, advertising, and consumer protection.

Japanese, English

2004 | Admitted in New York 1997 | Admitted in Japan

2003 | Stanford Law School (LL.M.) 1994 | Waseda University (LL.B.)