H. Dickson Burton
H. Dickson Burton
Shareholder
Dickson is a trial lawyer and trusted counselor who helps clients strategize and resolve patent, trademark, trade secret, and other business disputes, including successfully taking cases to trial when necessary. He is known by his clients and in courts across the country as a creative, trusted, and highly successful advocate, with a remarkable streak of major litigation wins, including rare preliminary injunctions and seizure orders in hotly-contested patent infringement and trade secret cases. Dickson frequently mediates or arbitrates difficult patent and other intellectual property disputes. He has received mediation training and certification from both Harvard Law School and the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO).
Dickson has been honored for many years in Best Lawyers, Super Lawyers, and other peer and client-review ratings, including as one of the Top 25 of all lawyers in Salt Lake City, Top 100 lawyers in the Mountain States, and as Intellectual Property Litigation “Lawyer of the Year” in Salt Lake City. Dickson has served on the Utah Bar Commission, the governing body of all licensed attorneys in Utah, for 10 years, and was President of the Utah State Bar for the 2018-19 term.
Professional Recognition
- Best Lawyers – 2007-2023
- Best Lawyers SLC Patent Litigation Lawyer of the Year – 2022
- Best Lawyers SLC Trade Secrets Lawyer of the Year – 2017, 2019
- Best Lawyers SLC Intellectual Property Litigation Lawyer of the Year – 2015
- Best Lawyers SLC Copyright Law Lawyer of the Year – 2014
- Best Lawyers SLC Information Technology Lawyer of the Year – 2013, 2021
- IAM Patent 1000 (Patent Litigation) – 2012-2021
- IP Stars – 2013-2021
- Martindale Hubbell (AV Rated) – Since 1998
- Super Lawyers – 2007-2021
- Super Lawyers Mountain States Top 100 – 2012-2021
Areas of Special Expertise
- Litigation and enforcement of intellectual property in various technical areas
- Counseling and strategic planning, including global IP protection and enforcement
- Mediation, arbitration, and alternative dispute resolution
- Expert witness services in intellectual property disputes
- Information Technology, Computers and Software
Bar Admissions
- Utah Bar
- District of Columbia Bar
- U.S. Patent and Trademark Office
- U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second, Fourth, Ninth, Tenth and Federal Circuits
- U.S. Supreme Court
- Pro Hac Vice admissions in numerous state and federal courts
Education
- Brigham Young University, J. Reuben Clark Law School, J.D.
- Brigham Young University, B.A., magna cum laude – (Presidential Scholar)
Languages
- Spanish (fluent)
Recent Representative Cases
- Catheter Connections v. Ivera Medical/3M – Medical Device patent dispute hotly contested over several years in multiple states. Obtained two preliminary injunctions on three different patents, as well as a contempt order for the opponent’s violation of one of the injunctions, leading to a favorable settlement.
- Won-Door Corporation v. Cornell Iron Works – Patent infringement case involving movable partitions. Obtained a preliminary injunction after extensive briefing and two court hearings, leading to a consent judgment and permanent injunction against Cornell.
- Storm Products v. Ebonite – Defended patent infringement case involving bowling balls. Obtained Court Order invalidating Ebonite patent. Affirmed on appeal.
- SME Steel Contractors v. Star Seismic – Obtained dismissal of patent infringement case relating to seismic braces used in steel frame construction, affirmed on appeal; subsequently defended related claims of breach of license agreement, fraud, and tortious interference to trial, obtaining a judgment dismissing all claims and awarding attorneys’ fees of $1 million.
- Choice Hotels v. JMS Lodging – Trademark infringement case – obtained judgment and permanent injunction.
- Etagz v. TV Guide Magazine – Defended TV Guide in patent infringement case; settled favorably on the eve of summary judgment hearing.