Matthew Williams

Partner

How do you achieve success for clients?

The key to achieving success for clients is recognizing that each client’s situation is unique and then tailoring our actions appropriately. That said, what I really get a kick out of is when a client is amazed that a firm from Kentucky is looking after their IP portfolio in countries on the other side of the world.

Practices and Industries

Intellectual Property Protection & Litigation Patents Copyright Intellectual Property Licensing and Development Trade and Service Marks

Matt Williams is a member of the Firm’s Intellectual Property Protection & Litigation Service Team. He concentrates his practice in the area of intellectual property law including patent prosecution and enforcement, trademark prosecution and enforcement, trade secrets, copyrights, client counseling, transaction support, IP licensing, and IP litigation. According to clients in Chambers USA, “Matthew Williams is excellent – he’s thorough, knowledgeable and prompt.” Also, they add “He’s very thorough and easy to work with.”

REPRESENTATIVE MATTERS

Represents individuals and corporations in evaluating potential trade and service marks, prosecuting state, federal, and Madrid Protocol applications for trade and service marks, enforcing trademark rights against others, and engaging and managing local counsel to prosecute national applications and to oppose conflicting applications and registrations in other countries.
Represents individuals and corporations in Opposition and Cancellation proceedings in front of the Trademark Trial and Appeal Board.
Represents individuals and corporations in evaluating the patentability of inventions, prosecuting patent applications, and enforcing patent rights.
Counsels individuals and corporations on questions of whether their products or methods would infringe on the patent rights of another and defends individuals and corporations against claims that their products or methods infringe on the patent rights of another.
Represents individuals and corporations in enforcing their trade and service mark rights against cybersquatters in domain name disputes under ICANN’s Uniform Domain Name Resolution Policy.

REPRESENTATIVE CLIENTS

AAF-McQuay, Inc.
Ebonite International, Inc.
Heaven Hill Distilleries, Inc.

EDUCATION

J.D., summa cum laude, Brandeis School of Law at the University of Louisville, 2004

Valedictorian
Brandeis Honor Society
Phi Kappa Phi Honor Society
Senior Editor – Notes Brandeis Law Journal, Volume 42
Trademark Law moot court team, 2003-2004, 2004

B.S. with highest honors, Speed Scientific School at the University of Louisville, 1992, (Engineering Science)

ADMISSIONS

Kentucky
United States Patent & Trademark Office
United States Court of Appeals, Federal Circuit
United States Court of Appeals, Sixth Circuit
United States District Court, Eastern and Western Districts of Kentucky
United States District Court for the Western District of Tennessee

HONORS

Woodward/White’s The Best Lawyers in America® in the areas of Trademark Law 2020-present and Copyright Law 2021-present
Chambers USA: America’s Leading Lawyers for Business in Intellectual Property. Clients interviewed by Chambers USA describe Mr. Williams as an “extraordinary lawyer,” “an expert in his field,” and “he understands what we’re trying to do.”
Recognized by his peers as a Kentucky Super Lawyer® 2013 – 2024
Recognized as one of the “Top Lawyers” in the areas of Copyright Law, Information Technology Law and Patent Law by Louisville Magazine, March 2014

PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE

Mr. Williams joined the firm in 2005. Before entering the practice of law, he spent ten years at G.E. Appliances as a design engineer, quality engineer, manufacturing supervisor, and purchasing agent.
Mr. Williams prosecutes patent and trademark applications and advises clients regarding intellectual property matters. He has experience with technologies including consumer products, appliances, refrigeration, medical devices, statistical process control, statistical quality control, and manufacturing machinery including stamping, die-casting, injection molding, and palletizing and material handling. He represents intellectual property owners in patent, trademark, and copyright infringement litigation.

PROFESSIONAL ACTIVITIES AND MEMBERSHIPS

Louisville and Kentucky Bar Associations
American Intellectual Property Law Association
International Trademark Association (INTA)

CIVIC INVOLVEMENT

Habitat for Humanity; Board of Directors

PRESENTATIONS

“AI in Federal Litigation and the Challenges of NPE Patent Litigation,” Wyatt’s In-House Counsel Litigation Seminar, November 2023
“The Problem of Trade Secret Theft and How to Address It,” Wyatt’s The Art of Successful Litigation & Dispute Resolution Seminar, November 2017
“Trademarks: From Afghanistan to Zimbabwe Plus a Little ‘Nontraditional’ Thinking,” Wyatt’s Memphis Corporate Counsel Seminar, April 2017
“To Oppose or Not to Oppose: That is the Question in the Wake of B&B Hardware, Wyatt’s 8th Annual In-House Counsel Seminar, Louisville, KY, June 2015
“Update on Intellectual Property Issues in Equine Activities,” UK/CLE’s 30th Annual National Conference on Equine Law, Lexington, KY, April 2015
“Patents and Trademarks,” Wyatt’s 7th Annual In-House Counsel Institute, Louisville, KY, June 2014
“Hot Topics in IP Law – Non-Traditional Trademarks,” Kentucky Bar Association/Louisville Bar Association Corporate Counsel Section, June 2012