Technology

Winston & Strawn's client base is composed of a significant number of leading technology companies for whom we are handling cutting-edge matters. Our attorneys' work for these companies focuses primarily on complex litigation, including patent, trademark, and copyright litigation; theft of trade secrets; advertising; and complex commercial matters.

In fact, The American Lawyer, which recognized Winston as one of the nation's top four IP practices in 2009, commented that "while few firms can credibly argue that their litigation wins affect how we all use the Internet, Winston & Strawn can make that claim—more than once."

Winston & Strawn's attorneys also routinely handle patent prosecution/copyright and trademark counseling for our technology clients, as well as the IP aspects of transactions. In particular, we negotiate and draft intellectual property licenses and transfers; provide strategic guidance on optimal structures for IP transactions; and evaluate trademark and patent portfolios and related due diligence activities in connection with corporate transactions.

In addition, the firm's corporate group has significant experience representing technology companies in connection with formation, financings, mergers and acquisitions, and public offerings. We also regularly counsel management and boards of directors on fiduciary, governance, and disclosure issues.

Many of the firm's attorneys possess advanced technical degrees, allowing them to provide superior counsel to our technology sector clients by having a thorough understanding of their products and industry. This is particularly true in our intellectual property group, where approximately 50 attorneys have technical degrees and several have Ph.Ds.

Representative clients in the technology sector include: America Online, Inc., Cisco Systems, Inc., Dell, Finisar Corporation, JDS Uniphase, Nanya Technology, NAVTEQ Corporation, OPTi, Soitec, Veoh Networks, and Yahoo!