• Please send new patent applications only to newapplications@bipc.com

Buchanan Ingersoll & Rooney's Intellectual Property Section offers clients depth and capacity few other law firms can match. More than 25 percent of our Intellectual Property professionals are former examiners at the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO). Many possess master's and doctorate degrees in the disciplines of biology (such as molecular biology and biophysics) and chemistry.

We counsel clients on matters involving patents, trademarks, copyrights, trade dress, trade secrets, licensing, technology transfer and non-disclosure and non-compete agreements. In the patent field alone, more than 1,100 patents are issued annually by the USPTO to Buchanan clients. More than 300 foreign patents are issued each year to our clients, as well.

The products, materials, designs, processes and technologies that we have helped our clients improve and protect include:

• Aeronautics
• ALD (atomic layer deposition)
• Biotechnology
• Business methods
• Chemical compositions and processes
• Communications
• Computer hardware and software
• Concrete cutting tools
• Control systems
• Defense-related systems and components
• Digital and analog signal processing
• Electronics
• Energy conservation systems
• Enterprise software
• Ethical drugs and drug-delivery systems
• Fabricating machinery
• Genetic research and engineering
• Image processing
• Internet and web services
• Low, medium, high power transmission systems and components
• Medical and diagnostic equipment
• MEMS processing
• Nanotechnology
• Networking and network devices
• Optic components
• Organic chemistry
• Packaging for the storage and transportation of hazardous wastes
• Pharmaceuticals
• Plant variety protection
• Power generation and transmission
• Product manufacturing equipment
• Radio frequency products
• Robotics
• Satellites
• Semiconductor processing
• Smart cards
• Special metals and alloys
• Textiles
• Thermal sprayed coatings
• Transportation systems and components
• Ultrasound devices

Buchanan's involvement in patent issues extends well beyond application and prosecution. Infringement and ownership of patents frequently are contested by various parties. A conflict may pit inventor against corporation or company against employee. Representing both plaintiffs and defendants in both domestic and international venues, our professionals are broadly experienced in the litigation of patent-related issues. And their intensely practical, thoroughly prepared approach to matters of patent infringement reflects a recognition that their clients' very ability to compete may be determined by the outcome of the litigation process.

Securing and protecting trademarks, service marks and copyrights are companion strengths. Closely aligned with patent-related activities, these services include:

• Researching and interpreting mark conflicts.
• Obtaining ownership and registration rights.
• Advising management on correct and appropriate use.
• Expanding commercial value of rights ownership through preparation and execution of licensing and franchising agreements.
• Litigating infringement issues.

Through counseling of clients engaged in new product development and new business ventures, our attorneys have prevented many intellectual property problems. But when intellectual property disputes result in litigation, Buchanan has both the experience and resources to assist. The firm's Intellectual Property Litigation Section consists of more than 20 attorneys for this purpose.

Our professionals have represented clients before the International Trade Commission, a body charged with addressing the importation of products that infringe on the property rights of domestic industries. With the rise in international incidents of trade piracy, our lawyers are increasingly active in counseling clients on available measures of property protection and in vigorously defending client interests when infringements occur.

As examples of matters handled by our Intellectual Property Group, we have:

• Represented Sepracor, Inc., a research-based pharmaceutical company, in complex IP litigation, IP counseling and FDA matters.
• Handled patent work for Breckenridge Pharmaceuticals, Inc.
• Provided IP counseling, patent and trademark prosecution advice, opinions, and patent and trademark application filings for Konica Minolta, Archer Daniels Midland Company, Apple Computer, Lockheed Martin, Michelin North America, Inc., John Deere and Samsung among others.
• Obtained a reversal in the Third Circuit Court of Appeals from a district court ruling that The Gallup Organization's copyright in its Q12^® Employee Engagement Survey was not valid, allowing a claim for copyright infringement of Gallup's Q12^® to proceed to trial.
• Performed work on patent-related matters for a number of universities, including the University of Kentucky, University of Maryland-Baltimore and Brigham Young University.
• Represented a manufacturer of polyolefin plastic packaging material in the defense of an ongoing patent infringement case in federal court in Delaware.