Japan and Europe: patents and trade secrets

The Unified Patent Court has changed the balance of European litigation: a single action can now cover a large part of the Union market, with short time limits and powerful provisional measures . Japanese proprietors must decide on opting out their patents, prepare to be sued and assess whether to bring proceedings. At the same time, trade secret protection in Europe rests on documented reasonable measures, which must be aligned with the group’s practices in Japan. These subjects call for an adviser who speaks to both cultures.

• An opinion on the European strategy for the portfolio: opt-out, choice of forums, unitary patents, coordination with oppositions before the EPO.
• Representation before the Paris Judicial Court and the Unified Patent Court, in coordination with Japanese patent attorneys and European correspondents.
• Second opinion on a pending European dispute, written for a Japanese management team.
• A trade secret protection programme adapted to European subsidiaries and to information flows with headquarters.
• Training sessions and presentations in English on European patent litigation and on the UPC.
• A regular presence in Tokyo allowing meetings on site.

First, a scoping meeting, in Tokyo or remotely, to understand the client’s organisation and the role of its Japanese advisers. Then a written operating mode setting out languages, deadlines, reporting formats and approval channels, taking internal decision-making processes into account. Finally, each engagement has a budget per phase. The firm works in English with its Japanese clients and has a working knowledge of Japanese. In 2026, Matthieu Dhenne completed a research stay at the Institute of Intellectual Property in Tokyo, described on his profile.

Intellectual property departments of Japanese groups, Japanese patent attorney and law firms looking for a correspondent in Europe, European subsidiaries of Japanese companies, trading and technology companies exposed to the European market.