Protecting & Enforcing Intellectual Property Rights
Our intellectual property litigation attorneys are proud to call themselves trial lawyers. Whether the issue concerns patents, trademarks, copyrights, trade secrets, or unfair competition, business clients are increasingly recognizing the importance of experienced trial lawyers in enforcing and defending their intellectual property rights.
Clients choose WM&J, a firm of trial lawyers, to protect their valuable business assets because of our proven combination of winning skills: substantive grasp of technical issues, the ability to synthesize and simplify complicated concepts for ease of understanding and presentation, and the trial skills to make our clients’ points of view persuasive – indeed compelling – to judges and juries. Equally important, our trial attorneys are experienced in designing risk management and case resolution strategies to minimize the risk and likelihood of litigation.
As trial advocates, our attorneys have successfully prosecuted and defended infringement, misappropriation, and unfair competition claims. We couple strong academic and practical backgrounds in engineering, mathematics, and science with honed public speaking and advocacy skills.
If you would like more information about the firm's intellectual property practice, please contact:
David L. Applegate
Phone: 312-855-4851
E-mail: dla@willmont.com
Representative Cases
Patent Litigation:
The Boler Co. v. Arvin Meritor, U.S.D.C., N.D. IL. Plaintiff’s patent infringement case involving improvement to semi-trailer truck suspensions.
The Boler Co. v. Watson & Chalin, U.S.D.C., N.D.OH. Plaintiff’s patent infringement case involving improvement to semi-trailer suspension systems.
The Boler Co. v. Raydan Manufacturing, U.S.D.C., N.D.IL. Plaintiff’s patent infringement declaratory judgment action involving vocational truck suspension systems.
Molon Motor and Coil Corporation v. Merkle-Korff Industries, Inc., U.S.D.C., N.D.IL. Defense of patent infringement case involving compact electrical motors used in refrigerator units.
Recycling Sciences International, Inc. v. Southwest Soil Remediation, Inc., et al., U.S.D.C., N.D. IL. Defense of patent litigation involving multiple patents for processes of remediating contaminated soil.
Trademark Infringement Litigation:
Davis v. Comptown Records, U.S.D.C., N.D. IL. Defense of record label in Lanham Act suit.
Moves, A Dance and Fitness Studio v. MTV Networks, Jennifer Lopez, Simon Fields, and Nuyorican Productions, Inc., U.S.D.C., N.D.IL. Defense of suit alleging trademark infringement in name of new television production.
Sears, Roebuck and Co. v. Sears PLC, U.S.D.C., DE. Represented plaintiff in cross-Atlantic trademark dispute. Settled favorably in face of vigorous prosecution and aggressive multinational discovery campaign. Subsequently hired by defendant’s counsel for defense of future patent litigation.
Trademark, Internet Domain Name, and Counterfeiting Litigation and Enforcement:
Chris Ware v. Warner Music New Zealand (no litigation filed). Seized counterfeit infringing compact disc packaging distributed by overseas manufacturer. Settlement agreement entered and attorney’s fees paid in lieu of permanent injunction to avoid filing of suit.
DeVry/Becker Educational Development, Inc. v. Totaltape, Inc., U.S.D.C., N.D. IL. Represented plaintiff in aggressive preliminary injunction litigation to prohibit Internet domain name and metatag misuse. Settlement agreement in lieu of injunction obtained following expedited discovery campaign.
John Marshall Law School v. Viacom, Inc., Circuit Court of Cook County, Chancery Division. Defense of Internet website abuse case.
Westinghouse Electric Corporation v. USA George Lift Int’l Holding, Inc, et al., U.S.D.C., N.D.IL. Plaintiff’s trademark, trade name, and common law misappropriation lawsuit against overseas counterfeiters.
Copyright Infringement Litigation:
Renaissance Marketing, Inc. and Julia Meyer v. America Online, Inc., iFilm Corporation, and MTV Network Enterprises, Inc., U.S.D.C., N.D.IL. Defense of suit alleging copyright infringement for alleged unauthorized airing of “Super Bowl Shuffle” video.
Smith v. Alessco, Inc., U.S.D.C., N.D. IL. Represented defendant in copyright ownership dispute. Subsequently hired by plaintiff’s counsel for trademark protection matters.
Trade Secret Litigation:
Columbian Home Products, Inc. v. Helen Chen, et al., U.S.D.C., N.D.IL. Defense of trademark infringement and misappropriation of trade secrets case in field of Asian cooking products.
Ruby Robinson v. C & D Distributors, Inc., Cook County, IL. Hired by former adversary in previous litigation. Defeated plaintiff’s attempt to obtain emergency injunctive relief for alleged misappropriation of trade secrets.
Unfair Competition, False Advertising, Trade Dress and Consumer Fraud Litigation:
Paullin v. PMIC, Lake County, IL. Defended out-of-state business in action for injunctive relief and damages alleging unfair competition, libel, and business disparagement.
