Intellectual Property

Intellectual property rights (patents, copyrights, trademarks, trade names, confidential trade secrets, customer lists) often form the backbone of businesses here in Silicon Valley.  Failure to properly protect your intellectual property can spell the end for your business.  We help businesses protect their intellectual property rights through the drafting  and negotiation of non-disclosure agreements, research and filing for trademarks, obtaining copyrights, and preparation of license agreements, for example.   We  defend these intellectual property rights through the preparation of cease-and-desist letters and beyond.

We have substantial intellectual property dispute and litigation experience with trademarks, trade secrets, trade names, copyrights, customer lists, and domain names.  We have successfully litigated for domain name transfer due to trademark infringement and cybersquatting.  We have protected businesses’ intellectual property copyright interests in their websites due to unauthorized use by competitors.

We also work with trusted co-counsel in the intellectual property area of patent research and prosecution.  Patent prosecutors must have a special license from the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office, which typically requires a technical college degree.

Trademark

We handle all aspects of trademark filings, disputes, and litigation.  If you are confronted with a legal issue involving trademark, contact us. We can help you determine if your proposed trademark is first in time, and how to strengthen it. Learn more about our Trademark experience.

Licensing

Each license situation raises its own legal issues.  Is the license exclusive or is it non-exclusive?  Can the licensee relicense the IP?  We can help draft and negotiate license agreements to clarify each issue that might arise. Learn about our Licensing experience.

Copyright

We can help you protect your “original works of authorship” from copyright infringement, including software and websites, as well as literary, dramatic, musical, and artistic works.  We also defend people accused of copyright infringement.  Learn more about our Copyright services.

Every business has its intellectual property legal needs.  Before you invest your capital to build your brand, let us help you make sure you own your business name and trademarks free and clear of any competing claims.  If intellectual property is important to your business, contact us to discuss how to best defend it from would-be thieves and interlopers.