Intellectual Property

At Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati, we partner with technology and growth business enterprises to most effectively leverage their intellectual assets. We develop and implement successful new business models, develop and execute strategic intellectual property litigation, structure and negotiate technology transactions and consult on long-term intellectual property strategies.

Intellectual Property Litigation

Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati's team of nearly 100 intellectual property litigators has deep technology and business expertise, and a proven track record of success. Since our clients' businesses have traditionally focused on creating and marketing products rich in intellectual property, enforcing IP rights and defending against claims of infringement or misappropriation always have been critical components of our firm's practice. Consequently, we have the experience and resources to provide our clients with the best available representation in intellectual property cases. Read more

We regularly litigate intellectual property issues that result in the creation of new precedent. We address all aspects of cutting-edge intellectual property protection including: patent (both federal district court and International Trade Commission), copyright, trade secret, and trademark litigation. Many of our intellectual property attorneys are members of the Patent Bar.

Internet & Copyright Litigation

Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati has long played a central role in shaping the legal landscape governing cyberspace. Our Internet & Copyright Litigation practice routinely tackles cutting-edge legal issues, from the earliest battles over the Digital Millennium Copyright Act, Internet domain names, and spam to today's cases over online copyrights, free speech, and privacy. Our attorneys represent recognized industry leaders, early-stage start-ups, and a host of others in between. Among our current engagements is the representation of Google and YouTube in defense of a highly publicized copyright infringement action brought against them by Viacom. Read more

Technology Transactions

We have more attorneys dedicated to technology transactions than any other firm in the world. These attorneys negotiate hundreds of successful business and strategic collaborations such as joint ventures, outsourcing deals, co-development arrangements, and manufacturing and distribution agreements, which place our clients in optimal positions to succeed in today's complex global marketplace. With extensive experience in these transactions and the particular industries in which they arise, we add value not only in crafting and negotiating the agreements, but also in establishing the business terms.

Intellectual Property Counseling & Patents

Our intellectual property counseling and patent practice helps our clients leverage their intellectual property, defend against the claims of others, establish a competitive position for the future, and ultimately, provide value to the investor. Our attorneys have specialized backgrounds and particular experience in the areas of life sciences, clean technology, electronics, and software. We identify the areas in which intellectual property protection is most critical to achieving the company's business objectives, determine the most effective methods of protection and identify strategies to avoid issues with third-party patents.

The intellectual property counseling and patents practice includes a specialty group involved in the promising field of stem cell research. The attorneys and patent agents in this group have extensive biochemical industry backgrounds that include stem cell research. We were retained as IP counsel to the California Institute for Regenerative Medicine (CIRM), a $3 billion state agency charged with funding research devoted to the health benefits stem cells offer in fighting debilitating and life-threatening diseases and injuries.

Trademarks, Copyrights & Advertising

A specialized component of Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati's intellectual property practice, our trademark and advertising team provides clients with sophisticated and aggressive strategic counseling, transactional, and litigation expertise on matters involving trademark, copyright, advertising, Internet, retail, media, and consumer law. We counsel clients on the selection, protection, and enforcement of company names, brand names, slogans, and trade dress for U.S. and worldwide markets, including registration and licensing. We also advise clients with regard to copyrights, consumer protection laws, rights of publicity and privacy, unfair competition in advertising and marketing, and the planning and implementation of sweepstakes, contests, and other promotional events.

Our attorneys have engaged in cutting-edge litigation in U.S. courts on trademark, trade name, trade dress, domain name, copyright, right of publicity/privacy, and unfair competition issues. We also represent clients in connection with trademark opposition and cancellation proceedings in the U.S. and other countries. In addition, we handle significant business transactions focused on brands and other creative content, including complex licenses, asset transfers, and joint ventures. We have experience representing clients before the Federal Trade Commission and other regulatory bodies regarding advertising and consumer protection issues, including false advertising claims and unfair competition cases between competitors.

Global Outsourcing Transactions

Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati's global outsourcing transactions practice is committed to providing our clients with effective, efficient, and strategic counsel that supports each client's commercial and legal objectives. Beyond expert legal advice, our attorneys value and balance the commercial goals and risks that motivate client and service provider and strive to find market-based, equitable, and sustainable contractual solutions. These values are exemplified in our approach: collaborative contracting. Our counsel, style, and processes are built on the belief that successful outsourcing relationships require the mutual respect of commercial requirements and capabilities, of risks and rewards, and of culture and values. This respect does not materialize the day the contract is signed; rather, it is nurtured and practiced from the moment the parties first meet and begin exchanging requirements and solutions. When our attorneys partner with our clients' legal and commercial leaders, we do so knowing that we are joining a collaborative process intended to create value for the parties for years to come.

Our attorneys have broad and deep experience in various outsourcing transaction types, global geographies, and service providers. We evaluate, structure, negotiate, remediate, and renew all types of information technology outsourcing (ITO) and business process outsourcing (BPO) transactions, including:

• IT infrastructure, data center management, hosting, enterprise computing, and telecommunications
• human resources outsourcing (HRO)
• finance and accounting outsourcing (FAO)
• application development and maintenance (ADM)
• desktop and device support
• help desk and call center operation
• build-operate-transfer (BOT)
• human resources information systems (HRIS)
• payroll and benefits administration
• procurement and procure-to-pay (P2P)
• knowledge process outsourcing (KPO)
• legal process outsourcing (LPO)
• analyst research
• staff augmentation
• manufacturing and capacity outsourcing
• research and development
• life sciences and clinical trials
• corporate acquisition and divestiture transition services

The globalization of service delivery models offers companies a broad mix of "follow-the-sun" locations designed to achieve increased service delivery and beneficial cost reductions. Our global expertise in onshore, near-shore, and offshore transactions will ensure that your stakeholders are aware of the incentives and risks inherent in the global delivery footprint of a service provider. Our expertise spans a wide range of service geographies including India, China, Philippines, Malaysia, Western Europe, Eastern Europe, Canada, Mexico, Brazil, Costa Rica, Jamaica, and other countries with maturing and rapidly growing outsourcing businesses.

Our attorneys have structured and negotiated U.S. and international outsourcing transactions for clients in diverse industries, including the automotive, food and agriculture, financial services, airline, pharmaceutical, energy, computer hardware and software, retail and consumer goods, and entertainment fields, as well as government entities. We have represented companies in their strategic outsourcing dealings with a broad array of global service providers, giving us an understanding of the contracting tendencies and styles of industry leaders such as IBM, Accenture, EDS, ACS, CSC, Deloitte, Unisys, Convergys, and Hewitt, among others. These practical and market-based experiences allow us to tailor our representation to match the unique nature of each client transaction in order to maximize our efficiency and effectiveness. Our experience and flexible approach allows our clients to rely on us for strategic and procedural guidance on vendor selection strategy, contract architecture, and transaction negotiation, as well as to integrate and collaborate with third-party advisory firms to produce efficient transactions, whether sole-sourced or achieved through a competitive process.

Complex outsourcing transactions require a multidisciplinary approach, and our Global Outsourcing Transactions practice leverages the broad capabilities of the entire firm across multiple offices, with projects staffed by recognized leading experts in technology transactions, intellectual property, privacy and data security, tax, employment, corporate and securities, and real estate law.