Mark J. Sever, Jr.

Mark is the Chair of the firm's Intellectual Property Group. Mark specializes in corporate law with a focus on intellectual property (i.e., patents, copyrights, trademarks and trade secrets) and technology matters. He represents a wide range of clients, including closely-held and emerging growth companies, institutions of higher education, governmental and quasi-governmental entities, and large national and international privately and publicly-held companies.

Mark provides general corporate representation and day-to-day business advice to a broad array of companies, addressing issues including entity formation and restructuring, corporate governance, and dissolution. Mark represents both buyers and sellers in mergers and acquisitions, including both asset sales and stock sales. He has negotiated and drafted many varied and complex business agreements, including original equipment manufacturing (OEM), joint venture, sales, manufacturing, purchase, distribution, consulting and employment agreements. Mark assists businesses to expand internationally, through the creation of overseas affiliates, and the establishment of outsourcing, distribution, license, franchise and other relationships. Mark also regularly counsels business owners involved in partner or shareholder disputes and buy-outs.

Mark's intellectual property practice encompasses a broad range of intellectual property-driven business transactions, as well as protection and litigation matters. He advises clients on intellectual property protection and the most efficient and cost effective ways to secure protection for their inventions. He also assists clients with corporate and product name and logo selection, and the filing and prosecution of associated trademark applications, both in the U.S. and worldwide. Mark counsels clients on "work for hire" and other copyright ownership issues, and has applied for and obtained copyright registrations on works, including software, website content, marketing materials and architectural designs. He also routinely prepares, reviews and negotiates non-disclosure and confidentiality agreements (NDAs), and instructs clients on the steps necessary to secure trade secret protection for their proprietary information such as business plans, customer and vendor information, and product cost and pricing data.