Described by Intellectual Asset Management (IAM) magazine as “a rare and winning combination of trade expertise, a deep bench of technically trained lawyers, adept IP litigators, and an international office network to ensure that all angles are covered,” our lawyers have produced successful results in several hundred Section 337 cases for both complainants and respondents.
With more than four decades of litigation experience before the International Trade Commission (ITC), the firm has also been ranked as one of the most active law firms before the ITC according to Corporate Counsel magazine.
The strength of Steptoe's trade policy practice, combined with the depth of our Section 337 experience, is what sets our ITC litigation practice apart. This multidisciplinary approach enables our lawyers to recast arguments to make them more useful to the singular requirements of the ITC, and to ITC Commissioners. In cases in which the public interest is considered, our Government Affairs Group can reach out to elected representatives to brief them about the matter at hand. The result? As one example, in a case in which a client had been found liable of violating Section 337, our Section 337 lawyers were assisted by members of our Government Affairs and Litigation Groups in a multi-pronged effort to craft a rebuttal so compelling that the ITC not only reversed the initial ruling, but terminated further proceedings – resulting in a total victory for the client.
Members of our Section 337 practice have served as a deputy US Trade Representative (the office designated with responsibilities for Presidential review of final affirmative Section 337 decisions) and as a former senior investigative attorney in the ITC's Office of Unfair Import Investigations. This esteemed group of Section 337 lawyers are consistently ranked by Chambers as leaders in International Trade, and have extensive experience with the entire range of unfair import practices including:
- Patent infringement
- Trademark and counterfeiting
- Copyright infringement
- Trade dress and trade secret misappropriation
- False labeling
- Antitrust
Noteworthy
- China Law & Practice, Shortlisted, Intellectual Property Firm of the Year (2021-2022)
- Legal 500 US, Patents: Litigation (International Trade Commission) (2020-2023)
- IAM 1000, United States: DC Metro Area, Patent Litigation, Bronze (2019-2023)
- IAM 1000, United States: New York, Patent Litigation, Bronze (2019-2023)
- IAM 1000, United States: Illinois, Patent Litigation, Silver (2019-2023)
- China Law & Practice, International Firm of the Year: Intellectual Property (2020)
- Chambers Global, International Trade: Intellectual Property, Section 337, US (2011-2018)
- Chambers USA, International Trade: Intellectual Property, Section 337, Nationwide (2009–2018)
News & Publications
Publications
ITC Section 337 Investigations: 2023 Highlights and Horizon Issues
Thomson Reuters Practical Law
January 3, 2024
Publications
Enforcement Penalties at the ITC
Northwestern Journal of International Law & Business
June 16, 2023
Press Releases
PTAB Bar Association Once Again Names Kate Cappaert to 'Top 50 Women in PTAB Trials' List
March 24, 2022
Press Releases
October 29, 2021
Press Releases
October 29, 2021
Press Releases
Tim Bickham, Jay Nuttall Named to IAM Strategy 300 Guide of Top IP Strategists
September 17, 2021
Press Releases
Steptoe Receives 27 Practice Rankings, 31 Individual Awards in Legal 500 US 2021
September 13, 2021