Clients throughout the world rely on Mayer Brown to fully protect their intellectual property assets and to aggressively enforce them. We represent clients as plaintiffs and defendants in claims involving patent, trademark and copyright infringement, unfair competition, false advertising, trade secret misappropriation and IP-related antitrust violations. At the federal trial court level in the United States, we handle disputes involving a variety of applications, including pharmaceutical, business method, biotech and electronics. In addition, our litigators have a proven track record of success with Section 337 litigation at the International Trade Commission. Because of our firm’s strong antitrust practice, we can handle any IP claim that has antitrust implications.

With the nation’s oldest and largest appellate and Supreme Court practice, Mayer Brown is highly experienced at handling IP cases in the Supreme Court and the Federal Circuit. The scope of our appellate experience means greater efficiency and effectiveness for our clients at every level of the appellate process.

We also conduct complex IP litigation before the specialized chambers of German District Courts, Courts of Appeals and the German Supreme Court (where upwards of 70 percent of the European patent litigation occurs), and are active in the courts of the United Kingdom and France, as well as the European Court of Justice and Court of First Instance. For clients with cross-border IP disputes, our lawyers appear before the International Trade Commission, the American Arbitration Association, and the Court of Arbitration of the International Chamber of Commerce. 

Mayer Brown gives intellectual property clients a comprehensive approach to their IP portfolio. We work with clients in developing and protecting their intellectual property to meet current business objectives and to anticipate future needs. By taking such a complete approach to IP portfolio management, we can begin to protect IP assets from the moment of creation and help clients build a profitable IP portfolio. This approach includes leveraging Mayer Brown’s firm-wide capabilities to ensure maximum tax advantage, effective licensing protection and even the securitization of revenue streams from intellectual property assets.

We excel at working in collaboration with clients to create a strategic plan for building and protecting all IP assets. Our lawyers will identify any necessary steps to change the way rights are developed and protected, including trade secret procedures, employment agreements, registration and enforcement. Such broad strategic vision is typical of all Mayer Brown’s intellectual property services–and is why companies that have invested in developing their intellectual property assets depend on us.

With our broad technical experience, we prepare and prosecute patent applications across a full spectrum of technologies–pharmaceutical, biotechnology, chemical, electrical and mechanical products, software and business methods. In addition to a cadre of experienced patent lawyers and agents in the United States, we work with local patent counsel around the world to ensure our clients’ inventions are protected.

Add to all this such advantages as secure, web-based extranet access to patent and trademark files for lower cost and better communication, and our patent and trademark prosecution strengths offer a clear competitive edge to every client.

Our cutting-edge Technology & IP Transactions practice helps companies accelerate their growth through strategic alliances and other business combinations and IP and data monetization. We routinely work with our M&A, Capital Markets, Emerging Companies & Venture Capital, Fintech, Insurtech, Cybersecurity & Data Privacy, Antitrust, Tax and Structured Finance colleagues on transactional matters, including negotiating and preparing domestic and international license and transfer agreements, performing due diligence reviews, and designing intellectual property strategies for corporate mergers, acquisitions, divestures, joint ventures and corporate reorganizations.

We advise on patent, trade secret, trademark, data, and other IP licenses; software licenses (including for ERP systems); open source counseling and analysis; and technology transfer and sharing agreements, among other matters. We anticipate strategically important shifts and respond to market conditions with an approach that is both sophisticated and pragmatic.

We also excel at helping clients navigate the increasingly congested intersection between intellectual property and antitrust, both in the United States and Europe. (In fact, one of our lawyers was involved in drafting the 1995 DOJ and FTC Guidelines on the Licensing of Intellectual Property, which also has influenced EU antitrust policies.) We know how to structure intellectual property rights pools and distribution agreements (including field of use, geographic and price restraints) in ways to comply with the competition laws in any jurisdiction worldwide.

And we know how to innovate. Mayer Brown helped pioneer the securitization of IP assets by representing the underwriters of future royalty streams from music portfolios and continues to structure offerings involving many copyrighted works and trademark rights. We see opportunities other firms don’t—and help our clients take advantage of them.