Finnegan

With experts in every industry and technology, Finnegan is one of the world’s top intellectual property (IP) law firms. The firm’s work spans the full range of IP needs related to European, German, U.K., and U.S. IP law. Finnegan employs more than 700 people, including more than 300 IP professionals, contributing to its status as an IP giant. 

Intellectual Property Vision

Marc Finnegan and Douglas Henderson teamed up in 1965 to open a shop in Washington, DC, that practiced only IP law. The firm’s focus has not changed, although its scope has expanded to cover virtually every aspect of patent, trademark, and copyright law with services that include counseling, prosecution, licensing, portfolio management, and litigation. Finnegan also provides counseling and litigation services in advertising, privacy, and a wide spectrum of IP-adjacent commercial matters, including trade secrets, international trade, the Internet, e-commerce, government contracts, antitrust, and unfair competition. The firm now boasts five U.S. offices and six international offices. Since opening its Tokyo office in 1988, when it became one of the first U.S. patent firms to have a lawyer actively practicing in Japan, the firm has staked a position in some of the other leading technology and innovation centers in the world, namely, Atlanta, Boston, London, Munich, Palo Alto, Reston, Seoul, Shanghai, and Taipei.

Unsurprisingly, a firm like Finnegan has an A-list roster of regular clients including Caterpillar; Otsuka Pharmaceuticals; Samsung; Toshiba Corp.; and Under Armour.

Patents Rule

Although it’s true that the firm’s professionals handle a full array of IP legal issues, patent law is where the firm reigns supreme: More than 90% of Finnegan attorneys work primarily on patent matters. The firm has overseen nearly 850 IP-related district court cases in the past five years and is home to over 230 litigators—including career trial attorneys. More than 300 of the firm’s legal professionals have degrees in scientific disciplines, with more than 75 of them holding a Ph.D. Moreover, nearly 250 of Finnegan’s legal professionals are registered to practice before the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO), the European Patent Office, the German Patent and Trade Mark Office, the U.K. Intellectual Property Office, and the European Union Intellectual Property Office.

Finnegan’s trademark practice is renowned because its attorneys have filed more than 7,000 trademark applications globally over the past five years. The trademark team litigates high-profile cases involving a range of iconic brands and is at the forefront of the domain-name business. In the past five years, Finnegan has handled more than 100 uniform domain-name dispute-resolution policy arbitrations and filed and defended nearly 400 trademark oppositions and cancellations at the USPTO’s Trademark Trial and Appeal Board.

• Secured a key jury victory for Under Armour in a trademark infringement litigation case against women’s athleisure brand Armorina. Following our assertions of potential consumer deception and trademark dilution, a Baltimore jury ruled in favor of Under Armour on all counts.
• Led ProSlide Technology to victory in an infringement case against WhiteWater West Industries, prevailing after a nine-day trial. A Florida jury found in favor of ProSlide on assertions of willful infringement ahead of key amusement industry trade show IAPPA, which ensured the defendant could not sell or advertise its infringing products at the event.
• Vacated a previous jury trial decision awarding Teva $176.5 million in damages after Finnegan client Eli Lilly and Company’s motion for judgment as a matter of law was granted, showing that three Teva patents are invalid for inadequate written description and lack of enablement, in a patent case related to antibody treatments for migraine.
• Secured five consecutive patent infringement litigation victories for firm client BMW against multiple patent assertion entities. In addition to the litigation victories, Finnegan’s strategy focused on securing restrictive covenants preventing future infringement litigation against our client.

• Firm of the Year—IP Boutique, 2024, 2025—Managing Intellectual Property
• Best Companies to Work For: Law Firms, 2024—U.S. News & World Report
• Mansfield Rule Certification 7.0 Plus, 2024—Diversity Lab
• Best Law Firms for Women and Diversity, 2024—Seramount
• 100 Best Companies for Working Parents, 2024—Seramount