Lea Speed

Lea Speed, attorney in Baker Donelson’s Memphis office, concentrates her practice in the areas of patent, trademark, copyright, trade secret, and unfair competition litigation. Ms. Speed’s practice is intellectual property with particular emphasis on patent, trademark, copyright, trade secret, and unfair competition disputes.

She focuses on the identification, protection and enforcement of intellectual property rights so that clients can maximize the value of their IP assets in the marketplace, where it matters most. Recognizing that disputes over intellectual property are not merely court cases to be won or lost, Ms. Speed is attuned to the value and importance of intellectual property to the longevity, market position and competitive edge of a particular product, as well as the entire company.

She knows that no dispute over intellectual property is a run-of-the-mill case, but is a challenge to the lifeblood of a company that requires an experienced advocate and, often, a creative resolution.

Ms. Speed has experience representing clients’ intellectual property interests in a wide range of industries and technologies, including medical, dental, chemical, aircraft, defense, electronics, software, telecommunications, motor vehicles, tires, textiles, manufacturing, manufactured goods, packaging and containers, tools, machinery, equipment, construction, consumer goods, personal health care products, fans, food and beverages, education, banking, casinos and gaming, hunting gear and apparel, farming and agricultural machinery and equipment, utilities, and municipal water and waste treatment.

Ms. Speed advocates for clients in patent infringement, trademark infringement, copyright infringement, unfair competition, and trade secret cases across the country and at the border. She has litigated these cases in federal courts throughout the United States, as well as before the Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit, the United States Trademark Trial and Appeal Board, and the United States International Trade Commission. She is a registered patent attorney with the United States Patent and Trademark Office.

In her practice, Ms. Speed assists clients in all aspects of intellectual property, from identifying protectable assets to obtaining the appropriate protection for those assets, to licensing protectable intellectual property, in addition to enforcing those rights through infringement litigation. She has extensive experience using clients’ intellectual property both as a sword and as a shield in the courts and in the marketplace.

Clients seek Ms. Speed’s counsel not only when protecting their own intellectual property, but also for advice to avoid infringing the intellectual property rights of a competitor. As part of her representation in the area of patent law, Ms. Speed provides opinions regarding patentability of inventions, opinions regarding freedom to use technology in the marketplace, and recommendations regarding the design around of a competitor’s product or process. She both prosecutes and defends patent infringement claims in litigation, and has experience managing clients’ domestic and foreign intellectual property portfolios. Ms. Speed negotiates royalties, patent licenses and patent assignments, and prepares appropriate documents to effectuate those transfers.

Ms. Speed also has significant trademark, copyright, trade secret, and unfair competition experience, including advising clients regarding methods to obtain and maintain brand recognition in the marketplace, the selection of protectable trademarks (word, design, and trade dress), and the prosecution of state, federal, and foreign trademark applications. She also provides opinions on advertising and market competition so that clients can avoid or address improper competition, and, if a business resolution is unattainable, she litigates those issues.

EDUCATION:

• University of Mississippi, J.D., 1998
• Mississippi State University, M.B.A., 1995
• Mississippi State University, B.S. in Aerospace Engineering, 1993

ADMISSIONS:

• Registered to practice before U.S. Patent and Trademark Office, 2001
• U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit, 2003
• U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit, 2000
• U.S. District Court for the Western District of Tennessee, 1998
• U.S. District Courts for the Northern and Southern Districts of Mississippi, 2000
• U.S. District Court for the Western District of Michigan, 2003

Professional Honors & Activities:

• Former Chair, Vice Chair, and Secretary – Executive Council of the Intellectual Property Section of the Tennessee Bar Association
• Former Chair – Patent Bar Committee of the Tennessee Bar Association
• Former Chair, Vice Chair, and Secretary – Executive Committee of the Intellectual Property Section of the Mississippi Bar Association
• Member – Tennessee Bar Association Leadership Law (TBALL), Class of 2004
• Former Board Member – Young Lawyers Division of the Tennessee Bar Association
• Former Member – CLE Committee for the Young Lawyers Division of the Tennessee Bar Association