Intellectual Property Litigation & Enforcement

Our top-ranked intellectual property litigation attorneys apply formidable knowledge and experience to protect our clients’ valuable intellectual property assets. We understand the complexities of patent prosecution and trademark, copyright and trade secret infringements, having successfully resolved IP cases in federal and state courts, and before the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office, the International Trade Commission and the Trademark Trial and Appeal Board.

Providing Strong IP Protections

Whether defending an industry giant from patent infringement claims or representing a start-up business in a copyright lawsuit, we successfully protect the proprietary rights of our clients and obtain results that make good business sense.

Domain Disputes & Top-Level Domain Expansion

To protect our clients’ trademarks and trade names, we implement effective domain name registration strategies and successfully prosecute infringement claims in federal court under the federal Anticybersquatting Consumer Protection Act and the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) arbitration guidelines and its Uniform Domain-Name Dispute Resolution Policy.

Our newly formed domain name expansion team is led by a partner who belongs to the Internet Governance and Contractual Relationships Subcommittee of the International Trademark Association’s (INTA) Internet Committee and a partner who chairs the Domain Disputes Subcommittee of INTA’s Internet Committee.

Patent Litigation


CTE Global, Inc. v. Novozymes A/S et al (N.D. Ill.) 
We secured a significant victory for our client in an alleged patent infringement case related to glucoamylase enzyme products. 

Sedecal USA, Inc. v. Blue Ridge X-Ray Co., Inc. (W.D.N.C.) 
Secured a jury verdict enforcing the patent rights of the plaintiff, Sedecal, a worldwide leader in the design and manufacturing of high frequency X-Ray generators and X-Ray systems, in a case relating to high voltage X-Ray equipment. 

EOS GmbH - Electro Optical Systems v. Phenix Systems, and Additive Manufacturing Technologies, Inc. (N.D. Ill.) 
We defended our clients and received a favorable settlement in an alleged patent infringement case relating to laser sintering equipment. 

Lifefactory, Inc. v. Leapfrog Product Development (N.D. Cal.) 
We received a favorable settlement in an alleged patent infringement case relating to silicone coated containers. 

Tri-Star Electronics, LLC v. Preci-Dip SA (C.D. Cal.) 
We won a decisive claim construction ruling leading to a stipulation of non-infringement in favor of our client in a case involving military-grade electrical components. 

PPS Data, LLC v. The SSI Group, Inc. (D.Utah) 
We forced a favorable settlement for our client on the eve of the Markman hearing in a case involving health care billing software. 

In re Certain Products Containing Sintered Rare Earth Magnets,(337-TA-855) 
Three days before trial, we forced the complainant, Hitachi, to withdraw all infringement allegations against our client, Beats Electronics, in an investigation involving sintered rare earth magnets. 

In re Products Having Laminated Packaging, Laminated Packaging, and Components Thereof, (337-TA-874) 
We obtained a final determination of no domestic industry in favor of our client, Beats Electronics, in an investigation involving laminated packaging composites. 

Fontaine Engineered Products v. Raildecks, Inc. 
We successfully defended two client patents involving collapsible containers against Inter Partes Review petitions. 

Search America, Inc v. TransUnion Intelligence LLC 
We are representing TransUnion Intelligence in two Covered Business Method Review proceedings concerning patents for health care financing software. 

Mirada Controls, Inc. v. Amcast Industrial Corporation (U.S. Dist. Court, Minn.) 
Successfully defended a manufacturer of industrial gas valves in patent ownership and infringement dispute. 

TransAuction LLC v. Bidz.com, Inc.; eBay, Inc.; Overstock.com, Inc.; uBid.com Holdings, Inc. and Winecommune.com, LLC (U.S. Dist. Court, E.D. Texas) 
Represented uBid.com in defending against “patent troll” lawsuit and obtaining favorable settlement and license agreement. 

Fort James Corp v. Solo Cup Company, (E.D. Wi.) 
Served as Trial Counsel for the patent infringement defendant, Solo Cup Company. The trial resulted in a jury verdict of non-infringement in Solo Cup’s favor, thus denying the alleged liability in the excess of $100 million. 

 

Trademark Litigation


Lettuce Entertain You Enterprises, Inc. v. Talk of the Town Restaurants, Inc. and Ron Woodsby (U.S. Dist. Court, M.D., Florida) 
Obtained a jury verdict for Lettuce Entertain You Enterprises finding that Talk of the Town Restaurants infringed Lettuce’s rights in the trademark WILDFIRE, and violated section 32 and 43(a) of the Lanham Act, when it rebranded its well-known Orlando-area CHARLEY’S STEAKHOUSE to CHARLEY’S WILDFIRE GRILLE. 

Adam’s Apple Distributing, L.P. and Philip Morris, Inc., v. Panaria, Inc. (U.S. Dist. Court, S.D.N.Y.) 
Represented plaintiffs in counterfeit seizure action focusing on original artwork owned by Adam’s Apple and the Marlboro cigarette box trade dress owned by Philip Morris. 

ALCAR, Inc. v. Corporate Performance Systems, Inc. (U.S. Dist. Court, N.D. Ill.) 
Prosecuted a trademark infringement action on behalf of a financial instruments software developer against a former distributor turned cybersquatter to reclaim an Internet domain name composed of Alcar’s registered trademark. 

AOL Inc. v. Advertise.com, Inc. (U.S. Dist. Court, E.D. Va. and C.D. Cal.) 
Obtained a preliminary injunction on behalf of AOL based on significant confusion affecting one of the client’s leading brands. 

Republic Technologies v. Shenzhen Jieshibo Technology Co., Ltd. (Trademark Trial and Appeal Board) 
Won an opposition to the registration of the mark JSB on the grounds that it was likely to cause confusion with the mark JOB.

 

Copyright Litigation


Alexander Global Products v. McDonald’s Corporation, et al. (Pennsylvania) 
Successfully defended McDonald’s in a copyright infringement case, including denial of Request for Temporary Restraining Order. 

National Counseling Compensation Insurance v. Insurance Data Resources, Inc. (U.S. Dist. Court, S.D. Fla.) 
Successfully defended a startup business in copyright infringement lawsuit centering on the validity and infringement of copyrights in codes, formulas and related manuals used by licensed workers’ compensation rating organizations. 

Pivot Point International v. Charlene Products, et al. (N.D Ill. and Seventh Circuit) 
Represented Pivot Point in a decision that confirmed on appeal on a matter of first impression in the Seventh Circuit the copyrightability of its three-dimensional mannequin head sculpture based on conceptual separability. 

The Nielsen Company (U.S.) LLC v. Truck Ads (N.D. Ill.) 
Established protectable copyrights and licensing revenue in Nielsen’s widely-used DMA maps. 

Nielsen Media Research v. Eagle Creek Broadcasting (Corpus Christi, Texas and S.D. Texas) 
Defeated preliminary injunction and established the right to de-list TV stations from Nielsen ratings book. 

Adam’s Apple Distributing, L.P. v. People’s Choice (D. Oregon) 
Won a copyright infringement action involving affirmative defenses of equitable estoppel and implied license, focusing on unauthorized commercialization of copyrighted artwork. 

Flava Works, Inc. v. Gunter et al. (N.D. Ill.) 
Won decisive victory in Seventh Circuit regarding copyright liability for hyperlink posting. 

Lettuce Entertain You Enterprises, Inc. v. Leila Sophia AR LLC (N.D. Ill.) 
Obtained a preliminary injunction preventing defendants from opening a restaurant under the name LETTUCE MIX on the basis that the name infringed upon the family of LETTUCE trademarks.