Jeffrey A. Simmons is a partner in Foley's Business Litigation & Dispute Resolution; Intellectual Property Litigation; and Trademark, Copyright & Advertising Practices. Mr. Simmons' practice is focused on patent, trademark, copyright, and trade secret disputes. Mr. Simmons has represented clients in numerous patent infringement cases involving a wide variety of technology, including ultrasound devices, medical braces, fluorescent lighting, chemical compounds, chemically-treated fabric, and hand tools. Mr. Simmons is particularly experienced in litigating patent infringement cases in the "rocket docket" of the Western District of Wisconsin.
Mr. Simmons' copyright litigation experience includes representing recording companies in dozens of copyright infringement suits involving unauthorized downloading of music recordings, litigating software licensing disputes, defending a book publisher against infringement allegations, and representing a comic book author to enforce his copyright ownership rights.
Mr. Simmons has litigated several cases to favorable jury and court verdicts. His trial experience includes Neil Gaiman, et al. v. Todd McFarlane, et al., 360 F.3d 644 (7th Cir. 2004), in which Foley's trial team won verdicts in the plaintiffs' favor on copyright ownership, Lanham Act, and breach of contract claims.
Mr. Simmons has authored several articles on intellectual property issues, including:
- "Congress and the Courts Rein In Patent Lawsuits," In Business (to be published Dec. 2007)
- "New Patent Infringement Rules Established In Seagate Decision," Wisconsin Technology Network (Nov. 2007) (co-author)
- "Do Pay-For-Placement Search Engines Engage In Trademark ‘Use'?" IP LAW360 (Dec. 19, 2006) (co-author)
- "Copyright and Trademark Damages: Are Larger Awards on the Horizon?" Insights, Willamette Management Assocs. (Summer 2006) (co-author)
Mr. Simmons was named to the 2006 and 2007 lists of Wisconsin Super Lawyers – Rising Stars by Law & Politics Media, Inc. for his business litigation work.
Mr. Simmons earned a bachelor's degree in political science, with distinction, from the University of Wisconsin – Madison in 1989. He graduated, cum laude, from the University of Wisconsin Law School (J.D., 1998), where he was senior note and comment editor of the Wisconsin Law Review, a member of the Moot Court team, and elected to Order of the Coif.
Prior to joining Foley, Mr. Simmons served as a law clerk to the Hon. John W. Reynolds, U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Wisconsin.
