Ropes & Gray Recognized in 2012 Asian Legal Business Rankings
In the Asian Legal Business (ALB) 2012 Asia Intellectual Property rankings released on April 9, Ropes & Gray is ranked in the second tier among other leading firms with an intellectual property practice in Asia. ALB calls Ropes & Gray “a force when it comes to patent, trademark and copyright disputes,” with a presence “across Japan, China and Hong Kong.” ALB also noted Ropes & Gray’s reputation for handling complex transaction matters, especially with highly technical IP components.
Highlights from the firm’s intellectual property practice in Asia last year included acting for NEC Japan and its U.S. subsidiary against allegations of infringement brought in the U.S. District Court by VirnetX Inc., representing Ricoh in several multidefendant patent litigation disputes and advising various clients in developing their China IP protection strategies, licensing technology, and managing patent disputes. Most recently, Ropes & Gray is representing Fujitsu group companies in four lawsuits against patent licensing entity Acacia Research group involving four sets of patents and technologies in three U.S. federal district courts.
Ropes & Gray is also recognized in the ALB Japan Law Awards as a 2012 finalist for the Debt Market Deal of the Year category and for IP Law Firm of the Year. Winners will be announced at the awards gala dinner on June 7 in Tokyo.
Since opening offices in Tokyo in 2007, Hong Kong in 2008 and Shanghai in 2011, Ropes & Gray has built a strong presence in the region. In March, the firm’s intellectual property practice was ranked as a leading practice in Japan and the United States by Chambers Global 2012: The World’s leading Lawyers for Business. In February, Ropes & Gray’s M&A, private equity, capital markets, investment funds and intellectual property practices and lawyers were highly ranked by Chambers Asia 2012: Asia’s Leading Lawyers for Business, one of the region’s most prestigious directories of premier law firms. In May 2011, Ropes & Gray was named the best international firm to work for in Japan by ALB.