Our Intellectual Property and Information Technology practice serves established and emerging businesses in diverse industries: entertainment, sports, internet, computers, telecommunications, consumer products, healthcare, advertising, publishing, and consulting to name a few. We help you protect your intellectual property in ways that promote your products and services.
Trademark:
We can help you with all aspects of brand protection.
- Evaluations of potential marks, including searches for availability of trademarks and consultation as to selection
- Applications and registration of trademarks
- Enforcement of trademark rights and trademark disputes
- Trademark protection and development programs -- including training of client personnel
- Oppositions and cancellations
- Sending and responding to cease and desist notices
- Trademark licenses and other transactions involving trademarks
- Domain name protection
- Trademark portfolio management
- Litigation
Copyrights:
Copyrights are the principal business assets for a wide range of our clients including, for example, television production companies and broadcasters, motion picture production companies, recording artists, songwriters and record companies, sports figures, computer software developers, internet companies, and book publishers. We have extensive experience in:
- Registration
- Enforcement of copyrights
- Copyright licenses and other transactions involving copyrights
- Disputes involving copyright
- Sending and responding to cease and desist notices
- Clearing rights in copyright owned by others, including, for example, music rights
- Copyright portfolio management including, for example, music publishing
- Litigation
IP Evaluations and Due Diligence:
Because of our extensive experience in the IP and IT areas we are able to conduct evaluations of intellectual property in acquisitions and other situations where the status and/or ownership is at issue.
- Rights clearance work for entertainment properties (motion pictures, television programs, computer software, books, music, and websites) involving issues such as copyright, trademark, right of privacy/publicity, defamation, etc.
- Rights clearance work for endorsements and other sports properties
- Errors and Omission Insurance matters, including attorney opinions
- Investor side evaluations
- Intellectual property audits
Technology Companies:
We bring experienced intellectual property and commercial transaction attorneys to the sophisticated practice of technology transfers. We have worked with a range of technology companies in assisting them in many ways, such as:
- Content Acquisition Agreements
- Distribution Agreements
- Securities Laws Issues
- Original Equipment Manufacturer (OEM) Agreements
- Joint Ventures and Strategic Alliances
- Nondisclosure / Confidentiality Agreements
- Noncompetition Agreements
- Licenses
- Application Service Provider (ASP) Agreements
- Web Designer Agreements
- E-commerce Agreements
- IP Escrow Agreements
- Franchise Agreements
- Domain name disputes and infringement actions, including ICANN actions under the Uniform Domain Name Dispute Resolution Policy (UDRP) and litigation under various trademark and unfair competition laws
We approach the practice of law the same way you approach your businesses . . . with passion and commitment.
We would be pleased to answer any questions you may have about the services of our Intellectual Property attorneys. Any questions may be directed to:
In Minnesota:
Tim Matson at tim@lommen.com or 612-336-9331 or Greg Perleberg at greg@lommen.com or 612-336-9320
In Wisconsin:
Stacey DeKalb at stacey@lommen.com or 612-336-9310
or any of the attorneys in this practice area pictured below.
Additional Information:
Do Companies Sue Competitors to Learn the Competitors' Trade Secrets? In the new millennium, employee mobility is the norm. Gone are the halcyon days when employees worked for one company for their entire career. One consequence of greater employee mobility is the proliferation of trade secret claims. When an employee leaves one company to work for a competitor, it is not unusual for the former employer to sue the new employer for misappropriation of trade secrets. Read the Corporate Counsel article by Keith Broady and Tim Matson.
[Q] I read more and more about how intellectual property is becoming so important these days. But my company is neither high-tech nor entertainment related. Why should I be concerned with intellectual property rights? Get the answer in this Ask Upsize segment.
Listen to the podcast of an interview with Tim Matson focusing on why your company needs a legal physical.
CLEARING RIGHTS FOR FILM AND TELEVISION PRODUCTIONS
US Copyright Office
US Trademark Office