Contacts:
Jeffrey J. McMahan Shapleigh Smith, Jr. Karen McAndrew Elizabeth A. Kleinberg Ritchie E. Berger Samuel Hoar, Jr.
Practice Profile
The Intellectual Property and Technology Group works with clients to establish, develop, manage, and protect their IP portfolios. Comprised of both transactional and litigation attorneys, the IP and Tech Group assists clients with their IP needs in the context of new business formation, mergers and acquisitions, joint ventures, due diligence, asset-based financing, licenses and agreements, employment agreements, higher education, e-commerce, and litigation.
Areas of Concentration
Trademarks
We work with clients to select trademarks, prosecute trademark applications before the U.S. Patent & Trademark Office (including filing applications to register trademarks, responding to office actions, and handling administrative appeals), and maintain trademark registrations, both in the United States and abroad. We counsel clients regarding how to make the best use of their trademarks, and we help clients license their trademarks to others as well as to license trademarks from others. Our litigation attorneys enforce clients’ trademark rights and defend clients if their rights are challenged.
Copyright
We work with clients to identify their copyrightable material and secure protection through assignments and registration with the U.S. Copyright Office. We assist clients with licensing copyrighted work from others and licensing their own work to others. We help clients enforce their copyrights, and we defend them if their rights are challenged.
Trade Secrets
We help clients determine whether they have protectable trade secrets, take the steps necessary to protect their trade secrets, and enforce their rights in the face of suspected misappropriation. We assist clients with the licensing of trade secrets.
Licensing
We are experienced in negotiating and drafting licensing agreements for software and complex computer systems and licenses involving trademarks, copyrights, and trade secrets.
IP Audits
We work with clients to identify their IP assets and determine how best to protect them.
Mergers and Acquisitions/Joint Ventures
The IP and Tech Group is experienced and skilled in identifying IP issues and structuring deals in ways that protect clients’ IP rights while facilitating their business ventures.
New Business Formation
We work with new businesses to help identify possible IP issues and help them protect these valuable assets.
E-Commerce and Internet Issues
We work with clients on all aspects of e-commerce, including business formation, negotiation and drafting of contracts with web developers, copyright and trademark issues, and privacy and security concerns. We are experienced in drafting privacy policies and terms of use for websites. We have successfully handled domain name disputes.
Employment Agreements
The IP and Tech Group works with the firm’s employment lawyers to help employers anticipate and address IP issues in the workplace.
Higher Education
We work with our Higher Education Law Group to help institutions identify and address their IP issues, including the review and drafting of IP policies, the negotiation of IP rights in research agreements, and the issues arising from the use of copyrightable materials in publications, classrooms and distance learning programs.
Litigation
We work with the firm’s Litigation Group to enforce clients’ IP rights as well as to defend them. We have represented clients in cases concerning trademark infringement, copyright infringement, trade secrets violations, and violations of non-competition, non-solicitation, and non-inducement agreements. We have partnered with nationally prominent patent litigation firms to represent clients in patent infringement litigation.
Jeffrey J. McMahan Shapleigh Smith, Jr. Karen McAndrew Elizabeth A. Kleinberg Ritchie E. Berger Samuel Hoar, Jr.
Practice Profile
The Intellectual Property and Technology Group works with clients to establish, develop, manage, and protect their IP portfolios. Comprised of both transactional and litigation attorneys, the IP and Tech Group assists clients with their IP needs in the context of new business formation, mergers and acquisitions, joint ventures, due diligence, asset-based financing, licenses and agreements, employment agreements, higher education, e-commerce, and litigation.
Areas of Concentration
Trademarks
We work with clients to select trademarks, prosecute trademark applications before the U.S. Patent & Trademark Office (including filing applications to register trademarks, responding to office actions, and handling administrative appeals), and maintain trademark registrations, both in the United States and abroad. We counsel clients regarding how to make the best use of their trademarks, and we help clients license their trademarks to others as well as to license trademarks from others. Our litigation attorneys enforce clients’ trademark rights and defend clients if their rights are challenged.
Copyright
We work with clients to identify their copyrightable material and secure protection through assignments and registration with the U.S. Copyright Office. We assist clients with licensing copyrighted work from others and licensing their own work to others. We help clients enforce their copyrights, and we defend them if their rights are challenged.
Trade Secrets
We help clients determine whether they have protectable trade secrets, take the steps necessary to protect their trade secrets, and enforce their rights in the face of suspected misappropriation. We assist clients with the licensing of trade secrets.
Licensing
We are experienced in negotiating and drafting licensing agreements for software and complex computer systems and licenses involving trademarks, copyrights, and trade secrets.
IP Audits
We work with clients to identify their IP assets and determine how best to protect them.
Mergers and Acquisitions/Joint Ventures
The IP and Tech Group is experienced and skilled in identifying IP issues and structuring deals in ways that protect clients’ IP rights while facilitating their business ventures.
New Business Formation
We work with new businesses to help identify possible IP issues and help them protect these valuable assets.
E-Commerce and Internet Issues
We work with clients on all aspects of e-commerce, including business formation, negotiation and drafting of contracts with web developers, copyright and trademark issues, and privacy and security concerns. We are experienced in drafting privacy policies and terms of use for websites. We have successfully handled domain name disputes.
Employment Agreements
The IP and Tech Group works with the firm’s employment lawyers to help employers anticipate and address IP issues in the workplace.
Higher Education
We work with our Higher Education Law Group to help institutions identify and address their IP issues, including the review and drafting of IP policies, the negotiation of IP rights in research agreements, and the issues arising from the use of copyrightable materials in publications, classrooms and distance learning programs.
Litigation
We work with the firm’s Litigation Group to enforce clients’ IP rights as well as to defend them. We have represented clients in cases concerning trademark infringement, copyright infringement, trade secrets violations, and violations of non-competition, non-solicitation, and non-inducement agreements. We have partnered with nationally prominent patent litigation firms to represent clients in patent infringement litigation.