Pirkey Barber

Pirkey Barber is an intellectual property boutique firm headquartered in Austin, Texas, with a national presence including remote attorneys and paralegals in areas such as Seattle, San Francisco, Washington D.C., Minneapolis, Chicago, Los Angeles, and Tysons, Virginia. The firm is recognized as one of the largest in the United States concentrating exclusively on trademark, copyright, and unfair competition law. Chambers and Partners consistently ranks Pirkey Barber as a Band 1 firm in Texas for Intellectual Property: Trademark, Copyright & Trade Secrets.

The firm's core litigation specialty lies in high-stakes trademark and copyright disputes, rather than patent law. Multiple sources explicitly state that Pirkey Barber does not have a patent practice, instead focusing aggressively on trademark and copyright law. They regularly represent both plaintiffs and defendants in federal court and before the Trademark Trial and Appeal Board (TTAB) in matters involving infringement, dilution, counterfeiting, and false advertising. Notable trademark matters include assisting OpenAI with the registration of its 'ChatGPT' mark and representing Taco Bell in successfully canceling registrations for the 'Taco Tuesday' phrase.

Despite its specialized focus, Pirkey Barber has appeared in a limited number of patent litigation cases according to tracked firm data. These include one instance as Lead Counsel for a plaintiff in Lone Star SCM Systems, LP v. Cardinal Health, Inc., with Daniel Scardino listed as the attorney, and another appearance as local counsel for a defendant in an untitled case, where Travis Wimberly was involved. Information regarding public outcomes (verdicts, Federal Circuit appeals, verifiable settlements) for these specific patent cases is not readily available through general web searches, which aligns with the firm's primary focus on trademark and copyright matters.

Given its exclusive focus on trademark and copyright, Pirkey Barber's practice before the Patent Trial and Appeal Board (PTAB) primarily involves the Trademark Trial and Appeal Board (TTAB), rather than inter partes reviews (IPRs) or post-grant reviews (PGRs) related to patents.

Key partners recognized for their expertise in the firm's intellectual property litigation practice (primarily trademark and copyright) include firm founders Louis Pirkey and Bill Barber, both frequently ranked for their work in enforcement and litigation. Other prominent attorneys include Alicia Morris Groos, Anna Kuhn, Sherri Eastley, and Wendy Larson, who are also recognized for their significant contributions to trademark and copyright matters. Travis Wimberly and Daniel Scardino are noted for their roles in the tracked patent litigation matters.