Savery M. Gradoville

Partner

• sgradoville@steptoe.com
• vCard
• Washington Office

Savery M. Gradoville is a partner in the Washington office of Steptoe & Johnson LLP, where she is a member of the Corporate, Securities and Finance and Intellectual Property groups. She is also part of the Corporate Transactions group, where she concentrates on commercial transactions with special emphasis on intellectual property and technology issues. Ms. Gradoville is experienced in structuring, drafting documentation for, and negotiating a wide variety of contractual transactions, including licensing and transfer of intellectual property and technology including copyrights, patents, trade secrets, and trademarks.

Ms. Gradoville advises software publishers, developers, integrators, distributors, computer and equipment manufacturers, service providers, biotechnology and life sciences companies, medical research organization, hospitals, joint ventures, associations, authors, and inventors in the acquisition, protection, and exploitation of intellectual property and the negotiation of licenses and other technology transfers and transactions including commercialization of university-developed biotechnology and patents, and all forms of material transfer agreements.  She represents both licensors and licensees and others seeking rights to use and/or own third-party intellectual property rights.

Ms. Gradoville also advises musicians, composers, choreographers, writers, artists, designers, performers, and producers regarding the protection and exploitation of intellectual property in their literary, musical, audio-visual, and/or other works of the performing or fine arts, and prepares and negotiates appropriate acquisition, transfer, funding, licensing, and/or other contracts formalizing transactions (e.g., music rights, publishing, and production contracts) protecting and exploiting their respective talent and publicity rights.

Upon graduating from law school, Ms. Gradoville served as a contributor and then editor of Williston on Contracts, 3d ed. for Professor Walter H.E. Jaeger; an associate with Trenam, Simons, Kemker, Schaef & Barkin in Tampa, Florida, and Sullivan & Beauregard in Washington, DC; an attorney-advisor in the Office of Legal Counsel, the Attorney General’s legal staff at the US Department of Justice for four and one-half years; an Assistant General Counsel at Satellite Business Systems, McLean, Virginia, for six years; and an Assistant General Counsel at MCI Communications Corporation, Washington, DC, for 10 and one-half years.

She is experienced in the process and legal issues relating to the procurement, launch, commissioning, and merchandising of satellites and their transponders, and has extensive procurement and contractual experience in connection with the acquisition, exploitation, licensing, and disposition of hardware and software and related services.  Ms. Gradoville spearheaded MCI’s increasing awareness of the value of intellectual property assets and developed and managed its domestic and international trademark portfolio. 

Prior to joining Steptoe, she was of counsel in the Intellectual Property group in the Washington, DC, office of Fenwick & West LLP, a Palo Alto, California-based law firm focusing on high-technology matters.

News, Seminars & Events

• Recent Pro Bono Wins
• Manny's Music Law Seminar, "Business Entities and Internal Band Agreements" May, 17, 2006; "The Business and Legal Team: Lawyers, Managers, and Agents" May 31, 2006; "Music Copyright Law" June 14, 2006

Publications & Speaking Engagements

• Madrid Protocol Simplifies International Trademark Registration
  December 2003
• Transactions Teleconference: ABCs of NDAs, September 14, 2005, (A Steptoe-Sponsored Event)
• Volunteer Lawyers for the Arts, Legal & Business Boot Camp for Arts Professionals, “Special Considerations for Musicians,” October 2005, Washington, DC; November 2005, New York, New York

Professional Affiliations

• American Bar Association