About William
Bill Needle is a registered patent attorney who has been exclusively practicing all aspects of Intellectual Property law for 42 years.
His litigation experience includes serving as counsel in the copyright and trademark litigation for the CABBAGE PATCH KIDS® dolls and the State of Georgia in infringement cases involving the VIDALIA® onion trademark, as well as patent infringement actions involving diverse technologies. Mr. Needle has served as a Special Assistant Attorney General for the S
Resume
| State | Status | Acquired | Updated |
|---|---|---|---|
| GA | Active Member in Good Standing | 1970 | 06/03/2017 |
We have not found any instances of professional misconduct for this lawyer.
avvo contributions
| Legal answers | 0 |
| Legal guides | 0 |
| Award name | Grantor | Date granted |
|---|---|---|
| Highest ranking as a 1st tier IP attorney in GA since 2003 | Chambers USA: America's Leading Business Lawyers | 2011 |
| Voted by peers as one of the "Legal Elite" since 2003 | Georgia Trend Magazine | 2011 |
| Listed under IP, patent and trademark law since 1991 | The Best Lawyers in America | 2011 |
| Title | Company name | Duration |
|---|---|---|
| Partner | Ballard Spahr, LLP | 2008 - Present |
| Partner & Chair, Intellectual Property Department | Ballard Spahr, LLP | 2008 - 2012 |
| Founder and Partner | Needle & Rosenberg, P.C. | 1983 - 2008 |
| Associate and Partner | Newton, Hopkins & Ormsby | 1970 - 1983 |
| Association name | Position name | Duration | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Atlanta Intellectual Property Inn of Court | Master | 2010 - Present | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| School of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Georgia Institute of Technology | Advisory Board | 2008 - Present | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| The Technological Innovation: Generating Economic Results (TI:GER), a collaborative program between Georgia Tech and Emory Law School | Advisory Board | 2006 - Present | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| College of Sciences, Georgia Institute of Technology | Advisory Board | 2005 - Present | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| School of Biomedical Engineering, University of Alabama at Birmingham | Advisory Board | 2005 - Present | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| JAMS Alternative Dispute Resolution | Neutral Panel Member, Special Master | 1995 - Present | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| State Bar of Georgia | Fellow | N/A | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 11th Circuit Court of Appeals | Chair, committee that drafted model trademark jury instructions | 2011 - 2012 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| IP Law Section of the Atlanta Bar Association | Founding Board Member and Co-Chair | 2007 - 2008 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Georgia | Member, drafted the local rules of practice for patent cases | 2003 - 2004 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| CABBAGE PATCH KIDS® copyright & trademark litigation | N/A | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| VIDALIA® onion copyright & trademark litigation | N/A | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| See all legal cases | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Publication name | Title | Date |
|---|---|---|
| Association of Technology Managers Technology Transfer Practice Manual, 3rd edition | "Trademark Law" Chapter | 2007 |
| School name | Major | Degree | Graduated |
|---|---|---|---|
| Emory University School of Law | Law | JD - Juris Doctor | 1970 |
| Georgia Institute of Technology | Chemistry | BS - Bachelor of Science | 1967 |
| Conference name | Title | Date |
|---|---|---|
| FastTrac TechVenture Entrepreneur Training Course | Protecting Your Business and Your Intellectual Property | 2012 |
| Business Law Section of The Florida Bar’s Third Annual Intellectual Property Law Symposium | Suggestions for Effective Mediation and Arbitration in IP Cases | 2012 |
| Association for Continuing Legal Education | What Your Client Should Know About the America Invents Act re: Patent Litigation | 2011 |
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Contact
Ballard Spahr LLP
999 Peachtree Street
Suite 1000
Atlanta, GA, 30309
Office (678) 420-9320
Fax (678) 420-9301