In an ever-changing and increasingly technological climate, intellectual property (IP) rights are vital to the success of businesses and hopeful entrepreneurs. IP rights protect ideas, and it is these unique concepts and designs that are often critical to commercial success. Strong IP rights protect and encourage creativity and innovation, and ensure that those who create are compensated for their work.

Sheehan Phinney delivers a complete range of intellectual property services for its clients.  We provide goal driven, practical, and innovative advice to clients in matters concerning all aspects of IP, including patents, trademarks, copyrights, trade secrets, e-commerce, prosecution, litigation, licensing, legal opinions, IP portfolio management and consolidation, and Internet law. We do this by working with clients to evaluate, protect, and enforce their IP rights, and to ensure that those rights are part of an ongoing, overall business strategy, from start-up to exit.

Sheehan Phinney is a full-service law firm, strategically located with multiple offices in New England. Not only can we provide advice concerning IP procurement, enforcement, and strategy, but we can do this while also considering issues that may arise in other areas of the law, adding tremendous value to your team. Being headquartered in New Hampshire, we are able to leverage our lower overhead by offering, at attractive rates, talented attorneys having experience and expertise equivalent to our colleagues in the larger firms.

We enjoy a diverse client base ranging from solo inventors and start-ups, to Fortune 500 companies and major research universities. Regardless of the client size, our goals, quality of work, and dedication remain the same.

Our US clients frequently require IP protection outside of the United States, and our client base extends well beyond the borders of the US. IP is a global commodity, and to ensure our clients remain competitive in the global economy, we maintain long-term relationships with agents throughout the world, relationships that we are constantly refining, to provide our clients with quality IP advice outside of the United States.  We regularly refer work to, and receive referrals from, our global colleagues to secure IP rights quickly and effectively. We are the exclusive New Hampshire law firm for Lex Mundi (a worldwide law services referral network), enabling us to work with counsel on a global level and enhancing our ability to address clients’ needs around the world.

Sheehan Phinney’s Intellectual Property Law Practice Group has received numerous awards and recognitions over the years, including Managing Intellectual Property Magazine – Intellectual Property, Tier 1, Highly Recommended Law Firm; New Hampshire Intellectual Property Law Firm of the Year – Corporate INTL Magazine Global Awards; New Hampshire Trademark Law Firm of the Year – Corporate INTL Magazine Global Awards; New Hampshire Business Review “Best of Business” award – Best Law Firm in the Intellectual Property category, Chambers USA – Top Tier, Best Lawyers in America and New England Super Lawyers.

Representative Matters:

• IP counsel for one of the region’s top dental insurers
• IP counsel for one of the country’s top educational software companies
• Trademark litigation counsel for one of the country’s top appliance manufacturers
• Patent litigation counsel for various national companies.
• Footwear manufacturer counsel with regard to online sweepstakes and contests
• Counsel to a manufacturer of vitamin, mineral and nutritional supplement products in developing and improving intellectual property protection and intellectual property rights
• IP counsel to one of the top international designers and manufacturers of high performance audio systems
• Management of trademark portfolios for a variety of organizations with domestic and international presences, including a leading global online university, a top manufacturer of die attach and epoxy dispensing systems, the preeminent online workforce education and development provider, a leading optics manufacturer, healthcare organizations of all sizes, SaaS providers of all sizes, multiple international consumer goods brands, and many others
• Global enforcement of trademark rights for multiple clients, including stopping online trademark infringement occurring both domestically and international
• Negotiated and drafted software agreements for a multi-million dollar system on behalf of a substantial nonprofit organization, dealing with some of the country’s top software and service providers
• Successfully represented a manufacturer of floral industry products in a significant case in Indiana that included cutting-edge developments in the law pertaining to trade dress and dilution issues, some of which went to the Seventh Circuit on appeal
• Preparation and negotiation of multi-million dollar license agreements including terms associated with intellectual property
• Prevented patent litigation multiple times by successfully proving invalidity of patent being enforced
• Preparation and prosecution of patent applications for one of the premier educational institutions in electrical engineering