Partner – Litigation Practice Chair
John Skeriotis
Areas of Practice
Intellectual Property, Patent, Trademarks, Copyright, Internet Law, Litigation, Licensing
A company’s intellectual property is its most important asset. If it’s not maintained, someone else could use, or worse, claim ownership and block you from using it. This can be your trademark, story, secret techniques, recipes, and so much more. Ensuring that your IP is properly protected is essential, but also a long-term job. There’s no one-and-done solution; you have to keep protecting it for as long as your company is in operation. To keep it safe, you’ll need in-house IP counsel.
In-house IP counsel can do as our name suggests. We instruct our clients on how to best utilize and protect their IP. If there’s a new way you wish to use your trademark, we can advise. Many companies decide to outsource their entire intellectual property portfolio, and we serve as in-house intellectual property counsel for numerous clients who want the most experienced counselors at their side.
What Situations Require In-House IP Counsel?
You would call upon your in-house IP counsel before trying to expand your IP or generate new ones, especially in different industries. Our ability to be responsive and well-researched on a work product allows us to answer our clients’ questions quickly enough for them to make a decision.
Whenever you’re trying to expand your IP or create new IP, you run the risk of treading on someone else’s toes. Just like how you need to defend your IP, so does everyone else. If they think you’re imposing a similar trademark or utilizing even a portion of their patent, they may file a cease and desist. We can advise you as to when this may happen.
Examples of Potential IP Issues You May Run Into
We have some examples of legal issues we’ve guided our clients around so they may avoid receiving or having to give out a cease and desist.
