Intellectual Property

The Firm is recognized for the versatility and depth of its Intellectual Property Practice. The 2001/2002 edition of Global Counsel 3000, for instance, includes Hughes Hubbard on its list of "recommended firms" in New York for IP & Technology.  The November 2002 issue of IP Worldwide ranked Hughes Hubbard as one of the top trademark prosecution firms, based on a survey of the 50 largest global companies, as determined by Fortune magazine.  Hughes Hubbard's trademark practice is headed by IP co-chair Perla Kuhn.  Ronald Abramson, also co-chair of the practice, was included, as a result of client and professional peer recommendations, in the latest edition of the International Who's Who of E-Commerce Lawyers as well as the 2003-2004 edition of The Best Lawyers in America.

We offer the level of expertise in trademarks, patents, copyrights and technology issues usually found only in boutique firms, while also providing the depth of litigation and corporate support of a full service firm.  We serve domestic and international clients in a diverse range of industries, including multimedia, finance, securities, manufacturing, publishing and entertainment.  Our excellent rate of success for clients in this area of law can be attributed to our team of attorneys’ skill, dedication, strong technical expertise and more than twenty years of service and experience. 

Our trademark practice handles a portfolio of over 20,000 marks, with particular emphasis on international protection for multinational businesses.  Hughes Hubbard’s resources and worldwide network enables our attorneys to obtain trademark protection expediently for both domestic and international clients.  Our dedicated attorneys are well-versed and handle all aspects of trademark law, including the selection, clearance, use and protection of service marks and trademarks; trademark opposition and cancellation proceedings; anti-counterfeiting investigation and enforcement; and trademark and trade dress infringement litigation.

Our patent practice, co-chaired by Ron Abramson and Peter Sullivan, includes a group of practitioners registered to practice before the United States Patent and Trademark Office, as well as a group of patent litigators, with an emphasis on the computer, Internet, software and business process areas, as well as the mechanical arts.  Our patent practitioners have hands-on, day-to-day involvement in prosecuting domestic and international patent applications, as well as experience in enforcing and defending claims of patent infringement in the courts. We have a separate page from which you can browse representative patents we have obtained for our clients.

Our copyright practice offers a complete scope of services to assist clients in all matters pertaining to obtaining, enforcing, licensing, buying and selling copyrights and copyrighted material, including literary works, music and video delivered via broadcast and cable. They are well-versed in the protection of computer software, database and information licensing, multimedia and related areas of Internet-copyright issues, advertising, character licensing, and rights of publicity and privacy.

Our technology law practice handles the full range of legal needs that high technology businesses demand.  We are unique among Wall Street firms in that many of our technology law experts have technology degrees and expertise in the related technologies, as well as finance and general contractual arrangements.  Our expertise in international and joint ventures and technology transfers is enhanced by our practices in Paris and the Pacific Basin.  These two practices play strategic roles in substantiating proficiency in U.S., EC, Far Eastern and other laws regarding foreign trade, antitrust, telecommunications, export and environmental protection.

Our Paris-based technology practice advises U.S. companies in their acquisition of French and European new technology companies, as well as French investors in connection with their strategic investments in the United States.  Our American lawyers in Paris are particularly attuned to counseling American companies in the specificities of the French legal and regulatory framework and have been responsible for adapting the contracts of numerous major Silicon Valley and route 128-based companies to the requirements of French and European law.