Intellectual Property
(Copyright, Counterfeiting, Patent, Trademark, Trade Secret, etc.)
Patent, Trademark, and Copyright Experience
Our intellectual property lawyers have significant experience in protecting and enforcing patents, trademarks, and copyrights. For example, we have handled intellectual property matters involving oil field equipment, chemical compositions, medical equipment, pharmaceuticals, building materials, computer hardware and software, electronic communications products and services, optical lens, electronic safety communications equipment, lighting equipment, sub-sea pipeline devices, pneumatic and hydraulic devices and control systems, mechanical fluid agitation devices, and fluid flow meters and associated electronic equipment.
In addition, we have:
- Represented a client/inventor in a federal court case involving fraud and infringement of patent, copyright and trademark. This was the first time in American jurisprudence that a foreign patent was tried to verdict.
- Obtained judgment in a bench trial in a patent, trade secret, and copyright action, including a contempt proceeding affirmed by the Federal Circuit three times.
- Defended several combined patent and Lanham Act cases, receiving jury verdicts that were affirmed by the Federal Circuit.
- Negotiated a settlement in patent, copyright, and trademark litigation on behalf of a foreign client against major telemarketing companies.
- Negotiated a settlement in a patent case regarding truck design.
- Defended a client in a jury trial regarding design patent and trade dress infringement which was affirmed on appeal.
- Represented an American distributor of industrial band saws in a patent infringement case.
- Prosecuted industrial valve counterfeiters for trademark infringement.
- Prosecuted several celebrated trade secret cases against former employees and their new companies.
Trade Secret and Protective Order Experience
The firm's lawyers have significant experience in trade secret and protective order litigation in numerous fields and contexts, including representing clients in actions to prevent disclosure of trade secrets and to enforce non-competition agreements.
Following is a small sampling of our recent experience:
- Represented a seller, distributor, and servicer of industrial batteries against three former employees who misappropriated digital and physical trade secrets to open an office for a competitor, causing hundreds of thousands of dollars in damages. We quickly obtained an ex parte sequestration order for the competitor’s computers and documents and secured multiple injunctions preventing use of our client’s trade secrets or soliciting our client’s customers. The case settled via letter agreement. Then, when one employee refused to honor the letter agreement, further action led to further settlement.
- Represented a chemical company in theft of trade secret litigation involving former employees.
- Represented an energy company in several disputes with licensees regarding misappropriation of trade secrets.
- Represented a chemical company, an energy company, and their affiliates in commercial litigation, necessitating protective orders to guard the information being produced during discovery.
- Represented a client in preventing a competitor from obtaining injunctive relief against a distributor on the basis of a covenant not to compete and a non-disclosure covenant.
- Represented a chemical company in a misappropriation of trade secrets action.
- Represented an electrical power generating company in a matter pertaining to misappropriation of confidential information.
- Represented an oilfield services company in trade secret and proprietary information injunction cases primarily pertaining to non-competition clauses.
- Represented a biotechnology company in arbitrations involving significant trade secret issues resulting in disputes over the scope and wording of protective orders, as well as implementation of the orders when the cases were referred to arbitration.
