William Needle - Lawyer in Atlanta, GA

William H. Needle

Mediation Attorney at Atlanta, GA

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About William

Learn William’s areas of practice.

Practice areas

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 State of Georgia for intellectual property law issues for more than 30 years.

Mr. Needle currently serves as an alternative dispute resolution Neutral Panel Member, JAMS. Since 1995, Mr. Needle has been mediating and arbitrating cases dealing with a wide array of intellectual property matters, including patent infringement, trademark infringement, copyright infringement, breach of contracts, and misappropriation of trade secrets.

He is the current Chair of an arbitration panel which has issued a Markman Order on patent claims directed to the recording of formation data measurements in a borehole.

He also serves as the Arbitrator in a matter involving theft of trade secrets and claims under the Securities Act for breach of fiduciary duties.

Previously, Mr Needle was the chair of an arbitration panel which dealt with the validity and infringement of several patents relating to beverage containers.

Finally, Mr. Needle has been appointed by federal judges to serve as a Special Master in several patent infringement cases.

Licensed for 52 years

State GA

Status Active Member in Good Standing

Acquired 1970

Updated 11/03/2022

We have not found any instances of professional misconduct for this lawyer.

Contact William

Ballard Spahr LLP

999 Peachtree Street

Suite 1000

Atlanta, GA, 30309

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Cost

Resume

AVVO RATING 9.4 (Superb)

Work Experience

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

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Education

Emory University School of Law
JD - Juris Doctor
1970

Georgia Institute of Technology
BS - Bachelor of Science
1967

Legal Cases

CABBAGE PATCH KIDS® copyright & trademark litigation

VIDALIA® onion copyright & trademark litigation

Associations

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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Languages Spoken

English

Honors and Awards

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

Publications

Association of Technology Managers Technology Transfer Practice Manual, 3rd edition
"Trademark Law" Chapter
2007

Speaking Engagements

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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