Akiko Araki

Admissions

- Japan (Bengoshi)
- California

Education

University of California, Berkeley, School of Law, LLM, 2017
Tohoku University, Law School, JD, 2009
Tohoku University, LLB, 2007

Overview

Akiko Araki is a Japan-qualified bengoshi, California-qualified attorney, and Japanese patent attorney, and the founder of Araki International IP & Law. She focuses on cross-border technology and intellectual property matters, with particular expertise in Standard Essential Patents (SEPs), global patent portfolio licensing, and AI governance.

Akiko has extensive experience supporting complex SEP/FRAND licensing negotiations and multi-jurisdictional disputes involving parallel proceedings across the US, Europe, and Asia. She has been closely involved in structuring licensing arrangements and advising on legal aspects of settlement negotiations in cross-border disputes, including translating client-driven commercial terms into legally sound agreements and supporting internal alignment and communications with senior management.

Leveraging this experience, she is increasingly engaged in front-line global licensing negotiations, providing strategic advice that integrates legal, technical, and business perspectives.

In addition, Akiko advises clients on AI governance and risk management, supporting companies in developing practical frameworks for the deployment and use of AI technologies. Her approach integrates legal compliance, risk management, and business strategy, particularly in relation to data usage, licensing, and cross-border regulatory requirements.

Background

Prior to founding Araki International IP & Law in the summer of 2021, Akiko worked at the Tokyo offices of US-based global law firms, Morgan Lewis & Bockius and Baker McKenzie, as well as leading Japanese law firms, where she handled a wide range of matters including intellectual property and technology, mergers and acquisitions, regulatory compliance, and general commercial matters.

She also worked as in-house counsel for a Japanese company, where she was involved in patent portfolio strategy in the telecommunications sector and handled patent licensing and litigation matters across multiple jurisdictions, including the United States and Europe.

Through these experiences, she has developed deep expertise in cross-border IP transactions, particularly in large-scale patent portfolio licensing and SEP-related matters, as well as a strong understanding of business-driven legal strategy.

Akiko has been recognized as a leading individual in patent transactions by IAM Patent 1000: The World’s Leading Patent Professionals 2023.

Also, Akiko was descried by The Legal 500 Asia Pacific 2024 that “Leveraging her expertise in cross-border IP transactions, head of team, Akiko Araki, is uniquely positioned to advise on complex, multi-jurisdictional IP matters involving large foreign corporations.”

Publications

• EU AI Act: Increasing Likelihood of Implementation Delay — From August 2026 to December 2027 Nikkei Digital Governance (April 2026) (in Japanese)
• Due Diligence in AI Contracting (Japan) Practical Law - Thomson Reuters (February 2026)
• Seven Potential Risks in AI Implementation: What Management Should Do Nikkei Digital Governance (October 2025) (in Japanese)
• “Essential Compliance Considerations under the EU AI Act for Intellectual Property Departments: What You Need to Know” (Japan Intellectual Property Association) “Intellectual Property Management” Vol. 75 No. 7 pp. 799–813 (2025)(in Japanese)
• “Collaboration among IP, legal and finance – Contribution to the utilization of IP and intangible assets from legal point of view” Japan Business Law Review (September 2024) (in Japanese)
• Comments quoted on “Japan ruling on patent territoriality could open new doors: counsel” Managing IP (June 2023)
• “What is the Legal Implication of Sexual Harassment against Avatars?” Japan Business Law Review (March 2023) (in Japanese)
• “After American Axle: What is happening in the SCOTUS, USPTO and the Congress to reform the current Section 101 patent eligibility law?” IP Journal (December 2022) (in Japanese)
• “The Development After Halo: Egregious Conduct Is Required For Enhancement, Not For Finding Of Willful Infringement” Intellectual Property Management, Japan Intellectual Property Association, Vol.72 No.9 (September 2022) (in Japanese)
• “Federal Circuit's Decision on American Axle and the Latest Development regarding the Section 101 Patent Eligibility Issue” IP Journal (September 2021) (in Japanese)
• "Japan Patent Office’s Research Project on the Industrial Property System of 2020: Research Report on the Mobility of IP Professionals” contributed as an advisor to the Institute of Intellectual Property of the Foundation for Intellectual Property (March 2021) (in Japanese)
• “US Patent Law Lecture” co-author, Shoji-Homu (September 2020) (in Japanese)
• “The US Supreme Court’s Denial of Certiorari in Athena on Patent Eligibility and the Current States of the Proposed Bill on Section 101” co-author, A.I.P.P.I (April 2020) (in Japanese)
• “Who Owns the Oil That Fuels AI Machines: Japan’s Evolving IP Protection for Data” co-author, Global Data Review (December 2019)
• “Japan’s Policy Movement in the Trade Secret Protection” IP Journal (December 2019) (in Japanese)
• “Patent Litigation in Japan” co-author, Intellectual Property Magazine (June 2019)
• “Report of 2017 AIPPI World Congress in Sydney” A.I.P.P.I. (December 2017) (in Japanese)
• “The US Supreme Court Limited Patent Venue in TC Heartland: Pointes to Consider in Assessing the Impact on Patent Trolls from the Perspective of Japanese Corporations” A.I.P.P.I. (September 2017) (in Japanese)
• “Description of the Labeling System for Functional Foods" co-author, REPORT JARO (May 2015) (in Japanese)

Events

• "Latest Developments and Practical Response to the EU AI Act and the Digital Omnibus Proposal—What Companies Should Decide Now Ahead of 2026—" JohoKiko (May 2026) (in Japanese)
• "Masterclass: Building smarter licensing strategies for the IoT value chain" SEP Summit Asia, IAM (April 2026)
• “The EU AI Act Today: How Companies Should Start Preparing for AI Compliance Now” Araki International IP&Law (February 2026) (in Japanese)
• “Standard Essential Patents (SEPs) at the Forefront: Practical Insights in Light of Global Litigation Trends” Chizai Jitsumu Online (January 2026) (in Japanese)
• “Domestic and International Developments Surrounding SEPs (Standard Essential Patents) in Light of Intellectual Property Litigation Trends” Japan Patent Attorneys Association Training (October 2025)(in Japanese)
• “Ethical and Legal Challenges in Promoting AI Utilization: Building AI Governance through the Collaboration of Management and Relevant Departments” Araki International IP&Law and Business Law (October 2025)(in Japanese)
• “How to Handle IP Troubles - So You Don’t Go Blank When It Happens”, UNITT Annual Conference 2025, Japan Association of University Technology Transfer (UNITT) (September 2025)(in Japanese)
• “How Generative AI is Reshaping Business Strategy and Professional Roles – IP, Legal, and Ethical Frontiers and Emerging Growth Opportunities” Araki International IP&Law (July 2025)(in Japanese)
• “Intellectual Property Fundamentals for Legal Departments: Essential Intellectual Property Contract Clauses and Negotiation Strategies” SMBC Consulting and Chuo Keizai Sha (July 2025)(in Japanese)
• “Webinar on “AI and Law”: Practical Insights for Businesses on Regulations, Risks, and Compliance Strategies” Araki International IP&Law (June 2025) (in Japanese)
• “Understanding the Scope of the EU AI Act and Its Implications for Japanese Businesses: Insights from Practical Use Cases” Araki International IP&Law (April 2025) (in Japanese)
• ”The current situation with the EU AI Act and what companies should be doing now to comply with the regulations” Araki International IP&Law (March 2025) (in Japanese)
• “Understanding the EU AI Act in 45 minutes” Araki International IP&Law (March 2025) (in Japanese)
• “Latest Trends in AI laws and regulations useful for Legal, IP and Business Practitioners” Araki International IP&Law (August 2024）
• “What you need to know to be compliant with Japanese data privacy regulation?” Araki International IP&Law（August 2024）
• “How to Create Businesses Utilizing Japanese IP Assets through collaborations with legal and finance sectors?”AIL and Chuokeizai Co-sponsored Event (May and June 2024)
• "Overviews of Japanese Recycling Regulations – What do you need to know if your business in Japan uses containers and packaging?" Araki International IP&Law (February 2024)
• “Asia IP Elite” IPBC Asia, IAM（November 2023）
• ”What Legal Person Need to Know about IP Clauses in Business Contracts” CHUOKEIZAI-SHA and SMBC Consulting, Co., Ltd. (October 2023) (in Japanese)
• ”Legal Issues and Future Developments Related to the Generative AI such as ChatGPT” Global Business Knowledge Supply (October 2023) (in Japanese)
• ”Patent Litigation Procedures before the Unified Patent Court, with comparisons to Germany, the U.S., and Japan” Araki International IP&Law (September 2023) (in Japanese)
• ”Basics of the Unitary Patent (UP) and the Unified Patent Court (UPC)” Araki International IP&Law (September 2023) (in Japanese)
• ”Global IP Enforcement Strategies under the Latest Developments in the Europe: UPC and the Proposed SEP Regulations” Araki International IP&Law (August 2023) (in Japanese)
• "The Latest Issues on NFT and Metaverse focusing on Intellectual Property Issues" Business & Law (December 2022) (in Japanese)
• "Creating New Business For Companies In Society 5.0: What Legal & IP Professionals Need To Know In The Age Of Digital Transformation (DX)" Araki International IP&Law (November 2022) (in Japanese)
• "LAUNCHING YOUR OWN FIRM IN JAPAN TREATING CLIENTS AS YOUR TEAM MATES WITH AKIKO ARAKI" (November 2022)
• "The Latest Issues on NFT and Metaverse Based on the Ongoing Litigations" Global Business Knowledge Supply (November 2022) (in Japanese)
• “Emerging Technologies” IPBC Asia, IAM（November 2022）
• "Recent Development on the US Intellectual Property Law" at Tohoku University Seminar hosted by Head Office of enterprise Partnerships, Tohoku University (June 2022) (in Japanese)
• “The Latest Issues on US Patent Law and Litigation: Discussion with US Attorneys” IP Study Group of Japan In-House Lawyers Association (JILA)（April 2022）(in Japanese)
• “Learn from the Story: US Patent Litigation and Invalidation Proceedings from the Business Perspective” Araki International IP&Law and Business&Law（April 2022）
• “Alliances, aggregation and deal structure” IPBC Japan, IAM（December 2021）
• “5G licensing in focus” IPBC Taiwan, IAM（October 2021）
• “Overview of Copyright Protection on Software” UNITT Annual Conference (September 2021) (in Japanese)
• "AI and Data" Symposium on Law and Ethics Involving AI” AI and Law Society (July 2021) (in Japanese)
• "Recent Trends on Stand Essential Patents (SEPs) and FRAND" Global Business Knowledge Supply, July 2021 (in Japanese)
• “JPO Research Project: Recent Trends on IP in ASEAN” JETRO (June 2021) (in Japanese)
• "How to Utilize Patents” Pasona Knowledge Partner (May 2021) (in Japanese)
• “Legal Practice of OSS Licensing” University Network for Innovation and Technology Transfer (January 2021) (in Japanese)
• “AI and Data in Society 5.0 in Japan and Other Major Jurisdictions” JETRO Dusseldorf (September 2020) (in Japanese)
• “Trade Secret Protection in Japan – Comparison between Japan and California Systems” Global Business Knowledge Supply (July 2020) (in Japanese)
• “The New GDPR in California – Are You Ready for CCPA Compliance?” Pasona (June 2020) (in Japanese)
• “What is the Next Step to Protect Data Resource in Japan?: A Comparison between California’s Trade Secret law and Japan’s Policy Movement” Institute of Intellectual Property (January 2020) (in Japanese)
• “The US Supreme Court Limited Patent Venue in TC Heartland, and CAFC is Trying to Clarify the Rule: Pointes to Consider in Assessing the Impact on Patent Trolls from the Perspective of Japanese Corporations” in Munich (October 2017) (in Japanese)
• “Who Owns Patents? Employee vs Employer: A Comparison of the US and Japan Systems” Discussion of Patents at Santa Clara (June 2017)
• “Overview of Advertising Regulations in Japan” Consumer Law Colloquium at Berkeley (March 2017)
• “Japanese Regulation of Labeling and Advertising for Health Foods” Workshop at an international law firm in Shanghai (October 2016)
• “Act against Unjustifiable Premiums and Misleading Representations with respect to Health Food” JHNFA and JARO (October and November 2015) (in Japanese)