William H. Needle

William H. Needle chairs the Intellectual Property Department and was the founding partner of the Needle & Rosenberg firm, which focused on intellectual property law. He is a member of the Trademarks, Copyrights, and Intellectual Property Litigation Groups, and a member of the mechanical practice team in the Patents Group. Mr. Needle has practiced patent, trademark, copyright, and trade secret law exclusively over his entire 39-year career.

Mr. Needle has served as lead counsel in numerous intellectual property cases, including the copyright and trademark litigation representing the Cabbage Patch Kids® dolls, and the State of Georgia in infringement cases involving the VIDALIA® onion mark, as well as patent infringement actions involving diverse technologies.

Mr. Needle is an alternative dispute resolution neutral panelist with JAMS and serves as a mediator or arbitrator in complex disputes involving intellectual property issues. He has been an expert witness in several patent, trademark, and copyright infringement actions. On several occasions, he was appointed to serve as a Special Master by U.S. District Court judges in patent infringement cases in which his recommendations on validity, infringement, and damages in two actions were affirmed by the Federal Circuit Court of Appeals. Mr. Needle also served on the committee tasked with formulating local rules regarding patent litigation for the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Georgia.

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