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INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY

The intellectual property group assists clients in identifying, developing, maximizing value from and protecting intellectual property assets. The firm represents clients in all areas of intellectual property law, and its attorneys have extensive experience in counseling, the rendering of formal legal opinions, the negotiation of licenses and assignments, prosecution, and litigation regarding rights in trademarks, copyrights, patents, and trade secrets. The firm also has substantial expertise with regard to publishing, franchising, Internet, multimedia and e-commerce law and the issues surrounding the development, protection, and exploitation of computer software and related technologies.

Counseling and Transactional Work. The firm provides clients with day-to-day counseling with regard to intellectual property, including the rendering of formal legal opinions (such as right-to-use opinions). The firm also regularly negotiates and drafts agreements regarding trademarks, copyrights, patents, and trade secrets, including licenses and assignments, distribution agreements, and numerous forms of joint venture agreements.

Trademark Prosecution. The firm specializes in trademark prosecution, including the prosecution and defense of opposition and cancellation proceedings. The firm's attorneys design and implement trademark registration programs in the U.S. and around the world, and have prosecuted, or overseen the prosecution of, many domestic and foreign trademark applications.

Patent Prosecution and Counseling. The firm handles patent prosecution in diverse areas of technology, including the drafting, filing and prosecuting of utility patent and design patent applications in the US and abroad. On a regular basis, the firm prepares right-to-use opinions for its clients, and also conducts searches and studies relating to patentability, design around, validity, and infringement issues. Our attorneys also assist clients in management of their patent portfolios and preparation of patent licenses, and provide guidance on strategic patenting of products and designs.

Publishing. The firm represents authors, magazines, agents and book publishers in various publishing related matters including licensing and joint venture agreements, the negotiation of book publishing agreements, pre-publication vetting, collaboration agreements, agent agreements and copyright and trademark matters.

IP Litigation. The firm represents clients in litigation in the federal and state trials and appellate courts throughout the United States, in arbitrations before the American Arbitration Association, in inter partes (i.e., opposition and cancellation) proceedings in the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office Trademark Trial and Appeal Board and in domain name dispute proceedings prosecuted under the ICANN dispute resolution procedure. The firm represents parties alleging infringement of their intellectual property rights as well as parties accused of infringing the rights of others.

Internet and E-commerce. The firm represents clients in a variety of Internet, e-commerce, multimedia and computer software related matters. Clients of the firm include online content providers, application service providers, companies involved in B2B commerce, fulfillment and distribution companies, software and Web application developers, interactive advertising agencies, Web site developers and hosts, consultants and other information technology companies.