Steven Peretz

“IP litigation is business by other means, but it is still business. Because dollars spent by the client on litigation can otherwise be spent on growing the client’s business, I keep the client's business objectives in sight throughout my representation.”

- Steven Peretz

Steven devotes close to 100% of his practice to IP litigation.  He has obtained several multi-million dollar verdicts and settlements for his clients, including most recently a $4.5 million settlement of a patent infringement and false advertising case.

He particularly favors seeking emergency injunctive relief in trademark and copyright cases because a favorable result often leads to the quick disposition of the entire case.

Steven has practiced intellectual property law for more than 25 years in Florida and throughout the country.   He is Florida Bar Certified in Intellectual Property Law, has served as Chair of the Florida Bar's Intellectual Property Law Committee, and frequently speaks before professional and business groups on intellectual property. 

"I am on call 24/7.  I welcome when the client calls outside of normal business hours because it often means a call to action.  The professional satisfaction of practicing law gets magnified when the extraordinary happens."

Case Studies:

Seven-Figure Settlements:  Steven obtained a $4,850,000 settlement in a patent and false advertising case brought in the Eastern District of Texas on behalf of a manufacturer of outdoor game cameras after a competitor infringed the client’s two patents and further engaged in false comparison advertising.  In another case for the same client, he negotiated a settlement of $2,500,000 in a suit against a competitor.

Copyright Verdict:  He obtained a copyright infringement verdict of $1,800,000 after a two-week jury trial in the Southern District of Florida.  The jury found that my client, a multiple-listing service for yacht brokers, held valid copyrights in the listings created by the brokers using the client’s software, and that these listings had been infringed when the same brokers copied their listings onto a competitor’s website. The verdict was affirmed by the 11th Circuit Court of Appeals.

Summary Dismissal:  He obtained dismissal of a trade dress infringement suit in ten days for a conservation group which had adopted a petition form allegedly similar to the petition form used by an industry-sponsored group.  He successfully argued that circulation of my client’s petition fell outside the trademark statute because the petition did not constitute the sale of goods or services "in commerce" within the meaning of statute.

Education

• University of Chicago Law School, J.D., 1981

• Wesleyan University, B.A., magna cum laude, 1978, with High Honors in Economics

Bar Admissions & Memberships 

• Florida, 1981
• U.S. District Court, Southern and Middle Districts of Florida
• U.S. Supreme Court

 

 Noteworthy

• Florida Bar Board Certified in Intellectual Property Law
• "The Best Lawyers in America," Intellectual Property Law
• Super Lawyer, Florida Super Lawyers magazine
• Top Lawyers in South Florida, South Florida Legal Guide
• Legal Elite, Florida Trend magazine

 

Professional Affiliations

• The Florida Bar Intellectual Property Law Committee, Chairman, 1987-89
• International Trademark Association, Member, 1988-present
• Local Rules Advisory Committee for the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Florida, Member, 2004-2006

 

Presentations & Publications

• “The Road to Bilski: The Growing Trend of Supreme Court Decisions Hostile to Patent Owners,” panel presentation to the Florida Bar Intellectual Property Law Committee, 2010

• “Survey Evidence in Intellectual Property Law Cases," presented at the Florida Bar First Annual IP Law Symposium, 2010

• "Copyright and Fair Use," lecture at Florida International University Law School, 2004

• "Insurance Coverage for Intellectual Property Suits," sponsored by the Florida Bar Intellectual Property Law Committee, 1996

• "Copyright Infringement: Pretrial Strategies, Injunctions, Seizures, and Impoundments," sponsored by the Florida Bar Entertainment, Arts and Sports Law Sections, Cabo San Lucas, Mexico, 1995

• "Trademark Protection for Performance Groups," sponsored by the Entertainment, Arts and Sports Law Sections of the Florida, Georgia and Tennessee Bars, Curacao, Netherland Antilles, 1994

• "The Three Dimensional Trademark: Protecting Product Appearance and Packaging," sponsored by the Florida Bar Intellectual Property Law Committee, 1993

• Program Chair and Lecturer, "Evidentiary Considerations in Trademark Litigation," sponsored by the Florida Bar Intellectual Property Law Committee, 1992

• The Competition of Technologies in the Marketplace of Ideas: Fair Use and Copyright, 5 International Review of Law and Economics 209, December, 1985, co-authored with Professor Richard Adelstein.

 

Community/Civic Involvement

• National Board Member, Cessna Advanced Aircraft Club, 2006-present
• Angel Flight, Pilot, 2008-2009
• Class Correspondent, Class of ’81, University of Chicago Law School

 

Outside the Office

When not practicing law, Steven enjoys flying to the Keys, the Bahamas and the Caribbean. He is an instrument-rated pilot with over 1200 hours of time and has written for Pilot Getaways Magazine.   He finds flying easier than hitting a 4-iron.