On top of its stellar patent prosecution team and string of cutting-edge technology transactions, Anderson Mori & Tomotsune boasts an impressive litigation team. "They advised us not only from a legal standpoint, but also from a business standpoint," says an in-house client. "They did their best to understand our technology and its background through face-to-face meetings with our engineers." The practice, headed by partners Yasufumi Shiroyama, Akihito Nakamachi and Yoshikazu Iwase, is popular with clients in the semiconductor and emulation technology sectors for IP disputes. Of Shiroyama, one client said: "He provided us with shrewd advice and considers the other parties' viewpoints when negotiating with foreign companies."
The team recently represented a Japanese electronics manufacturer in an employee invention dispute. While the employee was able to demand compensation entitled to him, Anderson Mori was in turn able to limit the settlement to 10% of the employee's original claims. The firm is also handling a patent litigation and infringement case between a Japanese and a Korean company over the validity of a capacitor, and is involved in a technology transfer negotiation between a California-based semiconductor supplier and some of the largest electronics manufacturers in Japan on communication products. Two new benrishi (patent attorneys), Kazuki Shigemori and Michiaki Tsubokura, joined the team this year. The division specialises in cutting-edge electronics and telecommunications technology, although it also counts one of the largest global pharmaceutical companies as its client.