Career

  • March, 1990
    Graduated from Waseda University, School of Law
  • April, 1995
    Admitted in Japan (member of Tokyo Bar association)
  • April, 1995
    Worked for Matsuo & Kosugi
  • 1999
    Served as member of Committee to Improve Business Custom in Sports Industry (Ministry of International Trade and Industry: MITI=Japan Sports Industries Federation)
  • 2001
    Master of Laws (LLM) from New York University School of Law
    Worked for Morrison & Foerster LLP in Los Angeles, California, USA
  • 2002
    Admitted in the State of New York
  • September, 2003
    Worked as a partner at B.D.J. Law and Accounting Office
  • November, 2003
    Passed California bar examination (to be registered in California State)
  • June, 2006
    Established Kato & Partners
  • August, 2008
    Established VASCO DA GAMA OFFICES as a partner
  • 2012
    Served as chairman of Committee for the Finance to the Entertainment Contents (Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry: METI)
  • 2012
    Served as member of Committee for the Exploitation of the Entertainment Contents (Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry: METI)

Practice Areas

  • Entertainment Law
  • Media Law
  • Sports Law
  • License Law (Including Character License and Corporate License)
  • Finance Law
  • International Law Practice
  • Corporate Law
  • Litigation

Titles and Memberships


Publications

  • “Doctrine of Exhaustion and Protection of Copyright Licensee” (as an article of “Culture, Media, and Entertainment Law / Vol.8 No.1”, Korea, July, 2014)
  • “Report of Study on Financing to Film Contents” (Posted on the website of Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry, August, 2012)
  • “The Newest Issues of Entertainment Law -focusing on controversies and practices in Korea and Japan-” (Co-written. Published by Jinwoan-Sa, October, 2011)
  • “International Financing in Japanese Film Industry - Case Method of Rain Fall” (Posted on the website of UNIJAPAN, Public Interest Incorporated Association, June, 2011)
  • “IFTA Arbitration Award Enforcement Booklet” (co-written by Kato Esq. and Kataoka Esq. Published by Independent Film & Television Alliance (IFTA), January, 2008. )
  • Entertainment Legal Practice” (co-written by Kato Esq., Kataoka Esq. and Okawara Esq. Published by Nikkei Publishing Inc. December, 2007)

Lectures

  • “Basic Legal Knowledge for International Animation Market” at Tokyo Animation Business Accelerator (October, 2018)
  • “Basic Knowledge of Copyright Law for Entertainment Contents Business” at Tokyo Contents Incubation Center (April, 2017)
  • “English-language License Agreement” at licensing Education program of LIMA Japan (October, 2016)
  • “Basic Knowledge of Copyright Law for Entertainment Contents Business” at Tokyo Contents Incubation Center (July, 2016)
  • “Basic Legal and Contractual Knowledge for Licensing Business” at LIMA Japan (July, 2015)
  • “Points on Rights Clearance for Overseas Development of Audiovisual Contents” at Japan Research Institute for New Systems of Society (April, 2015)
  • “General remarks of the Licensing Business and the basic of the contracts” at licensing Education program of LIMA Japan (July, 2014)
  • “Globalization looming of the License Agreement” at Department of Master of Intellectual Property (MIP) of Tokyo University of Science, Graduate School of Innovation Studies. (July, 2014)
  • “License Agreement for a Licensee” at 3rd Licensing Japan (July, 2013)
  • “A seminar regarding Sports Facilities and Real Estate” (Konkuk University, Seoul, Korea) (May, 2013)
  • “A basic course of the License Agreement - a minimum knowledge in License business” at 2nd Licensing Japan (July, 2012)
  • “A study on Japan Baseball Players Association as a Labor Union and Agent System” at Joint seminars of dispute-settlement procedure for the development of the professional sports industry (The Korean Commercial Arbitration Board, Konkuk Law School, Seoul, Korea) (June, 2012)
  • “Concrete Examples and Solutions of Troubles arising from License Agreement” at 1st Licensing Japan (July, 2011)
  • Entertainment Law International Symposium - Trend and Legal Issues in Cultural Contents Industry in Japan - (The Institute of Legal Studies, Konkuk University, Seoul, Korea)
  • “Concrete Examples and Solutions of Troubles arising from License Agreement” at 1st Licensing Japan (July, 2011)
  • Entertainment Law International Symposium - Trend and Legal Issues in Cultural Contents Industry in Japan - (The Institute of Legal Studies, Konkuk University, Seoul, Korea)
  • “Current Cases in Music Industry” (hosted by Chung-Ang University, Seoul, Korea, January, 2011)
  • 16th IASL (International Association of Sports Law) World Congress on Sports Law (Hanyang University, Seoul, Korea) “Sponsoring, Broadcasting Rights in Japanese Professional Sports” (November, 2010)
  • 7th Cultural Industry and Law (Chung-Ang University, Seoul, Korea) “Legal Issues Related to Sports Business in Japan” (June, 2010)
  • “How to deal with a copyright problem in Entertainment Business” at Japan Research Institute for New Systems of Society (May, 2010)
  • “New Trends of Entertainment Finance” at Japan Research Institute for New Systems of Society (July, 2009)
  • “Legal Practice in Character Licensing” at CharaBiz Lectures of The University of Tokyo The Interfaculty Initiative in Information Studies (November, 2008)
  • “New Trend of Law in License Agreement Practice in the first half of 2008” (hosted by LIMA, July, 2008 )
  • “What’s the Entertainment Law?” at the 6th lecture for the students who want to be lawyers (hosted by Waseda Law School, June, 2008)
  • “Corporate License Agreement and Legal Protection - New Legal Knowledge for Corporate License” at the 4th Character Business lecture (hosted by LIMA, April, 2008)
  • “New Business Model in Entertainment and License Agreement - from Movie, Music, Game to Sport” at Licensing Asia 2007 (co-hosted by Nihon Keizai Simbun Inc. and LIMA)
  • “New Legal Knowledge for Trade Marks and Brand License” at the 2nd License Business Practice lecture (hosted by LIMA, April, 2007)
  • Special Program in Tokyo International Film Festival (UCLA EXTENTION Entertainment Department, October, 2004)
  • “Secrets To Sell Japanese Films in The Worldwide Market” at Japan External Trade Organization (July, 2004)
  • “All You Need To Know About How To Contract With Hollywood” at Japan Research Institute for New Systems of Society (November, 2003)