Intellectual Property & Technology

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The attorneys in Hodgson Russ’s Intellectual Property & Technology Practice Group devote their practices to the protection and enforcement of all forms of intellectual property rights under patent, trademark, copyright, unfair competition, and trade secret laws.

Many Hodgson Russ intellectual property attorneys have advanced degrees in engineering, chemistry, and the biological sciences in addition to law degrees, and prior to attending law school, many of our intellectual property attorneys worked in academia or industries that include software, energy, semiconductor, microelectronics, manufacturing, plastics, information technology, and automotive. This gives our attorneys an unusual ability to understand our clients’ requirements and objectives. Our attorneys appreciate the new frontiers in which our clients conduct business and advise them on strategically building and managing their intellectual property portfolios.

Hodgson Russ’s intellectual property practice is national and international in scope. Clients include Fortune 500 corporations, middle-market companies, and major research and educational institutions, as well as smaller businesses and individuals. The firm works directly with the United States Patent and Trademark Office and with a network of patent and trademark attorneys in all major countries of the world.

Hodgson Russ has been awarded a prestigious Best Law Firms Metropolitan Tier 1 ranking by Best Lawyers/U.S. News & World Report in the Patent Law category.

Patents, Trademarks, Copyrights, and Agreements

Some of the services offered by Hodgson Russ’s Intellectual Property & Technology Practice Group include:

Patents

• Analyzing and managing intellectual property portfolios
• Evaluating the patentability of inventions
• Preparing, filing, and prosecuting utility and design patent applications and reissue applications in the United States
• Assisting U.S. clients in protecting inventions in foreign countries and assisting international clients in protecting inventions in the United States
• Performing freedom-to-operate, patent infringement, and validity studies
• Counseling with respect to patents and related unfair competition issues
• Handling acquisition due diligence
• Handling ex parte and inter partes reexamination
• Drafting technology agreements, including non-disclosure, licensing, development, manufacturing and technology transfer

Trademarks and Service Marks

• Evaluating availability of marks and names
• Preparing, filing, and prosecuting applications for state and federal registration
• Assisting U.S. clients in protecting marks in foreign countries and assisting international clients in protecting marks in the United States
• Counseling on trademark/service mark issues, including trade dress, product packaging, Internet domain names, websites, and trademark/service mark portfolio management and due diligence matters
• Evaluating and counseling with respect to infringement and trademark-related unfair competition issues
• Licensing trademarks

Copyrights

• Counseling with respect to copyright matters, including questions of authorship, ownership, and transfers
• Procuring federal copyright registrations
• Evaluating copyright infringement issues
• Copyright licensing

Litigation

• Litigating patent matters before various U.S. district courts, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit, and the International Trade Commission
• Litigating trademark matters, including opposition and cancellation proceedings
• Litigating unfair competition matters, including misappropriation or theft of ideas and trade secrets
• Litigating copyright matters

In addition, Hodgson Russ’s Intellectual Property & Technology Practice Group provides counseling and conducts programs, seminars, and other educational offerings to assist clients in assessing potential risks and legal exposures. These services allow clients to evaluate, manage, and head off situations that might result in litigation.

Technical Areas

All attorneys in Hodgson Russ’s Intellectual Property & Technology Practice Group have degrees in engineering or science. Their diverse technical backgrounds enable the firm to offer intellectual property services in areas that include:

• Aerospace technology
• Biotechnology
• Biofuels
• Business methods
• Chemistry
• Computer hardware and software
• Electrical and electronics
• Mechanical
• Material science
• Medical devices
• Nanotechnology
• Optics and optical devices
• Pharmaceuticals and therapeutics
• Telecommunications
• Veterinary sciences