Stinson's IP&T Team Strengthens IP Protection and Innovation, Advances Strategy and Success in 2024

02.11.2025

Goals and milestones reached by Stinson LLP's Intellectual Property & Technology (IP&T) Practice Division in 2024 underscore its dedication to protecting and defending clients' IP assets across various industries. Those included:

• Achieving successful outcomes in complex patent litigation.
• Expanding the IP&T division with key new talent.
• Maintaining a strong volume of patent and trademark filings.
• Publishing insights and presenting on emerging IP and technology issues.
• Continuing to be recognized as a leader in patent and trademark law.

These highlights demonstrate the scope of our IP&T division's achievements. The details that follow further illustrate the impact of our attorneys' contributions to client success throughout 2024.

On patent and trademark litigation, the firm's attorneys secured significant victories, including the successful representation of an American manufacturer of outdoor sports and recreation products in complex patent litigation. Stinson had previously assisted the client in securing the five patents asserted in its case against its competitors, demonstrating the firm's comprehensive approach to IP protection as well as patent procurement and enforcement.

The addition of three key members strengthened the division. They included an associate with a software development background, a technology professional who assists with patent application filing, examination, portfolio management and other vital measures to protect clients' IP, and a patent agent.

In 2024, the firm's attorneys filed over 850 patent applications and issued nearly 600 patents. They also submitted 400 trademark applications and obtained over 400 trademark registrations. Currently, Stinson manages nearly 11,00 active patents – including over 5,000 in the United States – and oversees more than 12,000 active trademarks, with over 6,000 registered domestically.

The past year also saw a rising demand for legal guidance on cybersecurity, data privacy and artificial intelligence (AI)-driven innovation. Stinson's attorneys offered key insights on regulatory developments, compliance strategies and risk mitigation in response to heightened scrutiny of data protection laws. "As technology continues to advance, it is crucial for businesses and individuals to keep up with the developments in privacy and publicity laws, as well as advancements in genAI technology, and take appropriate measures in this rapidly shifting legal landscape," Partner David Kim said in a New York Law Journal column.

Attorneys anticipate ongoing focus on data security and AI-driven patent strategies as significant areas influencing the IP field this year, particularly given that the Trump administration is more pro-patent compared to the Biden administration, and coupled with the president indicating he will rescind Biden-era executive orders on AI concerning national security.

The firm's IP&T attorneys also emerged as thought leaders in 2024 through authored articles and speaking engagements. They published insights on privacy and data security risks in wearable devices, U.S. Patent and Trademark Office guidance on patentability and inventorship of AI-assisted innovations, the legal gray area of generative AI in art and its fair use implications, and challenges financial institutions face when technology vendors discontinue products. Attorneys also explored the growing number of state consumer privacy laws, the impact of the My Health My Data Act on consumer health data protections, state-specific AI laws aimed at preventing discrimination, the intersection of trademark law and the First Amendment, and regulations governing software ownership, including strategies to avoid software disputes.

Stinson's IP&T Practice Division is co-chaired by Jason Conway and Steve Cosentino, CIPP. The firm has one of largest patent practices in the Midwest, with over 20 attorneys licensed before the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office and the Patent Trial and Appeal Board. The firm's practice is also recognized by the World Trademark Review as a leading firm on the WTR 1000.