Intellectual Property

Intellectual property (IP) refers to certain intangible assets and the rights of exclusivity provided by the law for such assets. IP includes patent, trademark, copyright and trade secret protection for, among other things, inventions (including methods as well as devices, machines, products, intermediates and compositions), product configurations and appearances and confidential information, words, phrases, symbols, designs, packaging and other devices that distinguish the products or services of one party from those of others, and musical, literary, and artistic works.

Intellectual property is the most important asset of most businesses, from the individual entrepreneur to the world's largest and most powerful companies. In fact, intellectual property has been estimated to make up between 45% and 75% of the value of the Fortune 500 companies and to be the highest growth area in the global economy.

The development and protection of a comprehensive intellectual property portfolio is therefore essential for maintaining the competitive business edge needed to succeed in today's innovative and ultra-competitive business environment. At the law offices of Gallop's team of highly experienced intellectual property attorneys is one of the largest and most experienced and technologically diverse intellectual property practices in the St. Louis region. We help our clients protect their increasingly important global intellectual property assets, providing experienced guidance and services in the full range of intellectual property, including:

• Patents
• Trademarks
• Trade Dress
• Copyrights
• Trade Secrets
• Internet Law
• Communications Law
• Unfair Competition
• Licensing & Technology Transfer
• IP Litigation
• IP Infringement and Validity Opinions
• IP Audits
• Domain Name Protection
• Nondisclosure Agreements
• Customs
• Computer Law
• Entertainment Law
• Product Disparagement
• Franchising
• Advertising
• Rights of Publicity & Privacy
• IP Asset Management
• IP Validity Opinions
• IP Agreements and Negotiation
• Non-Compete Agreements
• IP State of the Art Reviews

Our intellectual property expertise covers a broad range of technology. All of our patent attorneys have technical degrees. These degrees include degrees in mechanical engineering, chemical engineering, electrical engineering, cell physiology, and physics. Our experience also includes representation of a wide range of businesses and companies across diverse industries, including:

• Batteries
• Personal care products
• Specialty chemicals
• Packaging systems and methods
• Optical systems
• Network security
• Circuit board manufacture
• Forest Fire retardants
• Protein chemistry
• Biofilms
• Polymers and polymerization
• Chemical syntheses
• Medical devices
• Agriculture and Ag biotech
• Corrosion resistance
• Asphalt materials
• Emulsifiers and demulsifiers
• Diagnostics
• Vending machines
• Internet
• Motion pictures and television
• Print publishing
• Fashion
• Furniture
• General consumer goods
• Specialized training materials for military and homeland security applications
• Food packaging products
• Medical devices
• Engine and engine enhancing components
• Oil and gas well servicing chemicals and methods
• Recombinant DNA
• Biologics
• PCR and RTPCR methods and instrumentation
• Investment casting materials and methods
• Electrochromic materials
• Telecommunications
• Electrically conductive polymers
• Chemical scavengers and chelating agents
• Infant foods
• Pharmaceuticals
• Generic pharmaceuticals and Hatch/Waxman
• Coatings
• Computer hardware and software
• Cosmetics
• On-line rental
• Marking and public relations
• Footwear

Contact us to schedule a confidential consultation to discuss steps that you can take to protect your intellectual property.

Securing protection for all types of intellectual property assets

Our attorneys provide guidance and services from cradle to grave for all aspects of intellectual property protection, from selecting a trademark, trade dress, trade name or domain name and investigating its availability or conducting and analyzing patentability searches to evaluate the patentability of or freedom to practice an innovation to preparing, filing and prosecuting domestic and foreign patent, trademark and copyright applications; from representing clients in the preparation and negotiation of technology research and development agreements to conducting analyses and providing opinions on IP infringement and validity; and from defending IP lawsuits to filing and prosecuting IP lawsuits against others.

At Gallop, our IP attorneys have extensive experience in management of domestic and international IP portfolios. Through that experience, we have developed what we believe is the most efficient, effective and comprehensive approach to acquiring, protecting and defending our clients' IP rights. It begins with understanding our clients' businesses and their needs and goals and we then tailor strategies to match the clients' IP portfolios to them. We then staff the projects according to the professionals with the most appropriate technical knowledge and experience as well as cost-effectiveness, using associates and paralegals where possible without sacrificing quality to produce the highest quality service at the most reasonable cost.

Effectively handling intellectual property infringement litigation

Protecting your intellectual property portfolio is an essential step to minimizing intellectual property litigation, but even a perfectly executed intellectual property strategy cannot prevent all litigation. When necessary, we prosecute and defend against claims of patent, copyright, trademark and trade secret infringement. We also represent clients in unfair competition lawsuits and protect clients against the theft of intellectual property. We approach litigation the same way we approach IP Management. We work with our clients to develop an understanding of their businesses and their needs and the goals of the litigation. We then develop litigation strategies to match the clients' goals and limitations. We then proceed in a cost-conscious manner by staffing the lawsuit according to the professionals with the most appropriate technical knowledge and experience as well as cost-effectiveness, using associates and paralegals where possible without sacrificing quality to produce the highest quality service at the most reasonable cost. We also offer flexible billing practices to fit our clients' needs.