East Asia - Japan

Morrison Foerster

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A large specialist team with a comprehensive IP offering, Morrison Foerster is well placed to handle a broad array of contentious and non-contentious IP transactions with a multi-jurisdictional element. Particular expertise in the software, fintech and medical device sectors is coupled with in-depth knowledge of the automotive and aerospace industries. The team is co-led by Louise Stoupe, Yuka Teraguchi and Masato Hayakawa, who bring their substantial expertise to advise on high-tech disputes, international arbitration and litigation, adversarial patent litigations and licensing negotiations. They are joined by Max Olson, who advises on trade mark, patent litigation and international arbitration and Chie Yakura, who strengthens the practice with her in-depth knowledge of technology transfers and antitrust law. Other practitioners of note include Yukihiro Terazawa, Seth Graham and Akira Irie.

Legal 500 Editorial commentary

Testimonials

Collated independently by Legal 500 research team.

  • 'The team works hard to resolve the difficult problems we have faced. They have worldwide networks, so we can ask any questions concerning any countries and areas around the world. Their advice was very helpful in the field of global personal data protection.'
  • 'Yukihiro Terazawa is full of not only legal skills but also business-practical sense. His advice for contracts documentations or amendments are very accurate.'
  • 'Yukihiro Terazawa answers clearly to our questions. If he cannot respond to our requests, he clearly says so and explains his reasons.'
  • 'They understand what we need. If not, they try to find out what we are looking for and then provide the opinions.'
  • 'Max Olson has a good knowledge of the industry and the legal issues surrounding it. One can have a good dialogue with him on the topics they want advice. Yuka Teraguchi is very prompt and has a very good knowledge of the issues at hand. She also provides very good feedback.'
  • 'The Morrison Foerster team is familiar with Japanese corporate practices, including decision-making procedures, the preparation of documents, and the timely conduct of our intentions. In addition, they typically recommend the most effective way to perform the next step in a cost-effective manner.'
  • 'Akira Irie and Yuka Teraguchi have excellent abilities to understand our technologies, products and its related patents. Their strengths are that they can accurately understand our Japanese documents, our ideas and thoughts, and then can reflect our input in the response to the courts.'
  • 'Seth Graham is sharp and a great negotiator to have on your side.'

Key clients

  • Amperex Technologies
  • Antarctica Capital LLC
  • ARM Ltd.
  • Asahi Kasei Pharma Corp.
  • Buffalo Inc.
  • Chugai Pharmaceutical Co. Ltd
  • Endurance Acquisition Corp.
  • FCNT Limited
  • Fujitsu Client Computing Limited
  • Fujitsu Limited and its affiliates such as Fujitsu America, Inc., and Fujitsu Semiconductor Limited
  • JERA Co., Inc.
  • JOLED Inc.
  • Mitsubishi Electric Corp.
  • onsemi
  • Rakuten Mobile, Inc., and its affiliates such as Rakuten Group, Inc., and Rakuten Symphony, Inc.
  • Socionext Inc. and its affiliates such as Socionext America, Inc.
  • TDK Corporation
  • Teradata

Work highlights

  • Prevailed for Chugai Pharmaceutical in a multi-billion dollar patent case against Alexion Pharmaceuticals, Inc. over infringement of Chugai’s technology for recycling antibodies.
  • Representing Teradata in a suit against SAP America, Inc. for trade secret misappropriation, copyright infringement, and antitrust violations.
  • Representing ARM Ltd. in a high-profile case against NuVia and Qualcomm involving a licensing dispute, trade mark, and breach of contract claims.

Lawyers

Hall of Fame

The lawyers at the very top of the profession, widely known and respected by peers and clients for their longstanding involvement in market-leading work.

Leading individuals: Bengoshi

Leading individuals: Gaiben

Next Generation Partners: Gaiben

Practice head

The lawyer(s) leading their teams.

Louise Stoupe, Yuka Teraguchi, Masato Hayakawa

Other key lawyers

Max Olson, Chie Yakura, Yukihiro Terazawa, Seth Graham, Akira Irie