practices

Litigation & Dispute Resolution

We are well-placed to handle dispute resolution matters, primarily litigation and arbitration, in both Japan and abroad.

  • Civil and commercial litigation

    We handle a wide range of civil and commercial disputes, especially cases before Tokyo District Court involving intricate issues of foreign substantive and procedural law in addition to domestic Japanese law.

  • International arbitration, mediation
    and other forms of Alternative Dispute Resolution

    (ADR)
    We have extensive experience in representing clients in ADRs such as ICC and JCAA arbitrations, as well as advising on dispute resolution using mediation procedures.

  • U.S. Litigation, Litigation Support

    (Discovery support, second opinions, etc.)
    Our expertise in handling litigation in the U.S. and other foreign countries enables us to provide U.S. litigation representation, discovery support, and other related services.

  • Enforcement of Foreign
    Judgments in Japan

    As a matter of course we can also handle foreign execution judgments, which must be obtained in order to enforce a judgment rendered by a foreign court in Japan.

  • Antitrust and competition disputes
    Investigations and Authorities

    We advise clients on dealing with competition authorities in cases involving foreign antitrust and competition law, and represent clients in antitrust and competition law disputes, in particular cross-border disputes.

  • Contracts with foreign companies
    Liaison matters

    Our experience in international disputes has given us an edge in strategic negotiations and drafting of contracts with foreign companies.

Intellectual Property

In collaboration with Isshiki Patent & Trademark Firm which has approximately 40 patent attorneys and technical staff, we handle a wide range of intellectual property matters.

  • Patent opinions

    We can provide expert opinions on infringement and validity of Japanese and U.S. patents and other intellectual property rights.

  • Patent clearance

    We offer freedom-to-operate searches to ensure that prospective products or services do not infringe third party’s patents.

  • IP due diligence

    In the event of an investment, M&A transaction, etc., we conduct research and verification from an intellectual property perspective (IP due diligence) to assess the risk and value of the counterparty.

  • Cease-and-desist demands and license negotiation

    We handle cease-and-desist demands and negotiations, both offensively and defensively.

  • Advice on IP contract issues

    We can provide scheme formulation, strategic advice and contract drafting with respect to licensing agreements, joint R&D agreements, etc.

  • Patent prosecution before the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office

    We prepare and prosecute utility and design patent applications as well as trademark applications in U.S. Patent and Trademark Office.

  • Advice on trade secret management and information contamination issues

    We provide advice on and legal representation for trade secret protection, information contamination, and trade secret leakage and misappropriation.