Biography
Masao Fujino is a Counsel in the Dispute Resolution group of the Firm's Tokyo office.
He advises clients on dispute resolution, intellectual property transactions, and internal investigations. Complementing his legal skills, Masao brings technical experience and insight gained as an engineer while at a Japanese software company. This background has proven invaluable to clients involved in complex technology disputes and transactions. He is a registered patent attorney in Japan. He also provides advice on Japanese antitrust law, insolvency law, and data privacy law.
Prior to joining White & Case, Masao was a lawyer at an international law firm in Tokyo. Earlier in his career, while serving as a legal trainee following the Japanese bar examination, Masao gained experience at the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency and the Intellectual Property Division of the Tokyo District Court. He was a Fulbright Scholar during his graduate studies at Stanford Law School.
Masao is a member of the Dai-Ichi Tokyo Bar Association as well as the Japan Association of Arbitrators. He serves as Vice Chair of the Outer Space Law Committee of the Dai-Ichi Tokyo Bar Association. He is also a member of the National Network of Insolvency Attorneys.
Experience
Dispute Resolution
- Represented a Japanese machinery manufacturer in ICC arbitration arising from a know-how license agreement.*
- Represented a European pharmaceutical company in Japanese patent litigation.*
- Represented a European IT company in Japanese patent litigation.*
- Represented a Japanese apparel company in a dispute with a US apparel company regarding copyright and trademark infringement before Japanese courts.*
- Represented a European executive in Japanese litigation arising from termination of employment by a Japanese design company.*
- Represented a Japanese chemical company in Japanese tort litigation.*
- Represented a Hong Kong company in enforcing a US judgment in Japan.*
- Represented a European software company in a dispute with Japanese employees regarding trade secret misappropriation and copyright infringement.*
- Advised a Japanese automobile parts company in a trade secret misappropriation dispute.*
- Advised a Japanese automobile parts company regarding termination of a supply agreement with a European purchaser.
Intellectual Property Transactions
- Advised a Japanese licensor on an outbound patent license agreement template regarding food production.
- Advised a Japanese food company on an outbound know-how license agreement with a Pakistani licensee.
- Advised a UK software company on a SaaS license agreement with a Japanese licensee.
- Prepared terms of service for a Japanese AI company.
- Advised a Japanese food company on an inbound trademark license agreement with a US licensor.*
Internal Investigations
- Conducted an internal investigation into a Japanese subsidiary of a non-Japanese technology company.
- Conducted an internal investigation into a Mexican subsidiary of a Japanese automobile parts company.*
Antitrust / Insolvency / Privacy
- Conducted a global antitrust compliance analysis regarding a distributorship agreement for a Japanese food company.*
- Advised a non-Japanese financial institution regarding the insolvency of a Japanese debtor.
- Advised a US asset management institution regarding the recognition of US bankruptcy proceedings.
- Prepared a privacy policy for a Japanese AI company.
- Represented a European automobile company in a data breach notification to the Japanese regulator.*
*Matter prior to joining White & Case.
Legal 500-recognized since 2024
Leading associate: Bengoshi: Dispute Resolution: International firms and joint ventures – Japan, The Legal 500 Asia Pacific 2026
Best Lawyers-recognized since 2024
Ones to Watch in Japan: Intellectual Property Law (Non-Patent), Best Lawyers 2026
Speaker, "US State Laws Accelerating Outer Space Business", Dai-Ichi Tokyo Bar Association, Space Law Webinar (November 2023)
Guest Speaker, "Outer Space Commerce and the Legal System", The International Outer Space Private Law course at Keio University (June 2017)
Co-author, "Key Considerations in Competition Law Practice Revealed by Notable Overseas Cases: Litigation Regarding the FTC's Rule Prohibiting Non-Compete Clauses" (NBL, No. 1283, February 2025)
Enactment of U.S. Federal Regulation Banning Former Employees' Non-compete Obligations (NBL, No. 1267, June 2024)
Overview of Recent United States Case Laws regarding Reasonable Measures for Trade Secrets (JCA Journal, Vol. 71, No. 2, February 2024)
Resolution of Commercial Disputes in Pakistan – Focusing on Resent Case Laws regarding Enforcement of Foreign Arbitral Awards - (JCA Journal, Vol. 70, No. 11, November 2023)
Proposed U.S. Federal Regulation Banning Former Employees' Non-compete Obligations - with Overview of the U.S. Legal System Regarding Protection of Trade Secrets (NBL, No. 1251, October 2023)
California Law relating to Management of Trade Secrets - Centering around Employees' Covenants not to Compete - (Kokusai Shoji Homu, Vol. 50, No. 8, August 2022)
Co-author, "Outer Space Business Law of the World" (Shoji Homu, October 2021)
Territorial Jurisdiction of United States Courts in Internet-related Copyright Infringement Lawsuits - Overview of Case Laws as a Reference for Practitioners - (2) (Kokusai Shoji Homu, Vol. 49, No. 9, September 2021)
Territorial Jurisdiction of United States Courts in Internet-related Copyright Infringement Lawsuits - Overview of Case Laws as a Reference for Practitioners - (1) (Kokusai Shoji Homu, Vol. 49, No. 8, August 2021)
Co-author, "US State Laws Accelerating Outer Space Activities" (Kokusai Shoji Homu, Vol. 47, No.11, November 2019)
Co-author, "Guides to Outer Space Commerce by Lawyers: New Space Tides and Changing Laws" (Dobunkan, November 2018)
Co-author, "Antitrust Analysis of Joint Ventures and Strategic Approach" (JCA Journal,N.736, October 2018)
Co-author, "Liabilities arising from Errors in Information Provided by Global Navigation Satellite Systems (GNSS)" (Journal of Law and Information Systems, November 2017)
Co-author, "Cross-border Dispute Resolution Strategies", Lexis Nexis (June 2016)
Interview, "Becoming a Lawyer after Learning Barriers of Physics: Searching for Methods to Resolve - Problems of the Outer Space and the Society," The Lawyers (February 2013)
Co-author, "Micro-scale plasma simulation using numerical calculation accelerator GRAPE-6", JAXA/JEDI Workshop on Numerical Plasma Simulation for Spacecraft Environment (February 2007)
