SEAN GARRISON brings over 20 years of experience counseling and representing clients in numerous areas of Intellectual Property, in both litigation and in general counseling. Mr. Garrison’s strong reputation in the areas of Technology Law, Intellectual Property Litigation, Trademark Law, and Copyright Law, among others, has earned him repeated selection in Best Lawyers in America, for nearly a decade. He is described in the 2016 edition of WTR 1000 —The World's Leading Trademark Professionals as "one of the best practitioners in the state...[who] knows the ins and outs of the financial sector like the back of his hand."
Mr. Garrison has also been honored to be named a Lawyer of the Year for Phoenix by Best Lawyers three times (in 2012, 2013 and 2016). Martindale Hubbell has rated Mr. Garrison as an “AV Preeminent” attorney for 15 years and it recognized him as one of the Top Rated Lawyers in Intellectual Property in 2015. He is also listed in Southwest SuperLawyers.
A past Chair of the E-Commerce and Technology Law Section of the Arizona State Bar, Mr. Garrison has represented numerous clients in negotiating and drafting a variety of software and technology agreements, including:
He also represents and defends clients who have received allegations of unlicensed installations of computer software from individual software publishers, the Business Software Alliance (BSA), and the Software and Information Industry Association (SIIA). Mr. Garrison assists these clients in negotiating and designing the scope of any software audit to be performed, communicating the audit results to the relevant software publisher, negotiating reasonable and appropriate settlement agreements and, if necessary, defending the client in litigation brought by any of these organizations.
Mr. Garrison has experience in negotiating and defending claims for alleged copyright infringement arising from the public performance of musical works asserted by the various music performing rights organizations, with a special emphasis in representing the owners and managers of multi-unit residential properties, such as apartment complexes and condominiums.
Mr. Garrison has experience in trade secret disputes, as well as in drafting confidentiality and IP rights agreements to try to preserve the rights of clients in confidential and other business information.
Mr. Garrison has represented plaintiffs and defendants in Intellectual Property litigation in state and federal courts throughout the country. Recently, Mr. Garrison obtained for one client one of the largest federal civil jury trial judgments awarded in Arizona in 2014.
He practices regularly before the Trademark Trial and Appeal Board (TTAB), the administrative law court of the United States Patent and Trademark Office. Utilizing the TTAB’s Accelerated Case Resolution (ACR) procedures, Mr. Garrison prevailed for his clients in two of the earliest ACR decisions issued by the TTAB.
Mr. Garrison's representative litigation matters with published opinions/decisions include:
Mr. Garrison also has extensive experience in the following areas:
Having represented individuals, small businesses, colleges, universities and large corporations, Mr. Garrison understands there can be no “one size fits all” approach to legal representation and advice. As a result, Mr. Garrison works hard first to understand his clients’ businesses and goals and then to develop appropriate and efficient legal strategies to meet their business needs.
Mr. Garrison is a member of the Intellectual Property Law and the E-Commerce and Technology Law Sections of the Arizona State Bar. He has served on a variety of committees for the American Bar Association’s IP Section, the International Trademark Association (INTA), and the American Intellectual Property Lawyers Association (AIPLA).
Mr. Garrison received his B.A. with Distinction from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, graduating Phi Beta Kappa. He received his J.D. from the Columbia University School of Law.
Mr. Garrison is an avid sports fan, golfer and (retired) youth baseball coach. He loves his Carolina Tarheels and watching his sons play club and high school baseball.
Mr. Garrison has also been honored to be named a Lawyer of the Year for Phoenix by Best Lawyers three times (in 2012, 2013 and 2016). Martindale Hubbell has rated Mr. Garrison as an “AV Preeminent” attorney for 15 years and it recognized him as one of the Top Rated Lawyers in Intellectual Property in 2015. He is also listed in Southwest SuperLawyers.
A past Chair of the E-Commerce and Technology Law Section of the Arizona State Bar, Mr. Garrison has represented numerous clients in negotiating and drafting a variety of software and technology agreements, including:
- Software license agreements
- Software and platform development agreements
- Software-as-a-service (SaaS) agreements
- Joint Development Agreements
- Mobile app development and license agreements
- Content license agreements for websites, mobile apps and other applications
- Website and Mobile App terms of use and privacy policies
He also represents and defends clients who have received allegations of unlicensed installations of computer software from individual software publishers, the Business Software Alliance (BSA), and the Software and Information Industry Association (SIIA). Mr. Garrison assists these clients in negotiating and designing the scope of any software audit to be performed, communicating the audit results to the relevant software publisher, negotiating reasonable and appropriate settlement agreements and, if necessary, defending the client in litigation brought by any of these organizations.
Mr. Garrison has experience in negotiating and defending claims for alleged copyright infringement arising from the public performance of musical works asserted by the various music performing rights organizations, with a special emphasis in representing the owners and managers of multi-unit residential properties, such as apartment complexes and condominiums.
Mr. Garrison has experience in trade secret disputes, as well as in drafting confidentiality and IP rights agreements to try to preserve the rights of clients in confidential and other business information.
Mr. Garrison has represented plaintiffs and defendants in Intellectual Property litigation in state and federal courts throughout the country. Recently, Mr. Garrison obtained for one client one of the largest federal civil jury trial judgments awarded in Arizona in 2014.
He practices regularly before the Trademark Trial and Appeal Board (TTAB), the administrative law court of the United States Patent and Trademark Office. Utilizing the TTAB’s Accelerated Case Resolution (ACR) procedures, Mr. Garrison prevailed for his clients in two of the earliest ACR decisions issued by the TTAB.
Mr. Garrison's representative litigation matters with published opinions/decisions include:
- H-D Michigan, Inc. and Harley Davidson Motor Company v. Bikers Dream, Inc. et al., 48 U.S.P.Q.2d 1108 (C.D. Cal. 1998)
- Syntek Semiconductor Co. Ltd v. Microchip Technology, Inc., 307 F.3d 775 (9th Cir. 2002)
- Superior Edge, Inc. v. Maricopa County Community College Dist., 2007 WL 1101185 (D. Minn. 2007)
- Life Enhancement Center v. CR License, LLC, 2014 WL 3976455 (TTAB 2014)
- United States Postal Service v. RPost International Limited, 2013 WL 5407282 (TTAB 2013)
Mr. Garrison also has extensive experience in the following areas:
- Clearing proposed trademarks for use and registration
- Preparing and prosecuting trademark applications
- Managing large trademark portfolios
Having represented individuals, small businesses, colleges, universities and large corporations, Mr. Garrison understands there can be no “one size fits all” approach to legal representation and advice. As a result, Mr. Garrison works hard first to understand his clients’ businesses and goals and then to develop appropriate and efficient legal strategies to meet their business needs.
Mr. Garrison is a member of the Intellectual Property Law and the E-Commerce and Technology Law Sections of the Arizona State Bar. He has served on a variety of committees for the American Bar Association’s IP Section, the International Trademark Association (INTA), and the American Intellectual Property Lawyers Association (AIPLA).
Mr. Garrison received his B.A. with Distinction from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, graduating Phi Beta Kappa. He received his J.D. from the Columbia University School of Law.
Mr. Garrison is an avid sports fan, golfer and (retired) youth baseball coach. He loves his Carolina Tarheels and watching his sons play club and high school baseball.
CONTACT INFORMATION FOR SEAN GARRISON: Direct Dial 480-719-8501 E-mail [email protected]
