Smith & Hopen

What Smith & Hopen does

Smith & Hopen was a Tampa, Florida-based intellectual property law firm specializing in patent prosecution, trademark registration, copyright law, and IP litigation. Founded in 1999 and led by Managing Partner Anton J. Hopen, the firm served technology companies, universities, and founders across multiple verticals including biotechnology, software, telecommunications, and engineered systems. All attorneys at the firm were registered with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office, and the firm held admissions to practice before the USPTO's Patent Trial and Appeal Board (PTAB) and Trademark Trial and Appeal Board (TTAB), all federal district courts in Florida, and the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit. Anton Hopen was one of only 135 attorneys to hold Board Certification in Intellectual Property by the Florida Bar, a credential the firm prominently featured.

The firm operated under a professional services revenue model, billing clients through legal fee arrangements (hourly, flat-fee, or contingency depending on matter type) for services spanning patent prosecution and portfolio management, post-grant proceedings, federal court litigation, trademark prosecution and defense, IP portfolio counseling, copyright services, and IP-related business transactions. Client acquisition relied on professional reputation, thought leadership, and industry recognition rather than digital marketing or product-led channels. The firm invested heavily in published authority: Anton Hopen authored extensively in IP Watchdog, Law360, Managing IP, Bloomberg Law, IAM Media, and The AI Journal, and delivered presentations at institutions including the University of Florida College of Law, Florida State University, Moffitt Cancer Research Center, and BioFlorida. The firm earned consecutive recognition in Florida Super Lawyers (2022–2026), Tampa Magazine's Top Lawyers (2020–2026), and an AV Preeminent rating from Martindale-Hubbell.

In November 2025, Smith & Hopen was acquired by and merged into Trenam Law, a larger Tampa-based law firm. Following the combination, the firm's IP practice was integrated into Trenam's Business Transactions and Intellectual Property Practice Groups, with Anton Hopen transitioning to become a Shareholder at Trenam. The transaction was covered by Law360 and the Tampa Bay Business Journal.

Name

Smith & Hopen

Legal name

Smith & Hopen

Website

https://smithhopen.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1970

Operating status

Acquired

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

Smith & Hopen was a Tampa-based intellectual property law firm specializing in patent prosecution, trademark registration, copyright law, and IP litigation, serving technology companies, universities, and founders across biotechnology, software, telecommunications, and engineered systems verticals.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Intellectual Property Legal Services

NAICS

Offices of Lawyers (541110), Legal Services (5411)

SIC

Services-Legal Services (8111)

akta.pro primary industry

IP Search, Watch & Competitive Intelligence (BPAHAMAI)

akta.pro secondary industry

Mergers & Acquisitions (M&A) & Securities Law (BPAHAAAI)

Keywords

• Patent prosecution services
• Trademark registration services
• Intellectual property law
• IP litigation defense
• Copyright protection services

Headquarters

HQ city

Tampa

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Others

Revenue model

1. Legal Services - Professional Services: Revenue generated through legal fee arrangements for intellectual property services including patent prosecution, trademark registration, litigation, and advisory services. As a law firm, services were likely billed hourly, flat-fee, or contingency depending on matter type.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

Smith & Hopen is a Tampa, Florida-based intellectual property law firm founded in 1999 that provides patent prosecution, trademark registration, copyright protection, IP litigation, and trade secrets defense. The firm serves clients across the United States including technology companies, startups, universities, and individual inventors, with attorneys who hold technical and engineering degrees in addition to legal credentials.

Product overview

Smith & Hopen was a specialized patent and trademark law firm offering comprehensive intellectual property legal services. The firm operated as a unified service offering rather than a platform-plus-modules architecture. Core services included patent prosecution and litigation, trademark prosecution and litigation, IP portfolio counseling for universities and technology companies, post-grant proceedings before the USPTO (PTAB/TTAB), copyright services, and IP-related business transactions. Following its acquisition by Trenam Law in November 2025, these services are now integrated into Trenam's Business Transactions and Intellectual Property Practice Groups.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Patent Prosecution and Registration Services Patent prosecution and registration services for clients across the United States, with attorneys holding technical and engineering degrees in electrical, mechanical, computer, and chemical disciplines to handle complex technology patents. Targeted at technology companies, startups, universities, and individual inventors.
• Trademark Registration and Protection Services Trademark registration, prosecution, and brand protection services for clients seeking to secure and defend brand rights. Targeted at technology companies, startups, universities, and individual inventors.
• Copyright Protection Services Copyright protection services for creative works and software, supporting creators and companies in registering and defending copyrights. Targeted at technology companies, startups, universities, and individual inventors.
• IP Litigation and Dispute Resolution Intellectual property litigation services for patent infringement, trademark disputes, and copyright conflicts, including representation in federal court and before the USPTO. Targeted at technology companies, startups, universities, and individual inventors.
• Trade Secrets and Unfair Competition Defense Trade secrets protection and unfair competition defense for clients facing misappropriation of confidential business or technical information. Targeted at technology companies, startups, universities, and individual inventors.

Named customers3 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• Trenam LawcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 November 2025Smith & Hopen, a patent and trademark law firm, joined Trenam Law in November 2025. This represents a strategic combination that absorbed the firm's IP practice into the larger law firm. The merger was covered by Law360 and Tampa Bay Business Journal, indicating significance in the legal industry.

Scale indicators1 record

Recent moves4 records

Expansion highlights3 records

Others

• Trenam Law: Tampa-based full-service law firm that acquired Smith & Hopen in November 2025. Related as acquirer/integrator of the subject firm's IP practice into Trenam's Business Transactions and IP groups.

Broad incumbents

• Akerman LLP: Major Florida-based full-service law firm with IP practice group. Comparable as a regional incumbent with overlapping patent and trademark services in the Florida market.
• Foley & Lardner: Full-service firm with strong IP and life sciences practices and Florida presence. Comparable as a broader incumbent offering patent and IP services alongside non-IP practices.
• Holland & Knight: Full-service Am Law 200 firm with significant IP practice headquartered in Florida. Comparable regional anchor in Florida with overlapping IP, trademark, and litigation capabilities.
• Buchanan Ingersoll & Rooney: National firm with intellectual property practice spanning patent prosecution, trademark, and litigation. Comparable on multi-jurisdiction IP capabilities and Federal Circuit practice.

Direct peers

• Banner & Witcoff: Boutique IP firm specializing in patent prosecution, litigation, and post-grant proceedings. Comparable as a focused IP boutique serving tech clients with USPTO and Federal Circuit capabilities.
• Fish & Richardson: Large national IP-focused law firm specializing in patent prosecution, litigation, and PTAB practice. Directly comparable as a peer IP boutique with biotech/software/tech vertical expertise and Federal Circuit litigation capabilities.
• Sterne Kessler Goldstein & Fox: Specialized patent prosecution and litigation boutique with strong PTAB practice. Comparable focus on patent prosecution, post-grant proceedings, and technology-vertical clients.
• Oblon: IP-focused boutique with strong patent prosecution and post-grant capabilities. Comparable as a specialized patent firm serving technology and university clients.
• Finnegan: Premier IP boutique with deep patent prosecution, PTAB, and Federal Circuit appeal practice. Comparable on technology-vertical specialization, Federal Circuit admission, and high-stakes IP litigation profile.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks2 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/Smith_Hopen
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/smithhopen

Compliance2 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Smith & Hopen