DLA Piper

Global giant DLA Piper continues its solid patent contentious work. Melinda Upton doubles as co-managing partner for Australia and IP and technology group leader. Robynne Sanders and Nicholas Tyacke oversee patent disputes for not only large life science companies but also mining and manufacturing firms. Greg Bodulovic has a notable practice in biotechnology patent matters. The firm has launched Global Patent Laws, an online tool to compare laws and dispute approaches. Litigator and strategist Simone Mitchell has joined a rival.

In the fall of 2016, DLA Piper absorbed IP litigation firm Dimock Stratton which boosted its IP capability. In its team are experienced IP litigators such as Ron Dimock, Bruce Stratton and Geoff Mowatt. Mowatt is advising FGF Brands while Stratton is advising TLL Oilfield Consulting and NorthVu. Dimock is one of top IP litigators in this jurisdiction. "The anchor of any firm and the driving force," says one commentator. Mowatt is also commended. "I consider him to be my best opponent, as a litigator and debater," says a peer.

The global law firm DLA Piper has a respectable soft IP practice in Australia. Specialist in trade mark prosecution and enforcement work Melinda Upton doubles as co-managing partner of the firm's Australian operations and heads the IP and technology group. "Melinda is a clear market leader," remarks one commentator. One work highlight shows her team advising Australian Wool Innovation on trade mark portfolio management and certification marks. "DLA Piper is an outstanding firm which has provided us with cost-effective IP protection and enforcement support globally," says a healthcare company client.

Horace Lam co-heads DLA Piper's Asian IP practice and leads the Greater China team in Beijing and Shanghai. The firm is particularly strong in contentious IP matters. A notable case study shows the team is advising McDonald's on trade mark matters in China and Hong Kong. Other clients include Avon, Dr Seuss and Hyatt.

The soft IP team at DLA Piper advises some of the best known rights holders in the UK on copyright and related rights. In its cross-disciplinary practice are soft IP specialists such as Ruth Hoy, John Wilks and Nick Fitzpatrick. The dedicated IP transactions specialists in team include John Cloke, Richard Taylor and Duncan Calow. Veteran IP practitioner Siân Croxon is still available to the team as consultant while Simon Levine plays an important role as global co-CEO. The firm recently represented the FA Premier League in a copyright dispute in which the High Court granted a rare order requiring ISPs to block access to streaming servers during live broadcast of football matches.

DLA Piper employs roughly 4,200 attorneys worldwide – approximately 115 of whom work at the two Baltimore offices. The IP group is active in several contentious and non-contentious matters. Its attorneys dedicate a good deal of energy toward strategic counseling services. They are well-versed in all aspects of technology law and advise on matters including advertising and promotion, data security, digital media content, e-commerce, and privacy protection. In IP litigation, a foreign tech client describes the team as "excellent, coherent and expert in IP related matters, especially for digital companies or matters." A foreign IT client praises the firm's "diligent and to-the-point advice." Yet another technology client comments: "The team is excellent, coherent and expert in IP-related matters, especially for digital companies."

Hugh Marbury is highly acclaimed for his business and intellectual property litigation practice, which frequently involves financial transactions and commercial disputes related to the pharmaceutical, software, and defense industries. His IP work further involves all aspects of patent, trademark, copyright, and trade secret litigation.

DLA Piper is among the world's largest law firms, employing more than 4,000 lawyers in offices spanning the globe. In the US, roughly 150 IP attorneys are spread across 20 offices. The major-market locations in New York, California and Washington DC, are hubs of attorney talent, which covers the full gamut of contentious and non-contentious IP law. Still, it should be noted that DLA lawyers are especially well regarded in the trademark realm, helping multinational clients build and protect portfolios in jurisdictions around the globe. DLA's Baltimore and Chicago branches add further strength to the domestic reach of the firm.

For example, Chicago-based stars Keith Medansky and Mark Feldman are praised as go-to resources who make themselves available, both as lawyers and as businesspeople, in a wide variety of intellectual property matters. In Maryland, Hugh Marbury is highly acclaimed for his business and intellectual property litigation practice, which frequently involves financial transactions and commercial disputes related to the pharmaceutical, software, and defense industries. Ann Ford is among the top trademark experts in the firm's Washington DC office, while Mark Radcliffe is a leader in trademark and copyright work in Palo Alto.