Intellectual Property Litigation

The law protects inventions, trade secrets, confidential business information, trademarks and other forms of intellectual property in a variety of ways, including state and federal statutes, common law prohibitions on unfair competitions, contract law enforcing nondisclosure and noncompete agreements, and prohibitions against unlawful interference with contractual relations and business expectancies. The firm has been involved in a large variety of cases in which the rights to intellectual property was involved. The firm has represented both plaintiffs and defendants in cases involving alleged misappropriation of trade secrets, enforcement of nondisclosure and noncompete agreements and has litigated disputes over trademark rights. The firm has also, supported by specialist patent counsel, successfully defended patent infringement actions.

Significant intellectual property cases in which the firm has been involved include:

• Representing audio equipment designer Mark Levinson in an action seeking to prevent him from using his own name in a competing business after assigning the trademark rights in his name.
   
• Representing a major clothing manufacturer in an action alleged infringement of its federal registered trademark.
   
• Representing a manufacturer of electronic typewriters in an action alleging infringement of patent relating to standardized interfaces for acoustic bar typewriters and misappropriation of confidential information.
   
• Representing the defendant in case alleging misappropriation of trade secrets in connection with the manufacturing of plastic coating on the heads of pins.
   
• Representing a national insurance broker in an action against former business-lines broker alleging breach of a post- employment restrictive covenant not to compete.
   
• Representing a manufacturer of Schmidt-Cassegraine telescopes in an action alleging misappropriation of a trade secret manufacturing process.
   

Among the reported decisions in intellectual property cases in which the firm has been involved are: Madrigal Audio Laboratories, Inc. v. Cello, Ltd., 799 F.2d 814 (2d Cir. 1986); Plastic and Metal Fabricators, Inc. v. Roy, 163 Conn. 257, 303 A.2d 725 (1972); and Elm City Cheese Company v. Federico, 251 Conn. 59 (1999).