Cooley

Firm overview:

Global, full-service firm Cooley employs approximately 1,200 lawyers across 17 offices in the US, Asia and Europe. Among those, more than 35 are IP litigators working across the US and Europe in the firm’s Intellectual Property Litigation practice.

Under this umbrella, the firm’s services comprise the full gamut of IP practice areas, including trademark, trade dress, patent, trade secret, copyright and false advertising disputes, Section 337 investigations, and domain name and licensing matters.

Cooley’s trial lawyers—known for their ability to win bet-the-company competitor cases—have experience across all US venues, including district and appellate courts, international arbitration forums, the Patent Trial and Appeal Board (PTAB), the Trademark Trial and Appeal Board (TTAB), the International Trade Commission (ITC) and the US Supreme Court.

“Cooley is a good firm”; they “have a big bite”, says a high-profile peer who has represented clients on the other side of trademark disputes.

With the majority of its IP litigators having technical backgrounds in science and/or engineering, Cooley is well placed to serve a client base focused in the technology and life sciences industries.

Team overview:

Cooley’s large Trademark, Copyright & Advertising practice encompasses an international team across the US, the UK and Europe, representing clients interests in virtually every jurisdiction in the world.

The team advises more than 1,500+ companies across industries, from start-ups to billion-dollar outfits; and manages 400+ active trademark, copyright and domain name disputes. Cooley filed more than 3,400 trademark applications globally in 2023; and 28,000+ trademarks are under its management across 170+ jurisdictions worldwide.

For filings and disputes in commercially significant markets outside of the US, UK and EU, the firm leans upon a network of local counsel to protect clients' brands across nearly 200 countries and jurisdictions.

Highly regarded partner Michael Rhodes, who is retiring at the end of 2024, “had a very good business sense”, says a peer of their interactions. Rhodes was formerly the global chair of Cooley’s cyber/data/privacy practice group and global chair of the litigation department.

Brendan Hughes (Recommended, Contentious) is chair of Cooley's global trademark, copyright and advertising practice group. He regularly counsels clients about the risks associated with using and attempting to register proposed marks, as well as the prosecution of trademark applications and maintenance of registrations.

In addition, Brendan represents clients in connection with trademark, copyright and false advertising-related actions in federal court, as well as trademark opposition and cancellation proceedings before the US Trademark Trial and Appeal Board (TTAB).