Steven I. Peretz

IP litigation is business by other means, but it is still business. During the course of litigation, I remain focused on keeping the client's business objective in sight because dollars spent on litigation are dollars that could otherwise be spent on growing the business.
--Steven I. Peretz

Specializing his practice on trademark, copyright, patent, and trade secret litigation in federal courts, Steven has obtained several multi-million dollar verdicts and judgments for his clients. He has successfully obtained emergency injunctive relief for clients threatened by the misappropriation of or damage to their business and intellectual property.

"I am on call 24/7 because in intellectual property law the need for immediate action might require the client to reach me outside of ordinary business hours. I welcome such calls because the personal satisfaction of practicing law is magnified when the extraordinary happens."

Steven has practiced intellectual property law for more than 25 years. He is Florida Bar Certified in intellectual property law, has served as past chair of the Florida Bar's Intellectual Property Law Committee and is frequently invited to educate professional and business groups regarding the establishment, protection, and commercialization of intellectual property rights. When he is not practicing law, Steven has a passion for flying as an instrument-rated pilot.

From Steven's Case Files

Sinking Competing Yacht Brokers: When certain yacht brokers copied their website yacht listings from his client's website, Steven's litigation team established the client's copyright ownership of the listings, which featured a unique format that had also been copied. After a two-week jury trial in federal court, we won a judgment from the competing yacht brokers of more than $1.5 million in damages.

Successfully Petitioning the Court: When our client, a public-interest group, faced a trademark infringement suit in federal court for adopting a petition allegedly similar in format to one used by an industry-sponsored group, Steven obtained a dismissal of the suit with prejudice within 10 days. We successfully claimed lack of subject-matter jurisdiction by establishing that our client's petition was not used "in commerce" within the meaning of trademark statute.

Steve is AV* Rated by Martindale-Hubbell.
**"CV, BV and AV are registered certification marks of Reed Elsevier Properties Inc., used in accordance with the Martindale-Hubbell certification procedures, standards and policies."

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, 1981
• U.S. Supreme Court, 1981

Noteworthy

• Super Lawyers, Florida Super Lawyers magazine, 2007 - 2009
• Top Lawyers in South Florida, South Florida Legal Guide, 2007 - 2009
• Top Lawyers by Practice Area - Intellectual Property, South Florida Legal Guide, 2007 - 2009
• "The Best Lawyers in America," Intellectual Property Law, 2004 - 2009
• "Legal Elite," Florida Trends magazine, 2005 - 2009
• Top Lawyers, South Florida Legal Guide, 2005 - 2009

Admitted to Practice

• The Florida Bar
• Southern District of Florida; Middle District of Florida; U.S. Supreme Court

Community/Civic Involvement

• National Board Member, Cessna Advanced Aircraft Club, 2006-2010

Professional Affliations

• The Florida Bar
• International Trademark Association

Lectures

• Lecturer, "Copyright and Fair Use," Florida International University Law School, December 2004
• Lecturer, "Insurance Coverage for Intellectual Property Suits," sponsored by the Florida Bar Intellectual Property Law Committee, October 1996, Miami, Florida
• Lecturer, "Copyright Infringement: Pretrial Strategies, Injunctions, Seizures, and Impoundments," sponsored by the Entertainment, Arts and Sports Law Sections, Cabo San Lucas, Mexico, November 1995
• Lecturer, "Trademark Protection for Performance Groups," sponsored by the Entertainment, Arts and Sports Law Sections of the Florida, Georgia and Tennessee Bars, November 1994, Curacao, Netherland Antilles
• Lecturer, "The Three Dimensional Trademark: Protecting Product Appearance and Packaging," sponsored by the Florida Bar Intellectual Property Law Committee, May 1993, Tampa, Florida
• Program Chair and Lecturer, "Evidentiary Considerations in Trademark Litigation," sponsored by the Florida Bar Intellectual Property Law Committee, June 1992, Miami, Florida

Publications

• "The Competition of Technologies in the Marketplace of Ideas," 5 International Review of Law and Economics 209, December, 1985, co-author

Steven I. Peretz

Peretz Chesal Herrmann, PL
201 South Biscayne Boulevard, Suite 1750
Miami, FL 33131

Tel: 305-341-3000
Fax: 305-371-6807
Email: speretz@pc-iplaw.com