Taft attorneys Ron Holman, Eric Gaum, and Jaimin Shah successfully obtained a preliminary injunction in a highly contentious patent infringement and trade secret misappropriation case for a national retailer of automobile accessories.

Taft’s client, Alien Technologies, sells automobile hardtop removal devices. Alien’s original and IP-protected product makes removing a Jeep hardtop a quick and easy, one-person maneuver. Alien sued a former supplier, now a direct and major competitor, in the District Court for the Southern District of Ohio for patent infringement and trade secret misappropriation (Case No. 1:20-cv-00918-DRC).

After a two-day hearing on Alien’s preliminary injunction motion, the Court found that “Alien Technologies has satisfied the requirements for a preliminary injunction based on its trade secrets claim.” The Court thus enjoined the competitor from continuing to commercialize its hardtop removal device. The Court’s thorough, detailed, and well-written Opinion and Order is a testament to the Taft team’s months-long hard work, creativity, and tenacity.

Holman is a business litigation partner who defends complex litigation and class actions, including matters involving commercial disputes, unfair and deceptive consumer sales practices, fraud, violations of statutory law, employment law, and workers’ compensation issues. He represents clients before state and federal courts.

Gaum focuses his practice on complex intellectual property litigation involving patents, trademarks, copyrights, trade secrets, and related business torts and unfair competition. With more than 20 years of experience, Gaum has represented clients in litigation involving diverse technologies ranging from cellular telephone location-based services to chiral additives for cholesteric liquid crystal displays in courts across the country.

Shah is an intellectual property litigator focusing on patent, trademark, and trade secret cases in federal courts across the United States. His IP litigation experience is industry-agnostic, spanning a range of diverse technology areas. Jaimin brings depth and maturity to his litigation practice due, in part, to his prior in-house experience and judicial externships.