Our global copyright and trademark litigation practice has secured substantial victories in multiple bet-the-company litigation matters of national interest. We have represented plaintiffs and defendants in high stakes litigation for clients across a diverse range of businesses and industries.
Copyright Litigation
Over the past two decades, Covington lawyers have brought or supervised hundreds of civil and criminal copyright-related actions against thousands of infringers throughout the United States and in over 60 countries. These actions range from traditional litigation over substantially similar and counterfeit works to actions against Internet, satellite and broadcast pirates. We have litigated copyright infringement cases in US district and appellate courts and have drafted and submitted amicus briefs on important copyright issues.
Covington has also conceived and implemented copyright-based enforcement campaigns against distributors of gray market products and packaging. We generally deploy small teams of lawyers, utilizing the firm's expertise in copyright law along with its reservoir of knowledge in substantive areas such as new technology, software, sports, media and communications, and luxury goods.
As part of these various efforts, Covington has built and trained a far-reaching network of local counsel and investigators, and has also developed important relationships with public authorities worldwide, including government officials, police, prosecutors, and customs authorities with responsibility for copyright enforcement.
Trademark Litigation
Covington has litigated trademark infringement, trademark dilution, counterfeiting, cyberpiracy, unfair competition, gray market, and rights of publicity cases in courts throughout the United States on behalf of numerous clients, including American Automobile Association (AAA), American Express, Armani, Atari, Bacardi, Cartier, Coty, MasterCard, Microsoft, Montblanc, National Basketball Association (NBA) and its member teams, National Geographic Society (NGS), Public Broadcasting Service (PBS), SPI Group, Sun Life of Canada and Yahoo!.
We also have recovered hundreds of domain names registered by cybersquatters, utilizing enforcement programs featuring court actions, including in rem actions, under the Anticybersquatting Consumer Protection Act, as well as UDRP proceedings under the arbitration rules adopted by ICANN. We have litigated numerous opposition and cancellation proceedings before the United States Trademark Trial and Appeal Board. In addition to many important litigation victories, we have achieved significant favorable outcomes for our clients through mediation, arbitration, and negotiated settlements.