Intellectual Property Transactions

Transactions:

• Represented Akebia Therapeutics in an exclusive licensing agreement with Janssen Pharmaceutical, NV, one of the Janssen Pharmaceutical Companies of Johnson & Johnson, under which Akebia in-licensed a portfolio of well-characterized HIF pathway compounds with potential applications across multiple therapeutic areas.
• Ropes & Gray represented Boehringer Ingelheim (BI) in reaching a global agreement with AbbVie to jointly develop and commercialize a biologic antibody for the treatment of psoriasis.
• Ropes & Gray served as lead outside counsel to Pfizer, Inc. in connection with its ground-breaking PD-1 oncology collaboration with Merck KGaA. The transaction was honored with the “2015 Deal of Distinction” Award in the life sciences category by the Licensing Executives Society.
• Advised Innovent Biologics Inc., a leading bio-pharmaceuticals company based in China, with regard to a collaboration of at least three cancer treatments with Eli Lilly and Company, a global healthcare leader. 
• Advised Dunkin’ Brands Group, Inc. on its successful refinancing of its senior secured credit facility with a new $2.4 billion securitized financing facility based substantially on securitization of intellectual property and related revenue from IP-based licensing and franchise arrangements.
• Represented InFront Sports & Media AG its purchase of Omnigon Communications LLC, a New York-based multinational provider of digital solutions to leaders in the sports, media and entertainment industries. In addition Ropes & Gray has handled complex outsourcing, joint ventures, technology and IP spinouts, business restructuring and asset sales.
• Handled a complex patent licensing deal between Rovi Corporation (now TiVo Corporation) and Intellectual Ventures (“IV”), which resulted in two of the world’s leading media and entertainment patent portfolios being brought together under a unified, comprehensive licensing program for providers of over-the-top (OTT) digital media services.
• Represented the National Football League (NFL) in its spinout and repositioning of NFL On Location (NFL OL), its premium events and hospitality business. 

Strategy:

• Represents Butler, Shine, Stern & Partners (BSSP), a major marketing communications agency, in a variety of advertising, commercial, and intellectual property matters, including negotiating advertising services agreements, conducting copy review and rights clearance, and counseling the agency on FTC truth-in-advertising compliance.
• Advised SFW Capital, and its portfolio company Essen BioScience, Inc., a Michigan-based laboratory equipment company, in all aspects of the IP due diligence, including review of patent documents for various potential buyers, related to its sale to Sartorius Group AG, a German pharmaceutical and laboratory equipment supplier. Essen BioScience was acquired by Sartorius for $320 million. 
• Advised General Atlantic Service Company LLC in its investment in Synaptive Medical Inc., a Toronto, Canada-based leading medical device and technology company. Ropes & Gray performed IP due diligence for the transaction, including a high-level review of the Company’s IP portfolio, verification of IP assignment and ownership records using publicly-available databases, and searches of publicly-available litigation databases to identify any IP-related litigation issues.
• Advised ethris GmbH, a growing biopharmaceutical company based in Munich, Germany, on their patent portfolio strategy, licensing and collaboration strategies and strategic partnerships related to mRNA modification and delivery techniques for treatment of a wide variety of illnesses.
• Represented the adidas Group in the sale of its Rockport shoe business to a new entity formed by New Balance and Berkshire Partners. This representation included negotiation of trademark and technology licenses from certain Adidas Group entities to the purchasers.
• Advising TSG Consumer Partners with their portfolio management and enforcement of the TSG mark. We also represent the investment arm of TSG, LLC and handle due diligence for private equity transactions, which included TAM Beauty, Glanbia, thinkThin, and Backcountry.com.

Cross Practice:

• Represented TPG in its definitive agreement with Intel Corporation to establish McAfee, a newly formed, jointly owned independent cybersecurity company. The transaction created one of the world’s largest pure-play cybersecurity firms.
• Represented Baring Private Equity Asia, now EQT Asia, in its acquisition of a 35 percent stake in TELUS International. The agreement valued TELUS International at CAD1.2 billion, with TELUS Corporation shareholders retaining a 65 percent interest in the business.
• Ropes & Gray represented Boston-based BV Investment, a middle-market private equity firm focused on the business services and IT services sectors, in its purchase of a minority interest in C-4 Analytics, an award-winning digital marketing firm. 
• Represented leading middle-market private equity sponsor Genstar Capital in its majority equity investment in Blue Star Sports, a leading provider of sports management software and payment solutions.
• Ropes & Gray advised Kohlberg & Company in its definitive agreement to acquire the ownership interest in MarketCast from RLJ Equity partners, LLC and State Street Global Advisors. Los Angeles-based MarketCast is a leading provider of market research services and data analytics to the entertainment industry.

• Chambers USA – Intellectual Property: Licensing (2024–2025)
• Managing IP Americas Awards – IP Transactions Firm of the Year (2023, 2025)
  • Sarepta Therapeutics and Arrowhead Pharmaceuticals $11.35 billion collaboration agreement
  • Novo Nordisk and Valo Health $2.7B collaboration agreement
  • Eli Lilly and TrexBio $1.1B collaboration agreement
• LMG Life Sciences – Licensing & Collaboration Firm of the Year (2018, 2020–2021, 2023–2024)