Morrison & Foerster boasts one of the largest and most comprehensive IP practices of any general practice law firm. The team has a wealth of experience in both patent and trade mark litigation, and unlike some of its competitors that operate satellite offices in Tokyo, runs active projects in its Japan office on behalf of Japanese multinationals.
"The attorneys are very experienced in general and we enjoy that many of these attorneys are located right in Tokyo," says one foreign client. While Morrison & Foerster concentrates in three technology areas, including chemistry and life sciences, its IP practice shines when dealing with patents in electronics, semiconductors and those relating to the internet. Examples of this include technology transactions involved with Elpida Memory's acquisition of Spansion's NAND flash memory development facility and associated IP licences, as well as On Semiconductor's $600 million acquisition of Sanyo Semiconductor and its patent portfolio, advised by practitioners Stuart Beraha and Masato Hayakawa.
Although these semiconductor transactions were significant, the team considers its involvement in Anvik v Nikon, in which Nikon Corporation sought counsel against 10 patent infringement cases, the most challenging recent case. The dispute saw the plaintiff seek $50 billion in damages based on all LCD products fabricated using Nikon Corporation's scanning lithography machines and presents interesting questions about the extraterritorial reach of US patent laws. Partners Robert Hollingshead, Max Olson and Taro Isshiki were also recommended by clients in the electronics industry for serving the likes of Fujitsu, TDK, FujiFilm, Hitachi and Toshiba. "Hollingshead is a very diligent IP attorney," admits an in-house counsel.