Morrison Foerster is well known for its deep expertise in technology transactions and has experience in handling a broad range of mandates, ranging from the structuring and negotiation of license agreements to patent litigation settlements and partnering transactions. Headed by Masato Hayakawa, the team has a great deal of knowledge surrounding the IP aspects of M&A across a variety of industries, advising its diverse client roster which notably includes semiconductor technology companies, biotechnology corporates, and financial institutions. Yukihiro Terazawa leads the privacy and data protection practice at the firm and also has a vast amount of experience handling IP matters for tech companies. Seth Graham is another key name to note within the team, due to his experience regarding licensing agreements, technology transfers, and joint development activities.

Legal 500 Editorial commentary

Testimonials

Collated independently by Legal 500 research team.

  • 'Seth Graham has been our go-to lawyer for IP and cross-border matters. Seth and his team's talent and care in structuring transactions, navigating changing regulations, and handling delicate situations and disputes have consistently impressed me and everyone I have referred to them.'
  • 'Seth Graham has great negotiation skills.'

Key clients

  • SoftBank Group
  • SoftBank Corporation
  • TDK Corporation
  • Fujitsu Limited
  • Renesas Electronics Corporation
  • ON Semiconductor Corporation (onsemi)
  • Tencent Holdings Limited
  • NTT Communications
  • NTT Ltd.
  • Dassault Systèmes KK
  • Arm Limited

Work highlights

  • Represented SoftBank Group Corp. and SoftBank Vision Fund in the proposed $65bn sale of UK-headquartered multinational semiconductor and software design company Arm Limited to leading U.S. chip company NVIDIA.
  • Represented TDK Corporation and Hong Kong subsidiary, Amperex Technologies Limited in a business alliance with Contemporary Amperex Technology Co. Limited.
  • Represented onsemi in the carve-out and sale of two of semiconductor fabrication facilities in the U.S. and of one Japan facility.

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 :Gaiben
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.

Masato Hayakawa

Other key lawyers

Seth Graham, Yukihiro Terazawa