About Merchant & Gould

• More than 105 practicing attorneys.
• A leading filer of patents, trademarks and servicemarks.

We are engaged exclusively in the practice of intellectual property law, including patent, trademark, copyright, unfair competition, trade secret, advertising, internet and computer law, and related litigation including both trials and appeals. Distinct among IP law firms in the United States, Merchant & Gould has a long, distinguished IP practice history, spanning over 100 years.

With offices in Minneapolis/St. Paul, Atlanta, Denver, Seattle, Knoxville and Washington, D.C., and more than 105 practicing attorneys, the firm is one of the largest intellectual property law firms in the United States. Typically, our attorneys are admitted to practice in the state where they reside and nearly all are admitted to practice before the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO). We are consistently ranked as a top patent, trademark and copyright firm in both the U.S. and globally.

Merchant & Gould values our client relationships, and actively partners with clients to understand, build, and implement technology and intellectual property driven strategies that add bottom-line business value. The depth and breadth of our legal and technical knowledge coupled with years of experience in helping clients create and strategically manage global intellectual property assets uniquely positions us to be a valued member of the client team.

Technical Expertise: Our attorneys have substantial technical expertise to serve the needs of our clients. A number of attorneys have advanced degrees, including Ph.D.s in their areas of expertise. In addition, the firm employs staff engineers, patent agents, legal assistants and drafting personnel to provide a full range of cost-effective intellectual property legal services.

Our Clients: The firm represents a broad spectrum of clients, including individual inventors, emerging companies, Fortune 500 corporations, governmental bodies and academic institutions. Clients represent diverse industries and technologies including chemistry, biotechnology, computer hardware and software, medicine and manufacturing.

Connecting Outside the Firm: Giving to the communities in which Merchant & Gould has offices is a core value of the firm. That brand of volunteerism applies to the legal communities as well as to the neighborhoods and cities where the firm's families live.

Merchant & Gould's attorneys are actively involved in various organizations, including the Volunteer Lawyers Network (VLN), American Intellectual Property Law Association (AIPLA), Minnesota Intellectual Property Law Association and American Bar Association. Many attorneys have taught at local law schools, been guest lecturers and served in various capacities in moot court activites.

A number of attorneys, in a long-standing collaboration with the Minnesota Department of Trade and Economic Development, have written and published several editions of A Guide to Intellectual Property Protection, A Legal Guide for the Software Developer and A Legal Guide to the Internet for free distribution.

Any cross-section of the firm will show generous community service. The firm's employees are members of local public radio boards, they volunteer at the Natural History Museum, Minnesota Zoo, Humane Society, American Cancer Society, Habitat for Humanity and Meals on Wheels and they coach and serve as Girl Scout leaders. And, in a tradition dating back 20 years, Merchant & Gould people are active United Way participants.

Merchant & Gould is an Equal Opportunity Employer.