Morrison Foerster‘s highly rated department is experienced in a range of antitrust and competition issues, including complex litigation, regulatory investigations, merger control filings, and administrative procedures before domestic and international competition authorities. Rony Gerrits, commended by clients for being ’quick with responses’, leads the practice and is the name to note for international cartel investigations and cases at the intersection of antitrust and intellectual property. The team also includes Chie Yakura and Tomohiko Kimura; Yakura is recommended for litigation involving trade secrets, while Kimura is a key contact for clients seeking representation before the Japan Fair Trade Commission. Yuichi Inase and Tomoki Kodama were promoted to partner in January 2022 and January 2023 respectively.

Legal 500 Editorial commentary

Testimonials

Collated independently by Legal 500 research team.

  • ‘Rony Gerrits. Very quick with responses, and entertaining to work with.’
  • 'Mofo's antitrust team in Japan is very strong. They have top notch clients in Japan, and they have vast experience in handling merger filing matters for all their M&A transactions, especially in the internet economy.'
  • 'Rony Gerrits is the leader of that team. He is very commercial and practical. He can quickly grasp the commercial gist of any transaction and develop the best merger filing strategy for the client.'

Key clients

  • Renesas Electronics Corp.
  • Toshiba Corporation
  • Fujitsu
  • Santen Pharmaceutical
  • SoftBank
  • ON Semiconductor

Work highlights

  • Represented Fujitsu Semiconductor Limited in an action for unfair competition, alleged breach of contract, interference with contract, and indemnity brought by Cypress Semiconductor in the California Superior Court for Santa Clara County.
  • Represented global online travel agency Expedia Inc. in connection with an antitrust investigation by the JFTC relating to contracts with lodging operators.

Lawyers

Leading partners: Gaiben
The strongest partners in their field, leading on market-leading deals and endorsed by peers and clients alike.
Next generation partners: Bengoshi
Junior partners with significant recognition from clients and peers in the market and key roles on multiple matters.

Practice head

The lawyer(s) leading their teams.

Rony Gerrits

Other key lawyers

Chie Yakura, Tomohiko Kimura, Yuichi Inase, Tomoki Kodama