Porter Hedges today announced that Jonathan M. Pierce — an intellectual property attorney who specializes in patent and trademark law, as well as intellectual property agreements — has joined the firm as a partner in the Intellectual Property Practice. His clients include multinational corporations, domestic companies, and individuals in all aspects of intellectual property law.

Mr. Pierce’s patent practice focuses on infringement litigation, patent prosecution (both U.S. and international), infringement and invalidity opinions, and patentability opinions. His trademark practice focuses on infringement litigation, opposition and cancellation proceedings before the Trademark Trial and Appeal Board of the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO), and counseling on the selection, use, and filing for trademarks in the U.S. and countries around the world.

“Jonathan is another strong addition to our growing Intellectual Property Practice,” noted Rob Reedy, Firm managing partner. “His patent and trademark practice for a diverse client base both in the courtroom and at the USPTO aligns well with our continued focus on strategic growth.”

Mr. Pierce is the second significant addition to the intellectual property team this year. In January, Porter Hedges added Timothy Westby as a partner in the Intellectual Property Practice. His practice focuses on IP litigation, patent prosecution and transactional matters primarily for clients in the chemical, petrochemical and alternative energy industries. “I have known Jonathan for many years and look forward to working with him at Porter Hedges,” said Westby. “Our practices compliment each other well and we will work together to continue building the firm’s Intellectual Property Practice.”

Mr. Pierce has represented clients in approximately 20 patent lawsuits and 20 trademark lawsuits, 15 U.S. trademark inter partes proceedings (including being the lead trial attorney in an opposition that went to judgment after a trial before the Board). He has also prosecuted over 450 domestic trademark applications, 700 non-U.S. trademark applications, 100 domestic patent applications, and 50 non-U.S. patent applications.

Mr. Pierce received his J.D. from Louisiana State University (1996) where he was a member of the National Moot Court Team (1995) and a member of the Appellate Advocacy Board (1995-96). He received his B.S. in Aerospace Engineering from Boston University (1992).

He is a member of the State Bar of Texas and registered to practice before the USPTO. He is also a member of the International Trademark Association (INTA) (Enforcement Committee, 2010-2012), the American Intellectual Property Law Association (AIPLA), and the Houston Intellectual Property Law Association (HIPLA).

Porter Hedges LLP is recognized as one of the premier business law firms based in Houston. The Firm provides sophisticated legal counsel in multiple disciplines to clients locally, nationally and internationally in a variety of businesses.

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