The Debevoise Intellectual Property Group is recognized by clients and adversaries alike as one of the strongest practices of its kind.
David H. Bernstein
Michael Schaper
Megan K. Bannigan
Ranked as a top-tier firm for Intellectual Property: Trademark, Copyright & Trade Secrets in the United States by Chambers Global (2020) and Chambers USA (2020).
The level of support is phenomenal [and the] level of communication is best in class.
They are incredibly rigorous and are amazing communicators who can break down complicated scenarios in a digestible manner.
The team is very intelligent, proactive and bring a tremendous amount of gravitas.
When we have a particularly complex or important case that comes up, they are definitely a go-to.
—Chambers USA, 2019-2020
Top-class practice with a sophisticated focus on the most complex copyright, trademark and false advertising matters.
—Chambers Global, 2020
Debevoise Intellectual Property Brochure
Consistently placed in the top-tier by Chambers Global, the Intellectual Property Group enjoys a position of extraordinary prominence, including being selected as Managing Intellectual Property’s “Trademark Contentious Firm of the Year” in four of the last seven years.
The Group handles a wide variety of cases around the world, including trademark, trade dress and advertising disputes; copyright matters in media and entertainment; right of publicity issues; and unfair competition, trade secret and patent cases. Many of its cases have cross-border components, and it has deep experience across a wide range of industries.
With litigators renowned for their tough-mindedness and practicality, the Group led The Legal 500 to say, “You wouldn’t want to spill any blood in the water with these guys around. They are tough, efficient and highly effective trial lawyers.”
Debevoise’s corporate IP lawyers play integral roles in advising clients on a wide range of transactions and commercial business activities that implicate intellectual property rights, information technology and privacy matters. The depth of the firm’s Corporate Department provides a full-service approach to clients’ complex IP transactional issues.
Known for its cutting-edge work, the Group excels at solving unprecedented legal challenges. Examples include its work on behalf of the major TV networks in ABC et al. v. Aereo, in which the U.S. Supreme Court held that Aereo violates their copyrights when it transmits over-the-air broadcast programs through the Internet to its subscribers without authorization from the copyright owners. Other groundbreaking results include the innovative settlement it crafted between the NFL and a group of retired players over the use of their names and likenesses in NFL Films programming, and its win on behalf of Yves Saint Laurent in the high-profile “red-shoe” litigation against Christian Louboutin.
Partners on the team are also thought leaders in the field, active in teaching and writing books and articles, including “Copyright Law: A Practitioner’s Guide” and “The Law of Advertising, Marketing and Promotion.”
Clients benefit from lean, highly experienced and skilled teams that offer thorough analysis of the law, refined to its most practical application. Finding the right business answer is always the priority.
Partners work closely with clients at every step of a matter. Within Debevoise, the Group enjoys a close working relationship with complementary practices and other offices. The result is what Chambers USA has called a “sophisticated, high-value, and well-balanced practice,” with “terrific people and great depth.”