This global capability encompasses a large team of IP practitioners, located throughout the United States (with many of our lawyers admitted before the US Patent and Trademark Office), in each of the key European business centers (particularly London, Frankfurt and Düsseldorf), in Asia (with a strong presence in Hong Kong and Mainland China), and Brazil. In addition, we have relationships with firms around the globe to help us meet our clients’ worldwide IP needs.

We take a multifaceted approach to today’s emerging issues in the development, protection and exploitation of intellectual property assets. We don’t just identify risks and problems—we deliver practical and pragmatic solutions, leveraging our deep market and sector experience to be commercially astute in providing counsel.

Lawyers in Mayer Brown’s Intellectual Property practice deliver extremely high and uncompromising standards of quality, and our advice is delivered in the context of the strategic goals and operational needs of each client. We collaborate to select the right options to fit each client’s business strategy, whether they are assessing an IP portfolio, performing due diligence for an acquisition, securing a trademark or copyright, or using litigation to resolve business disputes over patent, trademark or copyright infringement or misappropriation. We help our clients protect their investment, increase their market share and strengthen their competitive advantage. We are true interactive and strategic partners with every client.

Mayer Brown was recognized as Law360’s Intellectual Property Practice Group of the Year in 2017 and as 2016 Life Sciences Practice Group of the Year as well as Technology Practice Group of the Year. In 2017 U.S. News and World Report’s Best Law Firms as a Tier 1 firm across the board for IP Litigation, Patent Litigation, Copyright, Patent and Trademark Law. In addition, leading ranking publications such as Chambers and Partners, Legal 500 and IAM Patent 1000 continually recognize our Intellectual Property group's excellence in the marketplace. Chambers USA quoted clients who noted that they “treat us like partners; communication is fantastic, and they make sure that we always understand what is going on.” In Asia, our practice has received numerous awards, including "Copyright Firm of the Year" in 2016 and 2017 by Asia IP. We are consistently ranked a top-tier firm for Patent and Trademark/Copyright in Hong Kong and China in Asian Legal Business' IP Rankings.

The fact that we handle a full range of complex technologies reflects the fact that many of our lawyers have technical degrees in such fields as electrical and mechanical engineering, computer science, chemistry and microbiology. A number of them have worked as scientists and engineers before becoming lawyers. Indeed, we not only know IP law, but we understand its practical and commercial application.

Litigation and Enforcement

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. 

Counseling and Prosecution

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.

Transactions

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.