INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY COMMITTEE
About The Committee

The Intellectual Property Law Committee of the Tort Trial & Insurance Practice Section functions as a committee which cuts across and includes a number of interrelated disciplines.

Intellectual property law traditionally relates to patents, copyrights, trademarks and trade secrets.

Because intellectual property rights are generally limited monopolies, and because they relate to business activities, there is also substantial crossover (particularly in litigation) between these traditional areas of intellectual property law and other disciplines such as antitrust law, contracts, licensing, and general business torts such as unfair competition, tortious interference with a prospective business advantage, etc.

Also relating to litigation involving intellectual property law is insurance coverage law. In recent years, various courts have held that there is a duty to defend and in some instances a duty of coverage in intellectual property litigation. Some policies cover unfair competition, piracy, and other claims which often involve intellectual property. Because intellectual property cases often contain many separate counts, there are times when coverage of one such cause of action ultimately results in coverage, or at least a duty to defend, which extends to other causes of action as well. Insurance coverage law has thus become an important element of litigation strategy for both plaintiffs and defendants.

The primary function of the Intellectual Property Law Committee is to provide a forum and communication network for members of the legal community relating to all of these intertwined areas of intellectual property law, litigation, insurance, antitrust, international and business law.

Because of the numerous disciplinary intersections involved in our committee's approach to intellectual property, we have been fortunate enough to have obtained a wide cross-section of expertise among our vice-chairmen as well as among our general membership.

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Please note:  If you are already a Tort Trial & Insurance Practice Section member, you may join up to three (3) committees at no additional cost. However, if you are not a Section member, you must join the Tort Trial & Insurance Practice Section first.

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