Firm History

For more than a century, Synnestvedt & Lechner (S&L) has been a leader in the field of intellectual property law In fact, S&L attorneys argued some of the earliest intellectual property cases heard by the United States Supreme Court.

The firm traces its roots to 1897, the year Paul Synnestvedt, a Norwegian inventor, mechanical engineer, educator, and lawyer, established an intellectual property law practice in Chicago. Shortly thereafter, Mr. Synnestvedt relocated to Pittsburgh to be closer to George Westinghouse, who sought his assistance in protecting fundamental inventions in the field of railway air-braking systems. In addition to securing patent protection on the railroad air-brake, Paul Synnestvedt represented Mr. Westinghouse in proceedings before the Interstate Commerce Commission, resulting in the universal adoption of the Westinghouse braking system by the railroad industry, and the beginnings of what was to become one of the Westinghouse Companies.

Early in the 20th century, Mr. Synnestvedt formed a relationship with Harvey Lechner, an established patent attorney with extensive experience in litigation. The firm opened a headquarters office in Philadelphia around 1915, and maintained branch offices in Chicago, New York City, and Pittsburgh.

During the following half century, S&L worked with Harold F. Pitcairn and the Autogiro Company of America in the United States and Europe, developing the legal rights and expertise in the field of rotary wing aircraft. S&L attorneys prepared and prosecuted hundreds of patent applications directed to this technology, secured dozens of US and foreign patent grants, successfully handled a number of patent interferences, and negotiated licenses with major manufacturers on both sides of the Atlantic. After litigating against the United States Government and unlicensed government contractors for 27 years, S&L obtained a federal court judgment that 16 Autogiro Company US patents were valid and infringed, and an award of damages was assessed against the United States Government, which award was the largest recovery in a patent case in history at that time.

S&L's roots are also integrally linked to the history of the steam locomotive. The firm filed and successfully prosecuted more than 100 patents, and represented major corporations in the railway equipment industry for many years.

The firm entered the field of licensing rights in horticultural products following the establishment of the Plant Patent Act and was active in the legislative process leading to the Plant Varieties Protection Act. S&L was involved in landmark antitrust actions involving technology licensing and transfer in both the fiberglass and electrical industries.

During the 1970s and 1980s, S&L assisted the Saint-Gobain Corporation in developing a patent position on an anti-lacerative windshield, designed to protect occupants of cars in auto collisions. The firm represented Saint-Gobain before the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration in a successful effort to obtain approval for use of the windshields on all automobiles sold in the United States market.

S&L attorneys have participated in drafting major intellectual property legislation and treaties, including the present U.S. Patent Act, the Lanham Act (trademark and unfair competition), the Common Market Antitrust Legislation, the Chilean Plant Patent Statute, and the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA).

S&L's tradition of leadership in intellectual property law continues today. In a case referred to frequently by courts in subsequent litigations, S&L attorneys won an appellate decision reversing a lower court's ruling of infringement, setting a major legal precedent regarding patent claim interpretation. In another successful defense of a major corporation from a claim of patent infringement, S&L attorneys obtained for its client a rare court award of its attorney's fees and costs for having to defend the lawsuit.

Today, Synnestvedt & Lechner is one of the largest law firms dedicated exclusively to intellectual property in the Philadelphia area. S&L is an intellectual property law firm with extensive experience in the complete spectrum of intellectual property subspecialties, including patents, trademarks, copyrights, antitrust, unfair competition, trade secrets and know-how, licensing technology transfer, and intellectual property portfolio management. S&L clients are located in over forty countries throughout the world, including Canada, Mexico, United Kingdom, France, Germany, The Netherlands, The Russian Federation, Argentina, Chile, China, Australia, and New Zealand. S&L clients range from some of the largest corporations in the world to smaller companies, and from Universities to Tech Centers, all of which seek to protect and leverage their intellectual property to compete and prosper in today's challenging global economy.