Intellectual Property

For nearly three decades, Maurice has represented corporate and individual clients in numerous high profile, sophisticated intellectual property matters relating to business transactions and commercial litigation. He works with clients to develop intellectual property strategies, including strategies for the procurement, licensing and enforcement of copyrights, trademarks, and patents. Maurice also advises clients on a wide range of issues relating to internet law and social media, including issues concerning rights of privacy, rights of publicity and defamation. Maurice is also an experienced and well-known trial lawyer. He has served as lead trial and appellate counsel in high-stakes patent and intellectual property litigation involving companies in a wide array of industries, from pharmaceutical and biotechnology to media and entertainment. Maurice routinely handles trademark and copyright matters for clients in the fashion, music, media, entertainment, computer and software industries. Although he focuses his practice in the area of intellectual property, Maurice has also served as trial counsel in complex securities, RICO, lender liability, antitrust cases, and he has extensive experience representing corporate executives and other individuals in white collar criminal defense matters, often relating to intellectual property. Maurice also has frequently been called upon to advise clients regarding the risks and benefits of proposed mergers, acquisitions and other transactions, particularly as such transactions involve transfers and licensing of intellectual property rights. Maurice is also recognized as an expert on disputes relating to the attorney-client privilege and work product immunity, and he has been counsel of record in landmark decisions in this area. More recently, Maurice has advised domestic and international clients concerning how to successfully and efficiently address the challenges and burdens imposed by electronic discovery and social media, including the use of social media postings as evidence in complex litigation. Maurice has published frequently in the areas of intellectual property, patent law, media and internet law, and the attorney-client privilege. Maurice has long been a proponent for using alternative dispute resolution mechanisms for efficient resolution of complex business disputes, at both the trial and appellate levels. Further, given the economic realities and costs of conducting complex intellectual property and commercial litigation, Maurice encourages his clients from the earliest stages of litigation to attempt to aggressively pursue settlement. By the same token, Maurice has long advocated aggressive use of the pre-trial discovery process to improve his clients’ likelihood of success at trial, and in recent years he has focused extensively on how to use emerging technologies to make the pre-trial discovery process more efficient and cost-effective. Maurice has appeared in the United States District Courts for the Southern and Eastern Districts of New York, the District of New Jersey, the District of Colorado and the Northern District of California, and he has argued appeals in the United States Courts of Appeals for the Federal, Second and Fifth Circuits, as well as State Courts in New York. Prior to joining Barton LLP, Maurice was a shareholder with Budd Larner and practiced at Clifford Chance and Sullivan and Cromwell.

Josh Gerben is a trademark attorney and founder of Gerben Intellectual Property. The law firm was created by Mr. Gerben to help small and large businesses alike have access to trademark lawyers who are affordable and responsive to their needs. Mr. Gerben represents a wide range of clients, ranging from small start-up businesses to large multinational corporations. Since beginning his practice, Mr. Gerben has represented clients in over 6,500 trademark matters. Prior to beginning his law practice, Mr. Gerben worked in the business world. His extensive experience in that field allows him to understand the business realities facing his clients, helping him to negotiate the most favorable deals possible for his clients. Mr. Gerben is a native of Philadelphia and has lived in Washington, D.C. for the past nine years. In the community Mr. Gerben is involved in the Arthritis Foundation and the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation.

Deena R. Merlen is a Partner at the firm. She serves clients at both our New York and Stamford offices and heads the Connecticut practice. Her practice areas include intellectual property, employment and labor law, media and entertainment, general business law, commercial transactions and dispute resolution. In her employment practice, Ms. Merlen is a trusted “go to” problem solver and counsel to individuals, established name brand companies and startups alike. She has extensive experience representing clients in matters including general counseling, discrimination actions, mediations and dispute resolution, investigations by federal or state agencies, as well as wage and hour claims and other labor law matters. She also advises on and regularly negotiates employment and separation agreements, independent contractor arrangements and other services-related arrangements. Ms. Merlen also counsels clients on employment and business matters in response to a crisis or other unexpected business impact, such as the COVID-19 pandemic and resulting business closures, including continuity plans, employee furloughs, reductions in force and other critical measures. In her intellectual property practice, Ms. Merlen helps her clients with the development, acquisition and protection of their valuable brands and other vital intellectual property assets. She manages and grows trademark portfolios in the U.S. and internationally; negotiates licensing, assignment, distribution and branding agreements; prosecutes trademark and copyright registrations; enforces intellectual property rights; and provides strategic counsel to safeguard brand platforms and expand the value of her clients’ intellectual property assets. Ms. Merlen’s media practice encompasses the development and protection of creative works in the fields of music, film, television, theatre, publishing, literary arts, performing arts, design and technology. She ran her own business in the entertainment industry for over a decade and brings that business experience and acumen to her legal practice. In addition, Ms. Merlen provides general business counsel and represents clients in company and transactional matters such as partnerships, joint ventures, licensing arrangements, the purchase or sale of businesses, and a wide range of other corporate matters, including company formation, capitalization and governance, compliance and contracts. Representative clients include technology companies, schools and other academic institutions, personal care and beauty companies, fashion and design companies, media, arts and entertainment companies, wholesalers, retailers and more. Prior to her work with RPJ, Ms. Merlen served as Law Clerk to The Honorable Roger J. Miner of the United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit, after which she joined Debevoise & Plimpton, where she practiced for over five years in the areas of corporate law and intellectual property. Ms. Merlen is admitted to practice in Connecticut and New York.

Taylor Norton is a registered patent attorney and an engineer. He may be contacted at (504) 858-0198 for a consultation. He has extensive experience covering all forms of intellectual property and performing transactional work covering a wide range of contracts and business transactions, including domestic and international. His practice is focused on serving the needs of clients with patents, trademarks, copyrights, LLC formation, contracting, branding, and product development. His comprehensive IP practice covers patents, trademarks, and copyrights. He has extensive knowledge and experience in corporate and commercial transactions, including technology licensing, contracts, IP assignments, manufacturing agreements, operating agreements, and product development agreements. His patent drafting, prosecution, and technology licensing experience encompasses a wide range of technologies, including computer science, electrical, and electro-mechanical engineering, power generation, oil and gas, civil construction methods, life sciences, chemical compositions, peptides and amino acid sequencing, paint compositions, medical devices and bypass procedures, and mobile applications. He advises clients on domestic and international trademark protection, including the registration, licensing and enforcement of trademark rights. His comprehensive trademark practice helps clients to build, protect and monetize their corporate images, names, brands, products, and business lines. He represents clients in trademark opposition and cancellation proceedings before the Trademark Trial and Appeal Board. Taylor provides strategic counsel to clients on corporate structuring and the formation of business entities, including limited liability companies and special-purpose-entities, meeting the needs of his clients. Taylor is the Author of the legal and business guidebook Louisiana Limited Liability Company: Forms and Practice Manual, published by Data Trace Publishing Company.

Deena R. Merlen is a Partner at the firm. She serves clients at both our New York and Stamford offices and heads the Connecticut practice. Her practice areas include intellectual property, employment and labor law, media and entertainment, general business law, commercial transactions and dispute resolution. In her employment practice, Ms. Merlen is a trusted “go to” problem solver and counsel to individuals, established name brand companies and startups alike. She has extensive experience representing clients in matters including general counseling, discrimination actions, mediations and dispute resolution, investigations by federal or state agencies, as well as wage and hour claims and other labor law matters. She also advises on and regularly negotiates employment and separation agreements, independent contractor arrangements and other services-related arrangements. Ms. Merlen also counsels clients on employment and business matters in response to a crisis or other unexpected business impact, such as the COVID-19 pandemic and resulting business closures, including continuity plans, employee furloughs, reductions in force and other critical measures. In her intellectual property practice, Ms. Merlen helps her clients with the development, acquisition and protection of their valuable brands and other vital intellectual property assets. She manages and grows trademark portfolios in the U.S. and internationally; negotiates licensing, assignment, distribution and branding agreements; prosecutes trademark and copyright registrations; enforces intellectual property rights; and provides strategic counsel to safeguard brand platforms and expand the value of her clients’ intellectual property assets. Ms. Merlen’s media practice encompasses the development and protection of creative works in the fields of music, film, television, theatre, publishing, literary arts, performing arts, design and technology. She ran her own business in the entertainment industry for over a decade and brings that business experience and acumen to her legal practice. In addition, Ms. Merlen provides general business counsel and represents clients in company and transactional matters such as partnerships, joint ventures, licensing arrangements, the purchase or sale of businesses, and a wide range of other corporate matters, including company formation, capitalization and governance, compliance and contracts. Representative clients include technology companies, schools and other academic institutions, personal care and beauty companies, fashion and design companies, media, arts and entertainment companies, wholesalers, retailers and more. Prior to her work with RPJ, Ms. Merlen served as Law Clerk to The Honorable Roger J. Miner of the United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit, after which she joined Debevoise & Plimpton, where she practiced for over five years in the areas of corporate law and intellectual property. Ms. Merlen is admitted to practice in Connecticut and New York.

Founded in 2008, Gerben Perrott PLLC is a trademark and copyright law firm. The firm currently serves clients in all 50 states and from over 30 countries around the world. Founder Josh Gerben opened the firm with the goal of providing big-firm quality legal services to businesses and individuals at affordable prices. In furtherance of this goal, the firm has obtained more than 6,500 trademark registrations for its clients since opening, and has been involved in over 500 trademark enforcement and defense matters.

Rita concentrates her practice in intellectual property including patent, trademark, copyright, unfair competition, and trade secret counseling, prosecution, licensing and litigation. Ms. Chipperson’s patent practice includes business method, electrical, mechanical, Internet, and software patents. She has experience preparing and prosecuting patent applications, assessing business potential for existing patents and patent portfolios, preparing infringement, patentability, and validity analyses, licensing, and litigating for clients involving a wide variety of industries and technologies including artificial spinal disks; automation systems; biological and chemical contaminant detection systems; broadband devices; call logging systems; call processing systems; coaxial integrated test sockets; communication systems; data compression; electronic textbooks; KVM (keyboard, video, mouse) switching; information technology systems; integrated audiotext internet advertisement services; multi-party telephone control systems; portable multi-function (facsimile, print, copy, and scan) machines; powder coating generation via electron beam charging; power supply modulation based upon instantaneous microprocessor demand; REMICs (Real Estate Mortgage Investment Conduits); shrinkable high voltage termination systems; telephone data organization systems; telephonic-interface statistical analysis; tranching mortgage-backed securities; variable inductors; virtual private networks; voice-data telephonic interface; wireless recording systems; and XML (extensible markup language).Ms. Chipperson also has experience counseling clients regarding selection of names, domain names, logos, and slogans with an aim of achieving state, U.S., and/or international trademark registration and/or avoiding trademark infringement including performance and analysis of trademark searches and preparation and prosecution of trademark applications. She also has experience negotiating trademark settlement agreements and representing clients accused of trademark infringement. Additionally, she has experience in trademark cancellation and opposition proceedings before the Trademark Trial and Appeal Board (TTAB).Before entering the practice of law, Ms. Chipperson held consulting and design engineer positions with Johnson Controls, Inc. and Cosentini Associates, where she was responsible for energy and construction consulting including contract negotiations, energy analysis and automation system design. An entrepreneur, Ms. Chipperson founded and was president of ProActive Systems, Inc., an energy and construction consulting firm based in New Jersey that provided domestic and international contract negotiations, energy analysis and automation system design.Prior to starting her own practice, Ms. Chipperson practiced intellectual property law with Ward & Olivo (in both NY and NJ). Ms. Chipperson also served as Of Counsel to Flaster Greenberg. Ms. Chipperson is a member of the American Intellectual Property Law Association; the John J. Gibbons American Inn of Court for Intellectual Property Law, the Morris County Bar Association, the Morris County Chamber of Commerce, New Jersey State Bar Association, New Jersey Association of Women Business Owners, and the Venture Association of New Jersey.

Peter is a registered patent attorney and an associate in the Intellectual Property group with experience in patent, trademark, copyright, trade secrets, and licensing matters. Peter’s practice involves assisting clients in establishing, protecting, maintaining, and enforcing intellectual property rights. His practice covers all phases of intellectual property prosecution, litigation, and counseling, and he has represented clients of all sizes from individuals and start-ups to large corporations. Peter’s experience includes handling and defending against contentious and IP assertion matters, providing invalidity, non-infringement, and clearance opinions, drafting technology licensing and assignment agreements, directing IP e-commerce enforcement, and managing domain name disputes, including UDRP actions. Peter is also a registered patent attorney capable of handling all stages of utility and design patent prosecution before the USPTO. His patent prosecution experience covers a wide range of fields including design, software, robotic and submersible vehicles, printers, and other mechanical devices. His litigation experience includes patent, trademark, and copyright litigation matters in U.S. District Courts on behalf of both plaintiffs and defendants, as well as appeal and post-grant proceedings before the USPTO. Before joining ArentFox Schiff, Peter was an associate at a boutique intellectual property firm in the New York area, where he served as the brand enforcement team lead in addition to his normal duties. In this role, he and his team helped to remove counterfeit, knock-off, and infringing products from leading sales platforms and applications. While in law school, Peter served as the President of the Intellectual Property Law Society and as a Notes Editor for the Cardozo Arts & Entertainment Law Journal. He was also a member of the American IP Law Association’s Patent Committee and a summer patent extern at the USPTO.