Phone

Email

tdonovan@mclane.com

Office

City Hall Plaza
900 Elm Street
Manchester, NH 03101

Practice/Industry Groups

• Business Litigation
• Intellectual Property Law
• Intellectual Property Litigation

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Thomas J. Donovan
Director

Tom Donovan focuses his practice on intellectual property litigation and complex commercial disputes. His clients range from start up software developers to the largest software companies, from small computer parts resellers to worldwide digital printer manufacturers. Tom has prosecuted and defended patent, trademark, copyright and trade secret suits involving computer software and hardware products, medical equipment, web design, database management and electronic commerce. He has represented businesses faced with disparagement from e-mail or website communications ("cyber smears"). His cases have taken him to courts in several jurisdictions, as well as overseas.

Department

Litigation

Areas of Practice

• Intellectual Property Litigation (patent, trademark, copyright)
• Computer Software Ownership and Licensing Litigation
• "Web Site and E-Mail Misuse (cyber privacy and cyber smears)"
• Trade Secret and Non-Competition Disputes
• Commercial Litigation
• Federal court challenges to utility commission jurisdiction over energy and telecommunication industries

Practice/Industry Groups

• Business Litigation
• Intellectual Property Law

Representative Clients & Work

• New Hampshire Troopers Association v. New Hampshire Highway Patrol Association (obtained summary judgment on cyber piracy and trademark infringement claims arising out of defendants' registration of multiple domain names and links to other web sites) - PDF download
• Eastern Mountain Sports, Inc. v. Osprey Packs, Inc. (defended Osprey in patent infringement suit over back pack design; obtained summary judgment dismissing patent claims) - PDF download
• Vutek, Inc. (handled multiple cases and trial for manufacturer of digital printers sold world wide)
• PC Authority Inc. v. Sports Authority, Inc. (represented applicant for federal registration of "PC Authority" trademark and defeated at trial national retailer who opposed registration) - PDF download
• Microsoft Corporation v. PC Connection, Inc. (suit for trademark and software infringement)
• Hampshire Paper Corp. v. Highland Supply, Inc. (obtained dismissal of patent and trademark declaratory judgment action based upon lack of justifiable controversy) - PDF download

Admissions

New Hampshire; First Circuit; Federal Circuit

Professional & Association Memberships

New Hampshire and American Bar Association

Recognition

• Chambers USA (Litigation)
• Best Lawyers of America (Business Litigation)

Community Involvement

• Palace Theatre Trust, board chairman
• Norwin S. & Elizabeth N. Bean Foundation, senior trustee

Career

• At McLane since 1978
• University of Pennsylvania Law School, 1978
• Harvard College magna cum laude, 1975

Recent Publications and Lectures

• Trademark Counterfeiting
  April 2007
• Use of Competitive Business Names on the Internet
  Mar. 2007
• "Cybersmears and Cyberattacks: Protecting Your Company", Association of Corporate Counsel, October, 2003.