Michael J. Allan

Partner

• mallan@steptoe.com
• vCard
• Washington Office

Michael J. Allan is a partner in the Washington and New York offices of Steptoe & Johnson LLP, where he is a member of the Intellectual Property and Litigation groups. 

Mr. Allan’s practice involves the prosecution and defense of trademark, trade secret, copyright, unfair competition, false advertising and patent claims. He has successfully litigated numerous intellectual property and other complex commercial litigation cases on behalf of his clients in the manufacturing, pharmaceutical, entertainment and financial services industries. He has appeared in federal district and appellate courts throughout the country, as well as in administrative proceedings at the International Trade Commission and the Trademark Trial and Appeal Board.

Mr. Allan’s recent victories include a June 2010 Federal Circuit Court of Appeals victory in which Mr. Allan obtained a complete reversal of a significant sanction award pursuant to 28 U.S.C. § 1927 on behalf of a New York City based law firm.   In January, Mr. Allan obtained a summary judgment of $4 million for a British fashion house in a trademark infringement and breach of contract case.  In October 2008, Mr. Allan secured $3.5 million judgment on behalf of a major French fashion house.  In January 2008, Mr. Allan completed a successful trial in the Middle District of Alabama against Region University for infringement of the Regions mark of Regions Bank.

In addition, Mr. Allan is actively involved in counseling clients on intellectual property rights and enforcement strategies. Specifically, he has drafted and negotiated intellectual property agreements as well as counseled clients on due diligence reviews and intellectual property licensing and transfer agreements.

Mr. Allan also has extensive litigation and trial experience in a variety of disciplines and industries.

Representative Matters

A representative list of Mr. Allan's matters appear below:

• Serves as lead counsel to several luxury brands on intellectual property enforcement and unfair competition matters;
• Lead counsel to a large manufacturing company in a copyright infringement lawsuit; 
• Lead counsel to an Internet services company in a complex trade secret litigation;
• Represents a major financial institution in connection with trademark, unfair competition and false advertising matters;
• Represents a French pharmaceutical company in Hatch-Waxman patent litigation and related antitrust litigation;
• Enforced a non-competition agreement against a former software executive;
• Represented a major tobacco company in several trademark counterfeiting and infringement lawsuits;
• Represented a large automobile insurance carrier in several trademark infringement and product disparagement cases nationwide;
• Defended a US pharmaceutical company against alleged advertising violations by several state Attorneys General;
• Defended a major US pharmaceutical company in a nationwide products liability class action lawsuit; and
• Represented a niche pharmaceutical company in an international arbitration with US and Indian companies over a development and supply agreement dispute.

Select News & Events

• Steptoe Announces Promotion of 13 Lawyers
• Steptoe Prevails at Seventh Circuit in Bankruptcy Case
• "The Intersection Between Civil Enforcement and Criminal Prosecution," INTA Annual Meeting, May 10, 2011
• Law360 Quotes Michael Allan on Counterfeiting
• Appellate Victory at the Federal Circuit
• Michael Allan appeared on the Fox Business Network to discuss Bimbo Bakeries, et al v. Botticella, the trade secret theft case involving Thomas’s English Muffins, June 18, 2010
• Trade Secrets: New Trends and Best Practices, May 6, 2010, (A Steptoe-Sponsored Event)
• Law 360 Quotes Michael Allan on IP Strategy
• Co-host, INTA Anti-Counterfeiting Roundtable, February 24, 2010
• IP Webinar – Social Media, Web 2.0, and Beyond: Advanced Topics in Online Brand Usage, July 23, 2009, (A Steptoe-Sponsored Event)
• IP Webinar – Anti-Counterfeiting Enforcement: Maximum Protection for Minimum Cost, February 18, 2009, (A Steptoe-Sponsored Event)

Selected Publications

• Rogue Websites and the ITC: New Proposed Anti-Piracy Legislation
  December 16, 2011
• Cybersquatting Update: New Protections for Brand Owners
  March 17, 2011
• Intellectual Property Advisory - Does eBay Need a Disclaimer? Tiffany v. eBay, The Second Circuit Rules
  April 5, 2010