Intellectual Property
SKV's lawyers have had great success in high profile intellectual property cases in state and federal courts across the country.
Overview
SKV and co-counsel recently obtained one of the largest intellectual property jury verdicts in the state on behalf of an energy company that owned patents involving underwater seismic surveying.
As lawyers who have been involved in some of the largest and highest-dollar IP litigation matters in Texas, our experience can help you prosecute or defend your intellectual property rights. Our experience – representing both plaintiffs and defendants – extends to all types of intellectual property litigation, including patent infringement, trade secrets/unfair competition, proprietary information and processes, and copyrights. We have successfully handled intellectual property claims arising out of offshore oil technology products, search engines, software, computer chips, top drives, industrial batteries, and many other types of intellectual property. And while SKV lawyers are always ready to go to trial and relish the opportunity to do so, our track record of success and reputation as a formidable opponent in the courtroom means that we are often able to negotiate successful outcomes for our clients long before trial is necessary.
SKV’s boutique size and entrepreneurial spirit give clients numerous advantages. First, we are not a distinctly defense or plaintiff-side firm; while the majority of our work is on the defense side, we have a substantial plaintiff-side intellectual property practice, including for small-medium-sized businesses suing larger companies. Second, because we are a trial firm, nearly all of our team, from senior partners to paralegals and secretaries, has significant experience in trials and arbitrations. Third, we staff matters leanly, which means that as a client, you will receive a dedicated and appropriately-sized team that learns your case thoroughly and is available to address your needs. Fourth, we play nicely with others, and have frequently been part of joint ventures in largescale/high-stakes litigation. And finally, we have never been wedded to the billable hour and are always willing to discuss alternative fee arrangements with clients. At SKV, we use a straightforward approach to evaluating your case and your needs, making sure we never lose sight of your goals.
Representative Matters
- Quantlab Technologies Ltd. (BVI) & Quantlab Financial, LLC Godlevsky, et al.: Lee Kaplan and Alex Wolf won a federal jury trial for Quantlab in May 2015 in a case arising out of the theft of Quantlab’s trade secrets in both research and technology. The jury awarded Quantlab $7.2 million against a quantitative research scientist who previously worked six years at the company as well as $5 million against the Wisconsin attorney/investor who was the CEO of a company set up to exploit Quantlab’s trade secrets. The Court entered an injunction against these defendants. Four other defendants settled before trial for stipulated judgments of $28.5 million each. The case was noteworthy because of the difficulty of ferreting out the extent of the theft and use of the secrets, as the trial defendants and a settling defendant engaged in extensive spoliation of evidence. The verdict was upheld in its entirety on appeal in 2017.
- Transocean Offshore Deepwater Drilling Inc. v. Noble Corporation PLC, et al.: A team of SKV lawyers led by Lee Kaplan and Hector Chavez represented Noble, a leading offshore drilling contractor, in litigation brought by competitor Transocean alleging, among other things, the infringement of Transocean’s “dual action” drilling patents and seeking nearly $400 million in damages. The matter ultimately settled confidentially in a matter favorable to Noble.
- Unified Buddhist Church of Vietnam, et al. v. Unified Buddhist Church of Vietnam – Giao Hoi Phat Giao et al.: At team led by Jarod Stewart won a series of cases on behalf of the Unified Buddhist Church of Vietnam – Giao Hoi Phat Giao. The first – a successful jury trial in Texas state court – concerned allegations that the defendants had defrauded the plaintiff and misappropriated various properties, including the trade name of the church. The second – which was won on summary judgment in the Southern District of Texas – concerned similar allegations of trademark and other intellectual property misappropriation.
- Ultra Premium Services, LLC, et al. v. TMK: SKV lawyers Lee Kaplan, Justin Waggoner, David Isaak, and Razvan Ungureanu represented TMK, a manufacturer of steel tubular goods for use in the oil and gas industry, in a lawsuit alleging misappropriation of the plaintiffs’ trade secrets. The team defeated the plaintiffs’ request for a preliminary injunction and secured an order compelling arbitration of the remaining matters in dispute.
- Canrig Drilling Technology Ltd. GDS International, LLC: SKV lawyers Lee Kaplan and Hector Chavez obtained a favorable settlement on behalf of top drive manufacturer Canrig in a lawsuit alleging unfair competition and improper replacement of Canrig’s name plates on its machinery. In addition, SKV obtained the recovery/destruction of Canrig’s confidential information in the defendant’s possession and a permanent injunction against their use.
- Total Rod Concepts, Inc. Glasforms, Inc., et al.: Land Murphy and Crystal Robles represented Total Rod, a manufacturer of fiberglass sucker rods used as part of oil well systems, in a trade secret misappropriation dispute with its competitor, Glasforms. The matter settled confidentially on the eve of trial.
- The Quantum World Corp. v. Dell Inc., et al.: SKV lawyers Lee Kaplan, Craig Smyser, and Hector Chavez were part of a successful patent infringement action brought on behalf of Quantum World – the owner of a patent for a random number generator and generation method – against a host of major technology companies.
- Alpha Technologies, Inc. Borri Power (US) Inc.: Crystal Robles successfully represented Alpha Technologies, a maker of custom industrial power supplies, among other things, in a trade secret/improper competition action against a major competitor. The matter ultimately settled confidentially in a manner favorable to Alpha.
- Epic Lift Systems, LLC v. Liberty Lift Solutions, LLC: SKV lawyers Land Murphy and Hector Chavez are defending Liberty Lift – a leading manufacturer of oilfield artificial lift solutions – in a federal suit alleging the infringement of plaintiff’s patent for gas lift plungers.
- Command Energy Services, LLC v. TTI Tubulars, Inc., et al.: Land Murphy, Larry Veselka, and Jarod Stewart successfully represented TTI in a trade secret misappropriation action concerning drill pipe design, manufacturing, and sales information. The matter was resolved on confidential terms.
