What are the most significant cases, projects or transactions that you and your legal team have recently been involved in?

Our legal team has recently been involved in several significant projects and initiatives that I’m proud to share. These highlight our commitment to navigating complex legal frontiers, strategically protecting our innovations, and ensuring robust corporate governance:

Pioneering Web3 service launches: One of our most impactful recent achievements has been in the cryptocurrency and Web3 space. This is a field where legal precedents and established theories are still developing. Our team successfully navigated the intricate and often ambiguous regulatory landscape, securing the necessary legal clearance that directly paved the way for the launch of innovative Web3 services. This involved a deep dive into novel legal challenges to ensure compliance and enable business expansion in this cutting-edge domain.

Strategic patent portfolio development: In the realm of intellectual property, we’ve implemented a sophisticated patent application strategy focused on both the quality and quantity of our filings. This strategic approach to building a robust patent portfolio resulted in Colopl being ranked 7th in the “Game/Entertainment Industry Patent Asset Size Ranking 2024.” This prominent ranking underscores our strategic success in safeguarding Colopl’s valuable innovations and technological advancements within a fiercely competitive industry.

Strengthening corporate compliance: Reflecting the evolving regulatory landscape, particularly the increased emphasis on subcontractor protection and personal information security, we have proactively reinforced Colopl’s internal compliance framework. This involved updating policies, conducting training, and implementing new procedures to ensure our operations align with the latest legal standards and best practices, thereby mitigating risk and fostering a culture of compliance.

These initiatives demonstrate our team’s dedication to providing proactive, strategic, and forward-thinking legal support to Colopl’s business objectives.

How do you approach managing legal aspects during periods of instability or crisis to ensure the organisation’s resilience?

From my perspective, managing legal aspects during instability or crisis centers on ensuring our legal function actively fortifies the organisation’s resilience. My fundamental view is that legal should serve not just as a ‘brake’, but also as an ‘accelerator’ for the business, contributing to enhanced corporate value by providing pragmatic business solutions.

During challenging times, this means robustly partnering with our business units to identify acceptable risks and collaboratively take calculated ones, tackling problems head-on as they arise. It demands a legal team that can adapt with speed and flexibility to dynamic situations.

To achieve this, we cultivate an organisation designed to ‘run and evolve by itself,’ where members think and act proactively and autonomously. A cornerstone of this is our strong team structure, particularly our ‘buddy system’. This breaks down individual silos, enhances collective skills, and provides a solid backup, ensuring operational continuity even if a member is absent. Daily team discussions on active cases further facilitate rapid information sharing and cohesive direction-setting.

Furthermore, we actively promote DX to streamline routine tasks. Leveraging advanced tools and technology, including managing the risks associated with new technologies like AI, allows us to dedicate our expertise to more creative solutions and swift responses, maintaining the proactive stance essential for true organisational resilience.

What is a cause, business or otherwise, that you are passionate about? Why is this?

Within the business realm, I am deeply passionate about transforming the legal and intellectual property department from a function often perceived as a ‘brake’ into a strategic ‘accelerator’ for the company. This conviction is rooted in my diverse professional background, which began in sales. That early experience instilled in me the profound importance of a business-centric mindset and the value of legal teams acting as true partners.

I am driven to demonstrate how legal and IP expertise can proactively contribute to enhancing corporate value and driving business success, moving beyond a purely reactive risk management role. This involves strategically leveraging intellectual property, enabling new ventures in cutting-edge areas like GameFi and AI adoption, and consistently fostering strong corporate governance. I am also dedicated to building a high-performing, agile legal team through initiatives such as Legal Ops and digital transformation. For me, the ultimate goal is for the legal department to be recognised and function as a key, proactive partner in achieving the company’s overarching vision and strategic objectives.

How does your team contribute to the overall business strategy of the company? Can you share an example of a recent legal-led initiative that had a significant impact?

Our Legal and IP team is deeply integrated into Colopl’s business strategy, functioning as a proactive partner and a strategic ‘accelerator’ rather than solely as a risk mitigation unit. A primary way we contribute is through robust and forward-thinking intellectual property management. In the fiercely competitive game industry, the effective leveraging and stringent protection of IP assets are absolutely central to maintaining and enhancing our competitive advantage.

A highly significant legal-led initiative that had a substantial impact was the resolution of the patent dispute with a certain major Kyoto-based gaming company. By successfully resolving this major litigation primarily through direct negotiation, we effectively neutralised a significant legal challenge that had profound implications for our core business operations. This achievement directly safeguarded our ability to continue developing and delivering our key services, thereby ensuring operational continuity and paving the way for Colopl’s future growth. Beyond such landmark cases, we consistently enable new technological ventures, such as those in GameFi and AI, by providing the necessary legal frameworks and support, and contribute to enhancing overall corporate value by continually strengthening our governance structures.

Looking forward, what trends do you foresee in the legal landscape over the next five to ten years that companies should prepare for?

Looking forward, I anticipate several critical trends will significantly shape the legal landscape over the next five to ten years, for which companies should proactively prepare.

Firstly, the legal and regulatory frameworks surrounding new technologies, especially Artificial Intelligence and blockchain-based services like GameFi, will continue to evolve rapidly. Legal professionals must become adept at navigating complex issues ranging from intellectual property ownership of AI-generated content to the regulatory intricacies of decentralised platforms.

Secondly, the complexity and stringency of data protection and privacy regulations worldwide will undoubtedly increase. This will be further intensified by ongoing digital transformation efforts and the ever-growing volume of cross-border data flows. Maintaining compliance will demand sophisticated data governance systems and a commitment to continuous adaptation.

To meet these future demands, companies must invest in skilled legal professionals who are not only legally proficient but also technologically savvy, highly adaptable, and capable of providing insightful, forward-looking strategic guidance.