Shogo Matsunaga

Sonderhoff & Einsel Law Office (Japan)

Shogo Matsunaga is a Partner, Attorney-at-Law and Patent Attorney at Sonderhoff & Einsel Law Office in Tokyo, one of Japan's longest-established international law firms with over 115 years of practice serving primarily European multinational corporations and Japanese technology companies.

Shogo is widely recognized as one of Japan's leading practitioners in Standard Essential Patent (SEP) litigation and FRAND licensing disputes. In 2025, he secured Japan's first-ever SEP-based injunction in Pantech v. Google before the Tokyo District Court.

Since 2020, Shogo has served as an expert committee member for the Cabinet Office, the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (METI), and the Japan Patent Office (JPO), contributing directly to the formulation of Japan's SEP and FRAND licensing policy framework. He currently serves on the steering committee of METI's SEP Expert Group, established in 2013, which plays a central role in shaping Japan's institutional approach to standard-essential patent governance and has produced influential guidance on FRAND licensing principles that informs both judicial and commercial practice.

Shogo's practice extends well beyond SEP matters to encompass cross-border patent enforcement, complex multi-party licensing negotiations involving major global technology companies, trademark protection for European luxury brands, and strategic IP counselling for businesses entering or expanding within the Japanese market. He regularly manages multi-jurisdictional disputes with parallel proceedings across Japanese, European, and US courts, coordinating enforcement strategies that bridge distinct procedural and substantive legal traditions. His ability to navigate these parallel proceedings simultaneously—understanding the tactical interdependencies between forums and advising clients on coherent global strategies—is a hallmark of his practice.