Patterson Intellectual Property Law

Patterson Intellectual Property Law, P.C. is a premier intellectual property boutique firm headquartered in Nashville, Tennessee. Founded in 1992, it is recognized as the largest intellectual property firm in Tennessee, serving clients both locally and internationally. The firm maintains a team of approximately 14 attorneys and is consistently ranked as a Band 1 law firm for Intellectual Property Law in Tennessee by Chambers USA, a distinction held for seven consecutive years as of 2024. It also receives recognition from Best Law Firms for excellence across multiple specialties, including Intellectual Property Law and Patent Law Litigation.

The firm's IP litigation practice focuses exclusively on intellectual property law, encompassing patents, trademarks, copyrights, trade secrets, and innovative technologies. Its litigation team possesses deep technical knowledge, with attorneys holding advanced degrees and professional backgrounds spanning chemical and biochemical engineering, mechanical engineering, electrical engineering, life sciences, and civil engineering. Patterson IP handles a broad range of disputes, including patent infringement, trademark infringement, copyright infringement, inventorship disputes, and trade secret misappropriation.

Patterson Intellectual Property Law represents both plaintiffs and defendants in intellectual property disputes in federal district courts, federal appellate courts, and state courts. While the firm's portfolio demonstrates a balanced approach, its single tracked patent litigation appearance, Swift Paws, Inc. v. Tuff Pupper LLC et al., shows the firm acting as lead counsel for the plaintiff, with Stephen J. Stark as lead counsel.

Beyond district court litigation, Patterson IP has substantial experience with the USPTO Patent Trial and Appeal Board (PTAB), engaging in both Inter Partes Review (IPR) and Post Grant Review (PGR) proceedings. The firm highlights a success rate in these post-grant proceedings that has outpaced the overall average since the America Invents Act's implementation, representing both patentees and petitioners. Notable outcomes from the firm's broader litigation practice include securing multi-million dollar judgments in trademark infringement and trade secret misappropriation cases, and successfully appealing patent cases to the Federal Circuit.

Key partners instrumental to the firm's litigation practice include Edward D. Lanquist, Jr., a managing shareholder and a Chambers Band 1 ranked attorney in Intellectual Property Law, recognized for his extensive experience in patent, trademark, and copyright litigation. Ryan D. Levy serves as a managing shareholder and co-chairs the firm's Litigation Practice Group, specializing in complex patent disputes across various technologies. Wayne Beavers, also a Chambers Band 1 ranked attorney, focuses on strategic patent portfolio management and has prosecuted over 1,000 patents in mechanical arts. Mark J. Patterson, the firm's founder, is also a recognized practitioner in IP litigation.