Makoto Hattori

Makoto Hattori is a partner at Abe, Ikubo & Katayama in Tokyo, Japan. He earned his law degree from Keio University Faculty of Law in 1994, was admitted to the Japanese Bar in 1998, and brings nearly three decades of legal experience, with a primary focus on intellectual property dispute resolution. In 2001, he was seconded to the Intellectual Property Policy Office at the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (METI) as Deputy Director. Between 2002 and 2004, he further expanded his international background through study and practice in the U.S. and Germany, earning an LL.M. from the University of Pennsylvania Law School and serving as a researcher at the Max Planck Institute for Intellectual Property, Competition and Tax Law. This background gives him extensive experience in handling complex cross-border matters for international clients. Alongside his active legal practice, he has served as a university lecturer and contributed to working groups within the Japan Federation of Bar Associations (JFBA), gaining deep, up-to-date insights into intellectual property law and related fields. From 2021 to 2022, he served as Chairperson of the JFBA’s Intellectual Property Center. In recent years, he has represented clients in high-stakes litigation involving standard-essential patents (SEPs) and FRAND licensing. Notably, as lead partner in a landmark SEP case, he secured a groundbreaking damages determination from the Tokyo District Court—the first such ruling in Japan in nearly a decade. His experience in alternative dispute resolution (ADR), including mediation and arbitration, also extends to domain name disputes. Since 2022, he has served on the panel of neutrals for the JP Domain Name Dispute Resolution Policy administered by the Japan Intellectual Property Arbitration Center (JIPAC). Serving as a sole panelist, he has rendered decisions in three domain name disputes, determining whether the domain names at issue should be transferred, cancelled, or the complaints denied. Each of these cases had an international dimension, involving one of the parties from a foreign jurisdiction. He has been consistently recognized by leading international legal directories and publications, including IAM Patent 1000 (2026) for intellectual property, Benchmark Litigation Asia-Pacific 2026 as a Litigation Star, The Best Lawyers in Japan 2027 Edition for Intellectual Property Law, and Chambers Asia-Pacific 2026 for intellectual property, among other distinctions.

Speaker, International Symposium 2026: Patent Litigation in Japan, Germany and at the UPC (Munich, Germany, September 2026) Notable Publications and Articles (Titles in approximate English translation) ・ “Review of the “Model Procedural Timetable for Patent Infringement Litigation (Infringement Disputes)” published by the Intellectual Property Divisions of the Tokyo District Court” AIPPI International Edition Vol.37 No.4 ・ “Patent Infringement by Multiple Parties in Japan”『Patent Practice in Japan and Europe -Liber Amicorum for Guntram Rahn』Kluwer Law International ・ “Revision of the Patent Act in Japan” AIPPI International Edition Vol.36 No.2 ・ “Litigation: Expert Witnesses (Japan)” Managing Intellectual Property Survey 2007 (Co-author) ・ “Commentary on the Law Amending the Court Law Etc.,” Japan Institute of Invention and Innovation (Co-author) ・ “Cases Holding that Invoking Prescription after Partial Payment of Money for ‘Reasonable Consideration’ after the Expiration of the Effective Period is Contrary to the Principle of Good Faith (Case Commentary)” Tokkyo Kenkyu ・ “Japan the ‘IP Nation’” Intellectual Property UPDATE ・ “Commentary on the Judgment of the Supreme Court, March 25, 2002” ICC (International Review of Intellectual Property and Competition Law) C.H. Beck ・ “Practice for Point of Entry Regulations in regard to Patent Infringing Products” Chizai Kanri (Intellectual Property Management) (Co-author)