Finnegan

With experts in every industry and technology, Finnegan is one of the world’s top 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 nearly 300 IP professionals, contributing to its status as an IP giant. 

IP 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; Eli Lilly and Company; FedEx; Google; Nestlé; Novartis AG; Otsuka Pharmaceuticals; Samsung; Toshiba Corp.; Toyota Motor 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 more than 700 IP-related district court cases in the past five years, is home to over 250 litigators—including career trial attorneys. Moreover, approximately 300 of the firm’s legal professionals have degrees in scientific disciplines, with more than 60 of them holding PhDs. Moreover, over 225 of Finnegan’s legal professionals are registered to practice before the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO), European Patent Office (EPO), the German Patent and Trade Mark Office (DPMA), the U.K. Intellectual Property Office (UKIPO), and the European Union Intellectual Property Office (EUIPO).

Finnegan’s trademark practice is renowned because its attorneys have been involved in more than 25,000 trademark applications and registrations around the world. The trademark team litigates high-profile cases involving a range of iconic brands and is at the forefront of the domain-name business, having handled more than 500 uniform domain-name dispute-resolution policy arbitrations and litigating nearly 100 civil domain-name matters. Annually, the firm files or defends as many as 200 new U.S. oppositions and cancellations at the USPTO’s Trademark Trial and Appeal Board, and at any given time, Finnegan is litigating approximately 300 to 400 active U.S. oppositions and cancellations. 

Assisting Veterans

Finnegan works on a wide variety of pro bono matters, including civil, criminal, and asylum representations. In addition, through its Veteran’s Assistance program, the firm appears before the Court of Appeals for Veterans Claims (CAVC) and the Federal Circuit. Finnegan attorneys have handled more than 1,100 appeals from Board of Veterans Appeals (BVA) decisions.

• 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.

• Overturned a $176.5M jury verdict in a patent infringement lawsuit against Eli Lilly regarding migraine drug Emgality®. The judge sided against plaintiff Teva, noting that their patent did not disclose key set of antibodies and was thusly overly broad.

• Secured five consecutive patent infringement litigation victories for firm client BMW against multiple patent assertion entities (PAEs). 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 Firm (2023) – Managing Intellectual Property
• Best Companies to Work For: Law Firms (2024) – U.S. News & World Report
• Mansfield Rule 6.0 Certification Plus (2023) - Diversity Lab
• Best Law Firms for Women and Diversity (2023) - Seramount
• 100 Best Companies for Working Parents (2023) - Seramount