July 26-27, 1999
Montreal, Canada

Speaker Biography

Masanobu Katoh

General Manager, Fujitsu Limited, and
Chairman, Internet Law and Policy Forum

Masanobu Katoh, General Manager of the Fujitsu Limited, Washington, D.C. Office, is an active participant in policy issues surrounding information technology including those relating to electronic commerce, science and technology, telecommunications, international trade, and intellectual property rights.

With regards to electronic commerce, Mr. Katoh has been actively involved in various international organizations promoting the policy making process in the private sector. Mr. Katoh currently serves as chairman of the Internet Law and Policy Forum (ILPF), an international private sector group addressing the legal and policy aspects of global electronic commerce. Mr. Katoh supports current ILPF initiatives on electronic commerce issues such as authentication, digital signatures and jurisdiction.

Mr. Katoh also serves as the chairman of the Work Group on Electronic Commerce for the Global Information Infrastructure Commission (GIIC), an internationally recognized organization promoting electronic commerce in both the public and private sectors. Other international organizations in which Mr. Katoh participates include: the U.S.-Japan Business Council; the World Information Technology and Services Alliance (WITSA); the International Information Industry Congress (IIIC); the Japan Electronic Industry Development Association (JEIDA); and, the Alliance for Global Business (AGB). Representing these organizations and Fujitsu Limited, Mr. Katoh has given numerous speeches on electronic commerce and other legal and policy issues.

In addition, Mr. Katoh is a member of the U.S. State Department's Advisory Committee on International Communications and Information Policy, where he serves as co-chair of the Working Group on Intellectual Property, Standards, and Interoperability. Mr. Katoh has co-authored one book, Interfaces on Trial and has published many articles in both Japanese and English.

Mr. Katoh received his law degrees at the University of Tokyo and the University of Michigan.