Practice Expertise

  • Anti-Counterfeiting
  • Complex Commercial Actions
  • Class Action Litigation
  • Alternative Dispute Resolution

Areas of Practice

  • Alternative Dispute Resolution
  • Anti-Counterfeiting
  • Class Action Litigation
  • Complex Commercial Actions
  • Consumer Products
  • Food and Beverage
  • Intellectual Property Litigation
  • Life Sciences / Health Care
  • Litigation
  • Trade Secrets, Trademark, and Copyright ...
  • Trademark and Copyright Litigation
  • View More

Profile

Geoffrey Potter is a Partner and Chair of the firm’s Anti-Counterfeiting Practice and Brand Protection team. A highly-experienced trial lawyer, Mr. Potter litigates counterfeiting and product diversion cases on behalf of major corporations in multiple industries worldwide. These cases primarily involve counterfeit products with the potential to cause serious injury or death, including counterfeit medical devices, pharmaceuticals, nutritional supplements, beverages and other consumer, industrial and electronic products.

Mr. Potter also litigates to recover for fraudulent insurance claims, false pharmacy adjudications and fraudulently obtained discounts and rebates, and has successfully recovered tens of millions of dollars on behalf of pharmaceutical companies. In addition to this work, Mr. Potter also litigates cases for and against financial institutions and investment funds, as well as cases concerning accountant liability, defamation, consumer and shareholder class actions, unfair competition, copyright, breach of contract and fraud. He has also conducted numerous securities and employment arbitrations and internal investigations involving Foreign Corrupt Practices Act violations, accounting improprieties and employee malfeasance.

In the anti-counterfeiting arena, he has successfully sued and executed seizure orders globally against hundreds of individuals and businesses that have manufactured and distributed counterfeits. This has resulted in the seizure and destruction of millions of counterfeits and the collection of millions of dollars in settlements and judgments. Repeatedly, Mr. Potter’s efforts have resulted in counterfeiters being incarcerated.

Outside of litigation, Mr. Potter counsels clients on integrated risk reduction solutions and best practices for avoiding counterfeiting problems. He advises on proactive methods to secure products and packaging against counterfeiters and on the development of programs to guard and monitor distribution channels.

Chambers USA named Mr. Potter a Leading Practitioner for Intellectual Property Litigation known for his work in “high-stakes brand protection disputes.” The guide calls him a “noted authority on anti-counterfeiting issues” and clients described him as “one of the most brilliant, innovative, creative attorneys I have had the pleasure of working with,” as well as “one of the smartest, most strategic thinking, aggressive lawyers… in IP." He is also praised for being “able to think outside the box” and for being “a lawyer who genuinely looks out for his client's best interests.” He is also listed as a “Litigation Star” for New York by Euromoney Institutional Investor PLC's Benchmark Litigation and is recognized by World Trademark Review 1000. Cited as an authority on anti-counterfeiting in more than a hundred articles, his recent quotes have been published in The New York Times, Wall Street Journal, International Herald Tribune, Forbes, Bloomberg and Financial Times. He is also a frequent speaker and teacher at anti-counterfeiting conferences.

Bar Admissions

  • U.S. Supreme Court
  • U.S. Court of Appeals, Second Circuit; Third Circuit; Seventh Circuit; Ninth Circuit; Federal Circuit
  • U.S. District Court, Southern, Eastern and Northern Districts of New York
  • U.S. Court of International Trade
  • New York
  • Colorado
  • District of Columbia
  • U.S. District Court, Eastern District of Michigan

Education

  • New York University School of Law (J.D., 1988)
  • Cornell University (B.A., 1984)

Areas of Practice

  • Alternative Dispute Resolution
  • Anti-Counterfeiting
  • Class Action Litigation
  • Complex Commercial Actions
  • Consumer Products
  • Food and Beverage
  • Intellectual Property Litigation
  • Life Sciences / Health Care
  • Litigation
  • Trade Secrets, Trademark, and Copyright Litigation
  • Trademark and Copyright Litigation

Professional Career


Professional Activities and Experience

MEMBERSHIPS: New York State Bar Association; American Bar Association, Member, Intellectual Property Division; New York Civil Rights Coalition, Corporate Counsel and Member, Board of Advisors; EcoHealth Alliance, Board of Directors



HONORS: Recognized as a Leading Practitioner for Intellectual Property by Chambers USA; Listed in World Trademark Review 1000 - The World's Leading Trademark Professionals




Blogs

Antitrust Update

Antitrust Update Blog is a source of insights, information and analysis on criminal and civil antitrust and competition-related issues. Patterson Belknap’s antitrust lawyers represent clients in antitrust litigation and counseling matters, including those related to pricing, marketing, distribution, franchising, and joint ventures and other strategic alliances. We have significant experience with government civil and criminal/cartel investigations, providing the unique perspectives of former...

Data Security Law Blog

DataSecurityLaw.com is the firm’s resource for the latest news, analysis, and thought leadership in the critical area of privacy and cybersecurity law. Patterson Belknap’s Privacy and Data Security practice provides public and private enterprises, their leadership teams and boards with comprehensive services in this critical area. Our team of experienced litigators, corporate advisors and former federal and state prosecutors advises on a broad range of privacy and data protection matters...

Misbranded

Misbranded is Patterson Belknap’s blog covering false advertising litigation—both consumer class actions and competitor suits—with a particular focus on FDA-regulated products (foods/beverages, pharmaceuticals, cosmetics, and dietary supplements).

New York Commercial Division Decisions

The blog is a source for insights and developments related to practice in the Commercial Division of the New York State Supreme Court. This blog reviews key developments in the Commercial Division, including important decisions handed down by the Commercial Division and appellate court decisions reviewing Commercial Division decisions. The blog also covers changes and proposed changes to Commercial Division rules and practice, including revisions to the rules since January 2015. The...

NY Patent Decisions Blog

NYPatentDecisionsBlog.com is a source for the latest patent decisions from the U.S. District Courts for the Southern and Eastern Districts of New York. The blog is authored by Patterson Belknap’s Patent Litigation practice group, whose members are highly experienced trial attorneys with extensive technical knowledge. Many have advanced scientific degrees and industry experience in fields such as communications, electrical and electro-optical technology, semiconductor technology, metallurgical...

Second Circuit Criminal Law Blog

The Second Circuit Criminal Law Blog is your place to follow the criminal law decisions rendered by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit. With a rich 225-year history of legendary judges like Learned Hand and Henry Friendly, the Second Circuit has long been known for writing important and thoughtful opinions on many subjects, including the criminal law. We review every published criminal law opinion handed down by the Second Circuit in order to provide you with a summary of the...

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