Cliff Dougherty has practiced exclusively in the intellectual property field for his entire career and is particularly regarded for his ability to understand and appreciate his clients’ needs and his direct and proactive approach to resolving issues. His practice encompasses all aspects of intellectual property law, including trademark clearance, registration and maintenance, patent application preparation and prosecution, preparation of legal opinions, drafting and negotiating contracts relating to intellectual property, and counseling with respect to advertising, copyright, Internet, licensing and related matters. Cliff also devotes a large part of his practice to intellectual property litigation in federal courts as well as before the Patent Trial and Appeal Board (PTAB) and the Trademark Trial and Appeal Board (TTAB) of the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office. He has previously served as the leader of the firm’s Intellectual Property Group.
Cliff serves as exclusive intellectual property counsel for numerous companies throughout the United States ranging from large public corporations to private start-up companies.
He has helped companies of all sizes develop and implement programs to promote and foster development of new intellectual property, protect and maintain existing intellectual property, and avoid intellectual property infringement litigation. Cliff’s practice is worldwide in scope. He has developed a vast network of intellectual property associates and handled transactions and disputes in most countries throughout the world.
Cliff’s achievements have earned him inclusion in Chambers USA Guide to America’s Leading Lawyers for Business, The Best Lawyers in America (copyright law; intellectual property litigation; patent law; patent litigation; trade secrets law; trademark law) and Oklahoma Super Lawyers. He was selected by Best Lawyers as the “Oklahoma City Trademark Lawyer of the Year” for 2012 and 2014, “Oklahoma City Intellectual Property Litigation Lawyer of the Year” for 2013, and “Oklahoma City Patent Lawyer of the Year” for 2015, honors given only to a single lawyer in each legal specialty in each community. He is one of a distinguished group of attorneys who have been listed in Best Lawyers for 10 years or longer. For more than 20 years, Cliff has been rated AV® Preeminent by Martindale-Hubbell’s Peer Review Ratings, a certification mark signifying that a lawyer’s peers rank him or her at the highest level of professional excellence.
Cliff has published articles relating to intellectual property law in the Oklahoma Law Review, Oklahoma Bar Journal, The Journal Record, The Oklahoman and the Oklahoma Employment Law Letter.
Cliff is a contributing author and editor of the Oklahoma and Arkansas chapters of U.S. State Trademark and Unfair Competition Law, a comprehensive reference guide published annually by the International Trademark Association. He frequently speaks at seminars and other educational programs on intellectual property matters.
Download Bio (PDF)Representative Experience
- Representation of companies of all sizes, ranging from large public corporations (including Fortune 500 companies) to private start-up companies, in all types of intellectual property transactions and disputes throughout the world.
- Representation of clients in trials involving patent infringement, trademark infringement, copyright infringement, cybersquatting, deceptive trade practices, false advertising, unfair competition and related issues.
- Representation of clients in proceedings before the Board of Patent Appeals and Interferences and the Trademark Trial and Appeal Board of the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office.
- Representation of clients in proceedings before the National Arbitration Forum in accordance with the Uniform Domain Name Dispute Resolution Policy, adopted by the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (“ICANN”).
- Representation of companies in the food industry, including food manufacturing companies, food distribution companies and restaurants in connection with intellectual property matters. For example, for companies in the food industry, Cliff has cleared, registered and policed trademarks around the world, handled numerous proceedings before the Trademark Trial and Appeal Board of the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office, handled complex national and international license agreements, provided patent non-infringement opinions, patented food-manufacturing and packaging technology, and handled labeling issues.
- Successfully obtained a judgment in favor of a multi-state food retailer and restaurant chain against an international restaurant chain in a proceeding before the U.S. Trademark Trial and Appeal Board of the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office denying the international restaurant chain’s application for federal registration of its trademark in the United States.
- Cliff has advised national corporations on compliance with federal food labeling requirements and avoidance of state law false advertising claims, and has counseled and defended clients who have been targeted by class action plaintiffs challenging the clients’ use of descriptive terms on product labels.
- Representation of companies in the insurance industry, including life insurance and supplemental health insurance companies, in connection with intellectual property matters.
- Representation of companies in the energy field, including exploration and drilling companies, midstream companies, and oil well service companies.
- Representation of chemical manufacturing companies, chemical process equipment companies, and combustion equipment companies.
- Representation of banks and bank holding companies in connection with trademark and other intellectual property issues.
- Representation of Native American tribes and organizations that promote Native American heritage in trademark and other intellectual property matters.
- Representation of companies based abroad in matters in the United States.
Honors and Awards
- Listed in the Chambers USA Guide to America’s Leading Lawyers for Business
- Selected by peers for inclusion in The Best Lawyers in America (copyright law; intellectual property litigation; patent law; patent litigation; trade secrets law; trademark law)
- Named “Oklahoma City Trademark Lawyer of the Year” for 2012 and 2014, “Oklahoma City Intellectual Property Litigation Lawyer of the Year” for 2013, and “Oklahoma City Patent Lawyer of the Year” for 2015 by The Best Lawyers in America
- Listed in Oklahoma Super Lawyers
- Rated AV Preeminent by Martindale-Hubbell Peer Review Ratings
- Honored as Rotary Club of Oklahoma City’s Rotarian of the Year (2015)
Professional Organizations and Memberships
- Oklahoma Bar Association (Past President, Intellectual Property Section)
- American Bar Association (Intellectual Property Section; Intellectual Property Litigation Committee; Corporate Counsel Committee)
- Oklahoma Bar Foundation
- International Trademark Association
- American Intellectual Property Law Association (Trademark Committee)
- Federal Circuit Bar Association
- Oklahoma Venture Forum
Civic Involvement and Leadership
- Leadership Oklahoma City (Class XXV)
- Rotary Club of Oklahoma City (chair of multiple committees, President Citation in 2014, Rotarian of the Year in 2015)
- Edmond Public Schools Foundation (President, 2005-2006)
- New Covenant United Methodist Church, Edmond, OK
At The Podium
Corporate Counsel IP Toolbox
Corporate Counsel IP Toolbox
IP Strategies: Practical Applications
Articles
Are You In or Out? Navigating the New EU Unitary Patent
McAfee & Taft tIPsheet Alert | February 21, 2023
Legislation: New teeth in trade secrets law
Oklahoma Employment Law Letter | January 1, 2010Intellectual Property, The Trademark Law Revision Act of 1988
The Oklahoma Bar Journal, Vol. 60, No. 35 | 1989The Oklahoma Deceptive Trade Practices Act – The Requirement of Competition Between the Parties
Oklahoma Law Review, Vol. 37, No. 4 | 1984In The News
Best Lawyers names 128 McAfee & Taft lawyers to 2023 lists
August 18, 2022
