Best Lawyers in America for Copyright Law
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Floyd Mandell is the national co-chair and founder of the firm's Intellectual Property department. He has represented some of the world’s most recognizable companies in intellectual property litigation. Few other lawyers have handled as many high-profile cases over the past 20 years involving copyrights, trademarks, trade secrets, trade dress, false advertising and defamation. He has been lead counsel in more than 40 published decisions, many involving novel or cutting-edge issues. On m...
James Weinberger is an accomplished litigator who excels at developing strategies to help clients protect, enforce, and manage their brands and copyrightable content. For clients including global and national brands, James advises on copyright, trademark, and trade dress infringement, as well as unfair competition, false advertising, trademark dilution, right of publicity, First Amendment, and internet-related matters. James seeks remedies for clients through federal and state court litigatio...
Joe Cleveland has practiced in the area of commercial and intellectual property litigation for over 30 years. He has extensive trial and appellate experience representing entrepreneurs, inventors, and private and publicly-traded companies. His practice includes a broad range of complex commercial litigation involving patent, copyright, trademark, trade secrets, antitrust, contracts, employment, oil and gas, securities, and other commercial matters. He has tried cases in both state and federal...
More than a decade of experience in patent law. Represents some of the most recognizable names in Silicon Valley and the tech industry at large. Manages international patent portfolios for multinational companies. Benno Guggenheimer brings his technical background to bear on his patent work for Fortune 500 companies. His practice includes patent prosecution and patent analysis, with a focus on electronic devices, software products, medical devices and automated systems. Benno works closely wi...
Michael Turner is a dynamic patent attorney with wide-ranging legal expertise in patent law and works closely with clients to ensure that patent portfolios align with international protection and enforcement strategies. Michael Turner’s passion for learning led him to a career in patent law. He applies that drive to every project and obtains patents that are relied upon to protect technology, which has resulted in significant licensing and enforcement. Many of these patents have withsto...
Areas of Concentration Negotiation of complex content agreements with record companies, music publishing companies, music publishing rights organizations, motion picture studios, television networks, and various independent content providers and aggregators, and related strategic counseling (including with respect to electronic sell-through, subscription, streaming, ad-supported, mobile and other cutting-edge business models) Negotiation of all varieties of agreements with musical composition...
I am an intellectual property (IP) and business attorney with over 25 years of experience. I am an advisor, a strategist, a litigator, a deal maker, and a problem solver. But most of all, I am an invested team member. Together, we plan pathways forward, take measured business risks, and develop mitigation plans for foreseeable bumps in the road. We are in it together. My IP experience does not fit neatly in a box. I have managed issues involving one or more of patents, trade secrets, trademar...
Joshua Simmons is a well-established and nationally recognized appellate and trial court litigator, who has been lauded as an “exceptional,” “forceful,” and “creative” “brainiac” ( Chambers ), “Top Attorney” ( Law360 ), and “big-picture thought leader” ( WTR ). This “Intellectual Property Superhero” ( CLS ) has been named one of the “500 leading litigators in America” ( Lawdragon ) for his wins in ...
Mike Allen dedicates his practice to protecting clients’ rights and assets, including their contract rights, intellectual property rights, shareholder rights, and estate rights. His rare blend of experience in negotiating, contracting, counseling, and litigation helps him provide meaningful insight to clients at all stages of their business relationships. Mike’s goal is to protect client interests without the need for litigation, but with more than 35 years of dispute resolution e...
Joshua E. Ney is a top attorney recognized by Best Lawyers in the practice area(s) of Patent Law. Joshua E., who practices law in Ann Arbor, Michigan, has been recognized since 2026. This recognition is based on an exhaustive peer-review survey, reflecting the high esteem in which Joshua E. is held by other top lawyers in the same geographic and legal practice area.
BACKGROUND Shoko’s practice focuses on preparing and prosecuting patent applications in electronics, telecommunications, optics, software, and mechanical engineering. Shoko received a B.S. in Physics from the University of Washington in 1998 and her J.D. from the University of Washington School of Law in 1997. EXPERIENCE Shoko collaborates extensively with her clients drafting and prosecuting patent applications in electronics, telecommunications, optics, medical devices, software, and ...
Michael S. Hargis is a top attorney recognized by Best Lawyers in the practice area(s) of Trademark Law. Michael S., who practices law in Lexington, Kentucky, has been recognized since 2026. This recognition is based on an exhaustive peer-review survey, reflecting the high esteem in which Michael S. is held by other top lawyers in the same geographic and legal practice area.
Prior to joining Barnes & Thornburg, Brian served as in-house counsel to an intellectual property consulting and investigations firm where he advised Fortune 1000 corporations on complex IP, anti-counterfeiting, and brand protection strategies. Brian is a member of the International Association of Privacy Professionals (IAPP) and serves as Subcommittee Chair for the inaugural Data Protection Committee of the International Trademark Association (INTA). He has been appointed to the Terralex...
Brian G. Murphy counsels advertising agencies, advertisers, and entertainment companies as they develop and produce advertising and entertainment properties across all media. Mr. Murphy has been named the 2018 and 2025 "Lawyer of the Year" for Advertising Law by Best Lawyers in America. His practice focuses on copyright, trademark , right of publicity/right of privacy, false advertising, unfair competition, and defamation. Mr. Murphy negotiates and structures celebrity talent agreements, agen...
Michael J. Wise is a top attorney recognized by Best Lawyers in the practice area(s) of Biotechnology and Life Sciences Practice, Litigation - Intellectual Property and Patent Law. Michael J., who practices law in Los Angeles, California, has been recognized since 2016. This recognition is based on an exhaustive peer-review survey, reflecting the high esteem in which Michael J. is held by other top lawyers in the same geographic and legal practice area.
Our Methodology
Recognition by Best Lawyers is based entirely on peer review. Our methodology is designed to capture, as accurately as possible, the consensus opinion of leading lawyers about the professional abilities of their colleagues within the same geographical area and legal practice area.
The Process
Best Lawyers employs a sophisticated, conscientious, rational, and transparent survey process designed to elicit meaningful and substantive evaluations of the quality of legal services. Our belief has always been that the quality of a peer review survey is directly related to the quality of the voters.