Nathan T. Harris

Nate is a partner in the Intellectual Property practice who helps technology-driven companies build, protect, and enforce their brands. A high-tech trademark attorney with a background in computer science and software patent work, he brings technical fluency to trademark prosecution, counseling, enforcement, and broader brand strategy. Nate advises established companies, emerging businesses, and startups on intellectual property issues involving software, artificial intelligence, machine learning, and other emerging technologies, as well as clients in retail, entertainment, manufacturing, and life sciences industries.

Nate works with clients to protect their brands throughout the lifecycle of the business, helping emerging companies select and protect their first trademark, guiding growing businesses through domestic and international expansion, and helping established companies strengthen their intellectual property portfolios in anticipation of acquisitions or other strategic events. His work includes trademark clearance and prosecution, global portfolio strategy, copyright and patent counseling, domain name recovery, and enforcement against infringement and unauthorized online use. As companies expand internationally, he coordinates with counsel around the world to develop protection strategies aligned with their markets, growth plans, and business priorities.

When disputes arise, Nate helps clients assess both the legal merits and the business significance of the issue before determining how aggressively to respond. He handles trademark disputes in federal court and before the Trademark Trial and Appeal Board, including opposition and cancellation proceedings and ex parte appeals, as well as online enforcement and platform takedowns. His experience includes preserving a decades-old trademark against a cancellation challenge for an international retailer and recovering domain names from cybersquatters.

Nate’s experience as a registered patent attorney gives him a deeper understanding of the technologies behind many of the brands he protects. He continues to counsel clients on patent strategy and on intellectual property matters involving artificial intelligence and machine learning, including computer vision, identity authentication, and text analytics. This broader IP perspective helps him identify issues that may extend beyond trademark protection and develop strategies that account for how a company’s technology, brand, and other intellectual property work together.

Clients value Nate for pragmatic, straightforward advice that reflects their business objectives, budgets, and tolerance for risk. He takes time to understand what a client is trying to accomplish before recommending a course of action, recognizing that not every intellectual property issue calls for the same level of investment or response. His practical approach, combined with his experience across multiple areas of intellectual property, allows him to serve as a trusted adviser as clients’ businesses and IP needs evolve.

Nate is active in the intellectual property community through the International Trademark Association and Boston Intellectual Property Law Association.