INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY LAW
Our intellectual property practice includes all aspects of intellectual property law, including patent, trademark, and copyright prosecution; validity/enforceability analysis; infringement analysis; trade secrets, unfair competition and commercial torts; internet law; domain name protection; licensing; IP asset management counseling; international IP procurement; infringement litigation; and other intellectual property matters.
A patent is a powerful business tool for companies to gain exclusivity over a new product or process, develop a strong market position, and earn additional revenues through licensing. With a strong patent or a patent portfolio, one can fend off competitors and build up competitiveness. We work closely with clients to assure that their invention has the patent coverage they need to protect their technology. We also help clients build the best intellectual property portfolios for the protection of their innovations in technology and business practices. Our patent prosecution practice includes patent application preparation and prosecution; patent portfolio development and maintenance; patent infringement and validity opinions; right to use evaluations; patent valuation; patent clearance searches; and design around strategy development.
A trademark is a symbol of a company’s brand, goodwill, and valuable intangible assets worth protecting. We help clients register and maintain their trademarks and provide guidance for their brand protection. If our clients require protection of trademark rights abroad, we help them secure international trademark protection. Additionally, we perform domestic and international trademark clearance searches to assess potential or alleged infringement claims.
Copyright gives the creator of an original work the right to protect his or her work from unauthorized use by others. Although copyright protection begins automatically the moment the work is created, copyright registration is necessary for enforcement in federal court and to recover statutory damages and attorneys’ fees from an infringer. We assist clients in securing registration of their work with the United States Copyright Office and abroad. We also help clients to enforce their copyrights using cost-effective litigation or other legal proceedings.
Trade secrets encompass manufacturing or industrial secrets and commercial secrets. The unauthorized use of such information by persons other than the holder is regarded as an unfair practice and a violation of the trade secret. We counsel clients regarding the development of a trade secrets protection strategy that can be readily integrated into their intellectual property portfolios. We also help clients protect the trade secrets to maintain their competitive advantage.
The Internet has become a critical tool for many businesses and engendered numerous legal issues, including website development legal issues, trademark or copyright issues, domain name disputes, and other legal liability issues. We counsel clients regarding those issues and if necessary, we take legal course of action to protect our clients' interest or defend our clients from the claims of such issues.
Licensing is a valuable tool to create profitable revenue streams or to maximize the value of intellectual property (IP) portfolios – patents, trademarks, copyrights, and trade secrets. We assist clients to address licensing issues from negotiating licensing terms and conditions to drafting licensing agreements.
Doing business in the global marketplace requires protecting intellectual property rights overseas as well as in the US, and we help our clients obtain and maintain patent or trademark rights throughout the world with the assistance of an international network of associated firms and attorneys.
The owner of the intellectual property has the right to sue for damages or other relief when the property rights are infringed. We help our clients, whether they are plaintiffs or defendants, to resolve the matters quickly and economically. We work closely with clients to develop the best strategy for their business and counsel them on litigation strategies. To achieve the goals of clients facing a litigation, we thoroughly investigate the facts, analyze legal theories in connection with the facts, develop persuasive arguments, and prepare cases to present in court.