Practice Areas & Industries: Smith Moore Leatherwood LLP

Practice/Industry Group Overview
Smith Moore's Intellectual Property attorneys have a wide range of global experience in transactional, counseling and litigation services. We have worked with companies from a broad array of industry sectors, including computer, semiconductor, software, Internet, telecommunications, pharmaceutical, chemical, medical devices, and manufacturing. IP Litigation Our experienced IP Litigation attorneys understand the frequent need for quick, forceful action to protect our clients' intellectual property. We represent a number of clients in intellectual property cases across the country and routinely act as local counsel, providing advice on matters of local law and procedure. Our trial lawyers have handled patent infringement, trade secret and unfair competition claims involving cutting-edge products in fields such as biotechnology, telecommunications, pharmaceuticals and computer hardware and software. We are equally adept at handling similar claims involving consumer products ranging from apparel to lighting fixtures. We have developed this breadth of experience because our clients understand that we know the courtroom and what it takes to succeed there. However, we also recognize the value to our clients of resolving disputes without litigation when it makes good business sense. Our attorneys frequently counsel our clients about the enforcement of intellectual property rights and other issues related to threatened or potential litigation. We also regularly use alternative dispute resolution methods, such as mediation and arbitration, to resolve disputes before or after lawsuits get started. Furthermore, our attorneys are experienced in state-of-the-art litigation sciences in preparing and evaluating cases before courtroom presentation, including technology, enhanced exhibits, focus groups, mock-trials and jury attitude surveys, and have worked with the leading national litigation consulting firms. Patents We offer a full range of patent prosecution experience to our foreign and domestic clients. We regularly advise our international clients on matters involving the interplay between U.S. and international standards for patentability, infringement, and such decisions as when and where first to file a patent application. Our Patent Team's experience enhances our longstanding, high-quality patent litigation practice. Trademarks We help our clients select and protect their valuable trademarks, service marks and trade names. Our lawyers conduct searches to determine a mark's prior usage and availability, and we assist with registration and maintenance of trademarks and service marks, both in the United States and in foreign countries. We regularly handle cancellation and opposition proceedings before the United States Trademark Trial and Appeal Board. Technology Transfer and Licensing We have substantial experience in structuring transactions to allocate the risks and responsibilities for the development, protection, licensing and distribution of various technologies. We advise our clients on corporate structure, capital acquisition and general business matters. We help clients ask the right questions during the due diligence process, then make sure that the documents reflect the chosen business model. Copyrights We work closely with our clients to maximize copyright protection and have assisted with copyright representation both in the United States and internationally. We regularly assist clients with preparation and filing of copyright registration applications in the Copyright Office. We also have represented software developers and vendors as plaintiffs or defendants in litigation concerning the scope and infringement of copyright. Trade Secret Protection Our services include: Representing clients in early-stage protection of trade secrets and sensitive commercial information Developing internal trade-secret protection policies to prevent inadvertent loss of a company's most valuable proprietary information Setting the stage for successful joint ventures and acquisitions with sound non-disclosure agreements Preparing enforceable confidentiality and non-compete agreements that serve as genuine deterrents Prosecuting and defending a broad array of trade-secret misappropriation and unfair competition claims