Mike

Mike Nepple focuses primarily on intellectual property, media and technology law, including advertising and Lanham Act, First Amendment, copyright, trademark and trade secret matters. He also has experience handling privacy, data breach, as well as patent disputes.

A litigator with almost three decades of experience, Mike regularly represents clients in U.S. district and state courts across the country. Yet, through proactive pre-litigation counseling and representation, he does everything he can to keep his clients out of the courtroom. He understands the costs of litigation—in terms of both actual legal spend and the distraction that can damage the client’s bottom line. Before joining the firm, Mike worked on the plaintiff’s side for more than a decade, which contributes to this big picture understanding.

For clients on the cutting edge of content and technology, Mike regularly obtains copyright clearances, makes fair use determinations, conducts pre-publication content reviews, and helps his clients respond to claims that their ads are misleading. He also assists clients with a host of other ‘soft’ IP and internet-related issues relating to actions taken, or content posted, online, including defamation, right of publicity, and right of privacy clams.

Mike is one of the founders of Thompson Coburn’s “In Focus” photo copyright blog. Given his focus areas, he is also closely following AI developments as they relate to his client’s digital and IP assets and endeavors, in order to keep them prepared and protected.