Antitrust and Competition SERVICES
Our firm provides comprehensive legal support based on the latest enforcement trends and regulatory practices. We leverage firsthand insight from an attorney who served at the Japan Fair Trade Commission (JFTC), handling administrative dispositions and revocation suits. We also provide strategic advice on the establishment and operation of compliance systems.
Main Services
Merger Control Filings
Our firm represents a wide range of clients, regardless of size or industry, in merger control filings. We handle various transactions between competitors, and our track record includes representing a case where the merged entity achieved the top market share in its industry. Depending on client needs, we provide practical advice and support from the pre-notification review and business alliance stages, including guidance on the permissibility of information exchange between competitors.
Misconduct Response and Prevention
Our firm is extensively involved in responding to authorities regarding competition law violations. We have a proven track record in leniency applications, and we provide agile support ranging from initial consultations when signs of misconduct are identified to internal investigations and subsequent interactions with authorities.
We also have extensive experience supporting reports to authorities and prior consultations with authorities.
In ordinary times, we provide preventive advice on competition law risks tailored to each client’s situation and also conduct in-house compliance training sessions upon request.
Intersection with Intellectual Property (including SEPs)
We have a distinctive strength in areas where competition law and intellectual property law intersect, such as matters involving Standard Essential Patents (SEPs).
Regarding SEPs, we served as litigation counsel in the Apple vs. Samsung case, a landmark case in Japan, and have been involved in numerous other litigations and license negotiations. We also provide advice based on our wealth of experience regarding competition law risks associated with the exercise of intellectual property rights, such as “Pay-for-Delay”.
Act on Optimizing Transactions (former Subcontract Act), Freelance Act, and Advertising Regulations
We provide broad support for laws related to the Antimonopoly Act, including the Act on Optimizing Transactions with Specific Entrusted Business Operators (the “Act on Optimizing Transactions”), the Act against Unjustifiable Premiums and Misleading Representations, and the Freelance Act. Our services range from daily advice to responding to authorities.
Our attorneys have been involved in discussions regarding amendments to the Subcontract Act (now the Act on Optimizing Transactions) at the Study Group on Business Transactions. We provide many corporations with practical advice on business consultations, including price pass-throughs in the supply chain.