Intellectual Property

Our group includes business lawyers who focus on counseling companies and structuring transactions involving technology and intangible assets of all types. The group also includes litigators with direct experience in disputes involving patents, trademarks, trade secrets, copyrights, and related rights, who can advise clients on liability and risk allocation matters, as well as represent them in all types of litigation and dispute proceedings. We also were among the first large general practice firms to develop a broad patent practice, and our patent lawyers and agents have technical expertise in electrical engineering, physics, software engineering, optics, mechanical engineering, and chemistry.

Legal services provided by Stoel Rives LLP include:

Trade Secrets and Confidential Information
We assist clients with a wide range of matters relating to the protection of trade secrets and confidential information. Our work includes the preparation and negotiation of agreements with employees restricting their employment and post-employment activities (e.g., assignment of inventions, noncompetition, no solicitation, and "right of first refusal" agreements), preparation and negotiation of nondisclosure agreements, creation of internal systems designed to preserve and protect trade secrets, preparation and negotiation of agreements with OEMs, VARs, and contract service providers designed to protect trade secrets, and litigation services associated with trade secret disputes.

Trademarks
The firm has experience in all areas of trademark protection and practice. We represent clients in trademark matters in state and federal courts and before the Patent and Trademark Office. Services to our clients include the development of trademark protection strategies; performing trademark searches; preparing, filing and prosecuting trademark applications in the United States and internationally; preparing, filing and prosecuting trademark oppositions and cancellations; and preparing and negotiating trademark infringement litigation.

Patents
We secure patent rights for inventions in numerous technological fields. These inventions include therapeutic and diagnostic biotechnology applications, electron devices, sophisticated analog and digital electronic circuitry, electro-optical systems, optical devices and systems, image display systems, color ink jet printers, hardware-and software-based computer systems and numerous mechanical devices and systems. Our lawyers engage in the acquisition and licensing of patent rights in inventions and have experience in patent infringement litigation involving complex technologies such as holography, geometric optics, liquid crystal displays, automated machine vision, computer graphic displays, miniature electronic component testers and automatic fluid analysis.