Overview

The Butzel Intellectual Property Practice Department collectively believes that to best serve our clients, first and foremost, it is important to gain a full understanding of their business objectives. Doing so enables us to determine the best approach to empower our clients to reach their goals. We do that by providing efficient legal representation, creative problem-solving solutions, and a superior level of service our clients can depend on.

Knowing that the right strategy for the right situation is paramount, we help our clients prepare for and navigate the intellectual property challenges they may face by bringing our experience and critical legal and business tools to the task. For a product launch, this may mean developing a global patent, bringing a trademark portfolio to brand, and positioning the new product. For software developers, it may mean registering copyrights and navigating the complex world of open source issues.

The Butzel Intellectual Property Practice Department handles transactional matters to avoid litigation and mitigate risk from intellectual property due diligence for mergers and acquisitions to joint development agreements, cross-licenses, and supply agreements.

We also handle important intellectual property litigation with our clients’ goals and endgame in mind.  We represent our clients in the federal courts and contested proceedings in the Patent and Trademark Office, while safeguarding trade secrets and enforcing trade secret rights against misappropriators.

Simply put, this Practice Department strives for seamless integration with our clients, whatever their industry, from serving our clients in developing high tech software for connected cars to developing hardware for aerospace and defense vehicles and bringing potentially life-changing medical devices to market.

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Experience

  • Trademark/patent litigation of an automotive service company
  • Asserted preemption arguments on behalf of copyright holder in infringement case
  • Trademark Prosecution: Prosecuted trademark applications for a major automotive company
  • Infringement action against mortgage company
  • Represented employer in successfully negotiating settlement of covenant not to compete and unfair competition suit against former employ.
  • Represented bottled water company in trademark action
  • False advertising claims for manufacturer of computer components
  • Patent Prosecution: Drafted, prepared, filed and prosecuted numerous patent applications for major automotive suppliers
  • Licensing/Transactions: Drafted license/transaction agreements for a major automotive supplier
  • Represented a corporation in copyright litigation transferred to religious court
  • Defended copyright action involving photographs
  • Patent Prosecution: Drafted, filed and prosecuted patent applications for a major insurance company
  • Defended a major financial management company against numerous claims for violation of non-solicitation and confidentiality agreements over a ten year period.
  • Trademark and Patent Filings
  • Successfully defended automotive supplier in patent infringement action; validated 2 patents on summary judgment and another after trial.
  • Successfully represented healthcare technology company in Non-Compete/Trade Secret dispute.
  • Represented global staffing, employment and recruiting company nationally in trade secret and non-compete matters and obtained injunctions in approximately 70 cases in 2007-2008.
  • Trademark dispute
  • Trade secret misappropriation action
  • Defended collegiate licensing entity in a copright lawsuit
  • Defended against claim for violation of a non-compete agreement
  • Patent infringement action
  • Successfully represented document imaging company in Non-Compete/Trade Secret dispute.
  • Represented biotech company and university in patent infringement/inventorship action.
  • Patent infringement action against pharmaceutical company
  • Patent infringement suit
  • Defended manufacturer in appeal of patent infringement action
  • Trademark cancellation proceeding
  • Defended website owner of a health-care related site for trademark litigation against a provider of cosmetic surgery
  • Defended nonprofit organization in trademark/copyright/domain name infringement litigation
  • Defended copyright action against critic
  • Asserted copyright infringement claims on behalf of the owners of copyrights associated with computer code
  • Trademark infringement action
  • Patent infringement action
  • Represent plaintiff in patent infringement and false advertising case
  • Represent plaintiff in patent infringement case
  • Defended manufacturer in trade dress and patent infringement lawsuit
  • Defended surviving members of 1960's rock band in trademark and copyright infringement action against Plaintiff's heirs who sought a preliminary injunction to prevent clients from continuing to use the trademarks and copyrights relating to the band.
  • Represented employer in successfully negotiating settlement of covenant not to compete, copyright infringement, and unfair competition suit against former employees
  • Patent infringement actions
  • Trademark infringement action
  • Trade secret lawsuits
  • Represented a technology consulting company in negotiations and contemplated litigation against its former client regarding breach of the parties' non-disclosure agreement and related copyright infringement and theft of trade secrets claims.
  • Global Brand creation/trademark selection, clearance, registration, and portfolio management for New York-based maker of men's personal care products
  • Interference proceeding against automotive supplier
  • Represented automotive supplier in patent infringement/antitrust case
  • Defended web-based retailer in a trademark infringement action brought by a major OEM over domain name
  • Represented trademark owner (automotive supplier) in domain name dispute; client gained possession of infringing domain name
  • Represented automotive supplier in patent infringement case
  • Enforced publisher's copyrights against infringer
  • Obtained summary judgment (and affirmance in the Court of Appeals) of copyright and trademark claims against national recording artist
  • Represented a major automotive supplier in a suit against a Texas aftermarket parts company for patent infringement
  • Represented defendant recording artists in multi-million dollar music copyright case resulting in a "no cause" verdict.
  • Enforced finance company's trademark rights against infringer
  • Defended semiconductor manufacturer in trademark infringement action. Summary judgment affirmed on appeal.
  • Global brand/trademark portfolio management for division of major US software developer
  • Defended injection molding equipment manufacturer in trademark infringement litigation
  • Design patent and trade dress rights
  • False advertising action
  • Defended fastener corporation-patent licensee in two companion actions alleging patent and trademark infringement, and misappropriation of trade secrets.
  • Represented Italian fashion house in numerous opposition and cancellation proceedings
  • Assist in brand creation/trademark selection, clearance, registration, and portfolio management
  • Defended Tier 1 automotive supplier in patent litigation involving universal garage door opener technology
  • Corporate identity makeover for brand creation/trademark selection, clearance, registration and portfolio maintenance for a major US insurance/investment company
  • Represented a former employee accused of stealing more than $100 million worth of trade secrets from his employers in violation of the federal economic espionage act.
  • Global brand creation/trademark selection, clearance, registration, and portfolio management for manufacturer of custom golf clubs
  • Patent infringement action
  • Trade secret action
  • Defended automotive supplier against patent infringement
  • Patent and trade dress infringement, and trade secret misappropriation.
  • Successful representation of numerous luxury goods and fashion apparel manufacturers in trademark infringement, gray market and counterfeiting disputes
  • Overturned adverse decision by Board of Patent appeals and interferences in Federal Court; sustained on appeal
  • Represented a software developer with government contracts against former managers in action for injunctive relief for misappropriation of trade secrets and tortuous interference
  • Prosecution of counterfeiting and trademark infringement action for Italian jewelry designer
  • Defended boat windshield manufacturer in patent infringement action
  • Corporate identity makeover for US technology company including global trademark clearance and registration
  • Represented automotive inspection company in copyright lawsuit related to car inspection software
  • Defended manufacturer of roofing staple device in patent litigation
  • Trademark/patent litigation of a home repair and cleaning company
  • False marking/advertising action
  • Defended automotive manufacturer in trademark litigation
  • Successfully represented healthcare technology company in breach of contract and misappropriation of trade secret/confidential information dispute.
  • Represented an international children's toy and apparel company with respect to its registration of copyrights and trademarks in the United States, as well as regarding licensing agreements concerning such intellectual property.
  • Represented research and development company in patent inventorship dispute.
  • Patent Prosecution: Drafted, filed and prosecuted patent applications for a major automotive supplier
  • Successful defense of manufacturer accused of misappropriation of trade secrets and threatened with preliminary injunction that would have closed down one of its principal lines of business
  • Defended fiberglass manufacturer in patent/trade secret infringement action
  • Asserted breach of distributor agreement claims on behalf of licensor of copyrighted computer code
  • Defended manufacturer in patent infringement action
  • Obtained injunction enforcing covenant not to compete against former employee.
  • Prevailed at trial in a multi-million dollar patent case for an automotive manufacturing client, invalidating the last of three patents that had been asserted against client.
  • Represented pharmaceutical company in a false advertising lawsuit involving a product claiming to be the generic equivalent of a leading brand
  • Patent Prosecution: Drafted, filed and prosecuted patent applications for a metallurgical company
  • Coordinated research and counsel on negotiations of supply agreement for new battery technology for international manufacturing client.
  • Defend manufacturer in patent infringement case
  • Trademark counterfeiting claim
  • Defended publisher in trademark infringement action
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