Intellectual
Property
Nardizzi
& Associates is retained by law firms and businesses to
investigate a variety of intellectual property matters. Whether
tracking the theft of trade secrets, or assisting clients in
litigation against infringers, the firm works to uproot the
immediate problem and prevent future incidents from
occurring.
Anti-Counterfeiting
Despite various
government estimates, no one knows how much money is lost to
counterfeit products each year. One number is known: the value of
counterfeit and pirated goods seized worldwide by customs and law
enforcement agents: $1.54 billion in 2005. From the Caribbean to
Korea, the firm can analyze breaches in the supply chain to
identify vendors, employees, or outsiders who operate
counterfeiting operations.
Patent/Trademark/Copyright
Infringement
Nardizzi &
Associates, Inc. investigates patent, trademark, and copyright
cases for clients in the consumer goods, software, publishing and
electronics industries.
Some case samples:
• Patent
infringement: In a patent case involving bicycle design, a client
sought proof that its design had been introduced prior to that of a
rival. We identified witnesses who had been present at key trade
show exhibitions where the design had been introduced. Interviews
were undertaken, and several witnesses verified our client's first
introduction of the design. The client accepted a very favorable
settlement offer.
• Trademark & piracy:
In a case involving trademark and piracy issues, investigators
traveled to an island in the Caribbean, and obtained video footage
of unauthorized merchants selling a rival's version of trademarked
software. Interviews with merchant workers revealed that military
personnel had been employed by the opposing party to intimidate
various vendors into purchasing the infringing version of the
software. This evidence was set to be introduced in U.S. District
Court when the other side settled on terms favorable to our
client.
Trade Secret
Theft
Nardizzi &
Associates is retained to track theft of valuable trade secrets
that can be passed on discreetly via electronic media.
Investigations may take place before litigation has begun, or in
conjunction with a lawsuit over breach of a nondisclosure clause in
an employment contract.
• Trade secret
theft: A client in the software industry noticed that its customers
were receiving calls from a competitor who seemed armed with the
client's cost data and project specifications. A former employee
was found to be working for the competitor. He was interviewed and
confessed that he had revealed proprietary information that
belonged to his former employer. The confidential material was
recovered, and customer relationships were
mended.
See other case samples here.
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