Powell Goldstein has formed a strategic alliance with the Altera Law Group to enhance our abilities to serve our clients' specialized intellectual property needs. Our alliance helps clients maximize the value of their intellectual property resources, whether patent, trademark, trade-secret, copyright or related areas of law, by combining them into an effective strategy. To learn more about Altera please go to http://www.alteralaw.com.

Intellectual property ("IP") rights are among the most valuable assets of any business today, particularly in an increasingly technologically complex and fast-paced global marketplace. The protection and enforcement of these rights is critical to the success of many companies. Powell Goldstein attorneys are experienced in the enforcement and protection of intellectual property and make a positive difference for their clients.

Powell Goldstein's IP department concentrates on four primary areas where they assist clients with IP issues:

1. Counseling & Strategic Planning: We work as partners with our clients to guide them in the creation and management of innovation and the processes that create innovation. We have established invention and portfolio review processes to strategically manage IP protection and commercialization, working with inventors to obtain the best possible protection for our clients. This also includes working with our clients' business interests to effectively and efficiently control and manage infringement challenges and, when needed, the redesign of projects to avoid infringement.

2. Patent, Trademark and Copyright Registration: Our IP attorneys deal with the increasingly complex process of securing patent, trademark and copyright protection both within the United States and internationally, working in conjunction with overseas attorneys. We represent public companies, established private companies, mid and small-sized companies, entrepreneurial start-ups, universities and also individual inventors. We have successfully secured patent protection for many breakthrough technologies and have obtained trademark registrations protecting the valuable goodwill of our clients.

The attorneys in our IP prosecution group handle inventions in a broad range of technology, including electrical, mechanical, software, business methods, chemical, biomedical and biotechnology areas. We register and help enforce client brand names, logos and trade dress through federal and state trademark registrations and enforcement actions. Our attorneys are also experienced at registering copyrights with the U.S. Copyright Office.

3. Transactions: We assist clients in establishing, managing and negotiating relationships in many different areas, including licensing IP rights as well as other technology, joint ventures, and investment opportunities that include venture capital, manufacturing, distribution, consulting, confidentiality, employment, and internet-related agreements. Our IP attorneys are adept at due diligence investigations of IP assets for investors and other clients and are accustomed to working in a coordinated fashion with experienced merger and acquisition, corporate and securities attorneys in order to provide full-service to our clients.

4. Dispute Resolution (Mediation, Arbitration & Litigation): Our IP attorneys are experienced in all major areas of IP litigation including strategically working with clients to arbitrate or otherwise resolve conflicts, representing clients in mediation and arbitration forums, and, when necessary, in federal and state courts. Our IP attorneys also monitor and consult on IP litigation worldwide on behalf of clients, investors and analysts.

We work with our clients to manage, grow and enhance their IP portfolio, to increase the value of their IP assets and licensing opportunities, and to obtain superior positioning in the international marketplace.