Your local counsel in Japan

As a pathfinder in global disputes resolution, YMF Law Tokyo leverages three decades of experience in complex cross-border litigation in representing Japanese clients before U.S. courts and assisting U.S., European, and other clients located outside of Japan in coordinating local investigations and disputes in Japan with Japanese counsel.

SERVICES

For Companies & Law Firms Outside Japan

Client Assistance in Japan
- Due Diligence
- Fact Development
- Discovery Collection & Review
- Local Vendor Management
- Witness Interviews
- Deposition Preparation
- Depositions at U.S. Embassy & Consulate
Local Litigation Support
- Patent Invalidation Trials (JPO)
- District Court General Commercial & Patent Litigation
- Appeals, Including Japanese IP High Court

Litigation & Arbitration

Patent Infringement
- District Court
- Patent Office Practice (Post Grant)
- International Trade Commission (ITC)
Life Sciences/Hatch Waxman/ANDA
General Commercial/Contract
Product Liability

Investigations

Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA)
Cartel/Antitrust
Grand Jury Investigations
White Collar Crime
Tax Audits & Investigations

For Japanese Companies & Law Firms

Counseling & Due Diligence
- Litigation
- Intellectual Property
- Government Investigations
Overseas Litigation Support
- Collaboration with U.S. & European Litigation Teams
- Coordination of Discovery & Evidence Development
Overseas Evidence Collection for Japanese Litigation
- Actions under 28 USC 1782 to compel evidence in U.S.
- Private Investigators

Intellectual Property

Patents
- Strategic Claim Drafting
- Litigation Due Diligence
- Infringement Warning Letters (警告状)
Portfolio Management
Patent Monetization & Sale
Trade Secrets
- Employment Agreements
- Former Employees
- Former Joint Venture Partners

Industries

Pharmaceuticals
Biologics
Biotechnology
Medical Device
Consumer Electronics
Semiconductor
Software
Communications

OUR WORK

Japan is a vibrant country with a rich cultural and economic history. The language, writing system, customs, politics, and varied cultural dimensions all contribute to the wonder of Japanese society but also combine to create significant obstacles to foreign companies and law firms seeking to conduct business in Japan. The global pandemic and restrictions on international travel further compound the challenges of effectively working with clients and legal counsel in Japan.

We solve these problems by providing bi-lingual support for companies and law firms doing business in Japan. We conduct in-person meetings during normal Japanese business hours to ensure information and requests are accurately and completely exchanged. We avoid translation delays by providing summaries of Japanese language documents and witness statements. We have extensive experience in complex global disputes and work seamlessly with counterparts in the U.S. and Europe.

These and other local services are routinely provided internally within the few U.S. and European law firms that maintain their own Tokyo offices. By collaborating with foreign counsel, we provide these same advantages to other U.S. and European firms—effectively expanding their capabilities and service offerings in Japan without the expense of maintaining and staffing a Tokyo office.

We look forward to meeting and working with you.

ATTORNEYS

ATTORNEY PROFILE

York M. Faulkner

Attorney

york.faulkner@ymf-law.com

York is a veteran trial lawyer with more than 30 years’ experience handling high- stakes litigation, trying cases to verdict in numerous jury and bench trials.

York began his career as a federal prosecutor in the U.S. Department of Justice, Tax Division, conducting grand jury investigations and obtaining convictions at trial on such charges as obstruction of justice, conspiracy to defraud the IRS, tax evasion, false claims for tax refunds, and filing false income tax returns.

In civil practice, York’s work has focused on intellectual property litigation across a variety of industries with a career focus on representing brand companies in “Hatch-Waxman” pharmaceutical patent infringement cases. In the pharmaceutical and life sciences fields, Mr. Faulkner has represented parties in trade secret, antitrust, and patent infringement actions involving branded pharmaceuticals such as Crestor®, Paxil®, Prozac®, Doribax®, Zymar®, Engerix-B®, Infranrix®, Veralix®, Adenoscan®, Adenocard®, and AmBisome®.

In other fields, York’s litigation experience includes matters filed in federal and state courts as well as the International Trade Commission, involving medical devices, automobile parts, semiconductor design and production, steel manufacturing, commercial jet engine design, genetically modified crops, vehicle crash sensor control units, digital image processing, iris scanning and identification, liquid crystal displays, long-haul fiber optic routing and switching, and microprocessor instruction sets.

York has a global practice. He has lived and worked periodically in Japan since 1984 in such places as Tokyo, Nagano Prefecture, Tochigi Prefecture, and Saitama Prefecture. He speaks and reads Japanese. York frequently lectures to Japanese audiences on legal and economic issues affecting Japanese companies and their global businesses; counsels clients on strategic IP development, litigation, and transactions; and participates in local professional associations such as the Licensing Executive Society of Japan.

York has extensive experience in litigation involving Japanese parties and routinely works in collaboration with local Japanese bengoshi and benrishi to reduce the burden of U.S. litigation on Japanese clients. He has managed complex global litigation requiring coordination of U.S. litigation strategy with co-pending litigation in Japan, South Korea, China, Australia, Europe, and Canada.

York has been recognized on Managing Intellectual Property’s “IP Stars” list and has been recognized as a leading trade secret and copyright litigator by The Legal 500 U.S.

York is also a co-author on the leading Japanese-language publication on FDA approvals and Hatch-Waxman drug and biosimilar litigation.

Education

Admissions

Notable Representations

Prior Associations

Publications & Lectures

Professional Activities

Awards