Intellectual Property

Hinshaw's intellectual property attorneys represent companies across a wide range of industries with transactional and litigation matters involving copyright, patent, trademark, and trade secret matters. We also help businesses with protective activities, such as developing electronic document management solutions. This assistance includes efforts concerning e-discovery rules.

Often, intellectual property issues arise in a pre-litigation context―with the sending or receipt of a cease and desist letter. Our attorneys routinely advise clients and communicate with the opposing party on methods of resolution short of litigation. We work closely with clients to avoid litigation by helping them: identify key marks and materials for registration; review matters relating to the development, distribution, ownership and use of technology; and prepare confidentiality, licensing, employment, and insurance agreements involving intellectual property issues.

Our intellectual property attorneys are also skilled and experienced litigators. So, where litigation is unavoidable, we provide skilled legal representation. Among many other types of cases, we:

• litigate patent infringement, trademark and dilution, and copyright infringement disputes;
• represent clients in unfair competition, trade secret, false advertising, and right of publicity cases; and
• counsel clients in computer and internet law cases involving, for example, cybersquatting and domain names.

Hinshaw is also ideally situated to handle the insurance challenges that are often raised by intellectual property claims. In doing so, our intellectual property attorneys work alongside lawyers in the firm who collectively are familiar with nearly every type of insurance matter. We provide the experienced counsel necessary to develop effective, practical solutions. Among many other activities, we routinely: litigate declaratory judgments involving insurance coverage for intellectual property claims; and review proposed insurance policies and programs regarding whether they provide the sought coverage for potential claims.

Finally, our intellectual property attorneys are active participants in a number of intellectual property organizations, including the American Bar Association Intellectual Property Section, the American Intellectual Property Law Association (AIPLA), the Defense Research Institute's (DRI) Intellectual Property Special Litigation Group, the International Trademark Association (INTA), and the Intellectual Property Law Association of Chicago. We also regularly author articles and present on cutting edge topics involving intellectual property law.

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