Reed Smith's extensive and respected global intellectual property network, combined with our established local experience in countless communities and court districts, fosters genuine and sustained relationships with international and local clients that is unrivaled by other law firms. International collaboration between nearly 100 respected IP lawyers across 26 offices allows us to become intimately aware and mindful of client business objectives. As our intellectual property practice has grown, we have consistently maintained close-knit relationships with clients by fostering an atmosphere of mutual understanding and appreciation of our common talents and aspirations.
Our lawyers have strong technical credentials, IP litigation skills, and jury trial experience, as well as extensive understanding of the industries in which our clients operate. Unlike lawyers in many firms, Reed Smith's IP attorneys deal solely with intellectual property and intellectual property matters. Our team includes patent, copyright, and trademark lawyers, IP trial lawyers, and lawyers knowledgeable in IP transactions. Our IP litigation team is composed exclusively of full-time IP trial lawyers who have won large-ticket disputes in courts and before tribunals, including the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office, the U.S. International Trade Commission, the World Intellectual Property Organization and the International Chamber of Commerce. These lawyers are also well-versed in patent, trademark and copyright (including software) infringement, trade secrets and unfair competition, international dispute resolution, insurance coverage claims, Internet and new media, and other issues. Our lawyers have experience in and are intimately familiar with the rules and procedures of nearly every United States venue, including the Eastern District of Texas, the Northern District of California, the Northern District of Illinois, the Western District of Wisconsin, and the District of Delaware, and they have an extensive reach into Europe, the Middle East and Asia.
Our Intellectual Property lawyers also provide business counsel to help clients build and maximize their IP value. We serve as IP counsel in mergers, acquisitions and dispositions, as well as in joint ventures, strategic alliances and IP asset acquisitions. We also help clients develop internal processes to protect their IP rights, and draft employment, nondisclosure and confidentiality agreements, and have filed tens of thousands of patent and trademark applications for clients around the globe. We even conduct IP audits and structure a wide range of commercial agreements to address licensing; software development, supply and distribution; e-commerce; and IP investment issues.
The BTI Litigation Outlook 2013 ranked our IP group a “Powerhouse” firm, among the best law firms suited to help in the area of litigation, based on extensive interviews with more than 350 general counsel and chief legal officers of various large companies.
U.S. News & Best Law Firms 2013 ranked our group Tier 2 in “Litigation – Intellectual Property,” “Patent Law,” and “Trademark Law.”
The Legal Intelligencer named our IP department a 2012 Pennsylvania “Litigation Department of the Year.”
The Legal 500 ranked the group a first-tier firm for “Trademarks: Non-Contentious – Specialist Advice” in 2009.
Our IP lawyers have repeatedly been recognized as leading lawyers in the World Trademark Review 1000, Chambers USA, The Best Lawyers in America 2013 and as "Leading IP Strategists" by Intellectual Asset Management Magazine.
To ensure that we are meeting our clients’ needs, our intellectual property lawyers are flexible and adaptable in pricing options, offering creative alternative fee arrangements that maximize efficiency, value and service. We help clients understand the implications of what they are facing and work to find solutions short of trial, helping to avoid costly litigation and other IP issues.
