United States

Leadership in U.S. IP law

Finnegan has more than 40 years of experience in successfully navigating U.S. IP law. We work with clients of all sizes, from virtually every industry and technology to identify, protect, advocate, and leverage their most valuable IP assets. We guide U.S. organizations as well as multinational entities that wish to conduct business in the U.S.  Foreign innovators entering the U.S. market are often surprised at the intricacies of the intellectual property legal system. Patent law is becoming increasingly complex, with regulatory and legislative changes having a dramatic impact on companies’ intellectual property and business strategies. At Finnegan, we see this complexity as an opportunity to think creatively. Our full range of IP experience—from idea protection and management to litigation and appeals—gives us the perspective to anticipate potential issues and devise creative solutions. 

IP protection needs are broad, and so is our practice

Whether we are arguing a case before the ITC, formulating and executing a licensing program, or provoking an interference before the PTO, our lawyers bring in-depth experience and leadership in all aspects of IP law. Our singular focus on IP brings a peerless depth to our patent and trademark practices. Our practice includes:

• Patent and trademark litigation
• Patent prosecution Patent transactions and strategic counseling, including portfolio management
• Trademark counseling, prosecution, and portfolio management
• Copyrights
• Trade secrets

Offices where we are needed most

The firm opened its first office in 1965.  Since then, we have established offices in some of the largest and most vibrant technology centers in the United States.

Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C. has served as the firm’s headquarters since our founding. The office has 220 lawyers and 560 other professionals and support staff. Each year, the office obtains more than 1700 issued patents, secures more than 500 registered trademarks, and renders legal opinions for hundreds of national and international clients.

Our Washington, D.C. location provides several strategic advantages. Its close proximity to the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office, which sits across the Potomac River in Alexandria, Virginia, allows our lawyers to interact closely with representatives of the PTO during the critical stages of patent prosecution. Our office is just down the street from the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit, the court that hears all appeals from district court patent cases and most appeals from the PTO. Other nearby courts of significance for patent litigation are the U.S. International Trade Commission, the U.S. District for the Eastern District of Virginia, and the U.S. Court of Federal Claims.

Atlanta, Georgia
To serve our expanding client base in the southeast, the firm established an office in Atlanta, Georgia in 1997. The office is involved in patent and trademark litigation in U.S. District Courts throughout the country, and in appeals to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit. In addition to its litigation capabilities, it provides patent and trademark prosecution services to clients in a wide range of regional, national, and international businesses, including computer, software, communications, chemicals, biotechnology, medical devices, and industrial manufacturing. The office's lawyers also counsel clients and provide opinions on patent validity, patent and trademark infringement, and other IP issues.  They have experience in the technical fields of electrical engineering and computer technologies, chemical and metallurgical sciences, mechanical, and biotechnology/pharmaceuticals, as well as trademarks and copyrights.

Cambridge, Massachusetts
We opened our Cambridge office in July of 2001. The office provides a full range of intellectual property law services, including U.S. and international patent and trademark counseling, prosecution, and litigation. Three former in-house counsel, several first-chair litigators, 12 professionals with Ph.D.’s, several former patent examiners, and the current president of AIPPI are resident in the office. In addition to their legal experience, the office’s lawyers and other legal professionals have particular technical expertise in the fields of biotechnology, medical devices, and electronics and computer science.

The office, which overlooks the Charles River and the Boston skyline, is located in the heart of Kendall Square, home to the area's high tech and biotech businesses, as well as MIT. Our location brings us close to many of our clients and gives us access to the vast resources available at nearby universities and research centers.

Palo Alto, California
Situated amidst one of the world’s highest concentrations of technology-focused businesses, our Palo Alto office is well positioned to protect the diverse array of products and breakthrough discoveries arising from Silicon Valley and other western hubs of economic development and commerce. Opened in 1997, the office also serves as a gateway for companies headquartered on the Pacific Rim. Many of the office’s lawyers regularly travel to Asia to meet with clients and support our offices in Shanghai, Taipei, and Tokyo. Our professionals work with innovative corporations in the biotech, pharmaceutical, computer, information services, medical device, and advanced energy industries that look to us for the highest level of legal and scientific expertise.

Our comprehensive practice covers every aspect of intellectual property law from prosecution, opinions, interferences, and licensing to portfolio management, global enforcement, and litigation. We litigate and defend claims in courts throughout the United States, with particular expertise in the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit and the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California. We also represent clients in appeals before the Federal Circuit and in Section 337 actions before the ITC.

Reston, Virginia
Like our Washington, D.C. office legal team, our Reston office provides a comprehensive array of intellectual property law services to regional and national computer, software, Internet, telecommunications, biotechnology, medical device, and aerospace companies. The office’s proximity to the Dulles Airport and the Dulles technology corridor makes it a convenient location for many of our clients.

The lawyers in our Reston office include members from all of the firm’s practice groups, including biotechnology/pharmaceutical, electrical and computer technology, mechanical, chemical/metallurgical, and trademark law. The depth and diversity of the group’s technical and legal experience positions them as the go-to IP firm to represent small, early-stage companies as well as large, multinational corporations. The office’s litigators bring years of experience managing contentious cases at the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia, also known as the "Rocket Docket" for its swift and unique case management system.