Does your company have IP issues?
Steptoe & Johnson has a broad-based intellectual property (IP) practice representing clients in all aspects of IP registration, enforcement, and value enhancement. The IP Team partners with the firm’s clients to assist in increasing the value of their important IP / proprietary information (trade secrets, patents, trademarks, copyrighted materials, and proprietary processes).
Areas of Service
Trademarks: Prepare, prosecute, maintain, and monitor federal and state trademark registrations; represent clients in cancellation, opposition, and concurrent use proceedings.
Copyrights: Prepare and file copyright registrations for works such as books, photographs, product designs, commercial material, and software.
Patents: Prepare, prosecute, and appeal utility and design patent applications, including foreign patent applications, draft patentability, freedom to use, validity, and non-infringement opinions, and assist in maintaining IP portfolios.
Domain Names: Assist clients in the acquisition of domain names and arbitrate domain name disputes before international body.
IP Litigation: Represent patentees and accused infringers throughout the country in patent/trademark/copyright infringement cases, negotiate settlement agreements, and defend related claims involving antitrust, false advertising, and unfair competition issues.
Counseling & IP Agreements: Develop IP policies to identify and protect IP assets, draft licenses non-disclosure, confidentiality, transfer, and R&D agreements.
Partnering with Clients
Steptoe & Johnson attorneys create a partnership with clients to:
- Identify which innovations should be protected and the best forms of protection based on the client's unique business goals
- Collaborate with clients to develop strategies for increasing the value of their IP
- Assist in implementing best practices for protecting their IP
- Develop an internal IP committee composed of members having technical, marketing and legal expertise to identify and protect client innovations
- Provide cost-benefit considerations to enable clients to make well-informed decisions relating to the protection of various IP, including cost-benefit of potential litigation
- Identify agreements that should be in place to protect a client’s trade secrets, including restrictions on employees and outside third parties
- Provide representation in litigation involving federally registered patents, trademarks, copyrighted works, trade secrets, and trade dress
- Negotiate settlements in infringement litigation that further clients’ short and long term objectives
- Counsel clients on the intersection of IP law and antitrust / unfair competition laws