Thorpe North and Western

A company’s value can be measured using the sum of two types of resources: tangible assets, such as plant, property and other “hard” property, and so-called intangible assets that include intellectual property such as processes, formulas, and brands. For many companies, the value of intangible assets is actually greater than the value of tangible ones. Intellectual property can and must be protected by patents, trademarks, service marks, copyrights, franchises and trade secrets. Thorpe North and Western addresses all client matters related to intellectual property, such as licensing, assignments, non-competition agreements and the prevention of unfair competition. The firm’s attorneys have a broad range of technical backgrounds and training necessary to understand, define, establish, grow, and protect the equity and integrity of the intellectual property of clients.

Thorpe North & Western's advice and counsel in securing and enforcing intellectual property rights of its clients falls into the following primary categories.

U.S. and international patent protection: Protecting—through utility, design and plant patents—the competitive advantage of new inventions and the commercial value of novel products and innovative processes.

U.S. and foreign trademarks: Protecting and enhancing the value of goodwill, which is embodied in corporate identity, trademarks, service marks, product shapes, brand names and related commercial identifications.

Copyright protection: Assisting authors, composers, publishers, and licensees from virtually every creative discipline in acquiring, securing, or transferring the rights to various forms of artistic and business expression.

Litigation/Dispute Resolution: Resolving via contract, settlement, or litigation, intellectual property issues including patent and trademark infringement, unfair competition, licensing, e-commerce, trade secret and related matters.

IP Licensing/Transactional Services: Providing assistance with merger/acquisition, due diligence opinion work and related matters dealing with transfer of IP interests.

Marketing/Business Strategies: Because of business experience in addition to legal and technical training, many attorneys at TNW are capable of coordinating legal advice in combination with a client’s business strategies, as an integrated effort.

IP Audits and Property Identification: An intellectual property audit of business resources and assets to identify potential IP property to be protected.

Opinion/Expert Witness Services: With a full range of technical backgrounds and many years of experience, senior attorneys at TNW are well prepared for providing opinions on validity/invalidity of patents, trademarks, copyrights and other IP, as well as issues of possible infringement.