Owen, Wickersham & Erickson

What Owen, Wickersham & Erickson does

Owen, Wickersham & Erickson, P.C. was a boutique intellectual property law firm founded in 1933 and based in San Francisco, California. The firm closed its doors on January 27, 2026 after 93 years of operation. Its core practice areas were trademark registration and maintenance, copyright registration and enforcement, trade secret protection, unfair competition claims, visual artists' rights, publicity and privacy rights, and alternative dispute resolution (ADR) including neutral evaluation, mediation, and arbitration for IP conflicts. The firm served primarily visual artists and creative professionals, and differentiated itself through practitioners who were themselves practicing artists or former graphic artists.

The business model was a traditional professional services law firm: partner-led engagement, direct attorney-client relationships, and quote-based pricing with no public fee schedule. Distribution was regional, focused on California, with the firm practicing in jurisdictions where it was properly authorized. Marketing was primarily content-driven, centered on an extensive educational resource library on its website and a long-running column called 'Legalities' for AIGA|SF authored by firm member Linda Joy Kattwinkel (46 issues spanning many years). No technology platform, proprietary software, or AI capabilities were disclosed; the firm relied on a WordPress website and a ClientPay-integrated payment center for client billing.

The firm had no disclosed funding, no parent company, and no institutional investors; it operated as a privately-held professional corporation. Following closure, partners Greg Owen and Linda Joy Kattwinkel relocated their IP practices to Buchalter, while Larry Townsend established an independent IP practice excluding trademark registration and maintenance. The Client Center remains open solely for residual billing administration.

Name

Owen, Wickersham & Erickson

Legal name

Owen, Wickersham & Erickson, P.C.

Website

https://owe.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1933

Operating status

Closed

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Owen, Wickersham & Erickson was a San Francisco boutique law firm founded in 1933 that provided intellectual property legal services in trademark, copyright, trade secrets, and ADR, serving primarily visual artists and creative professionals. The firm closed on January 27, 2026 after 93 years.

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

Copyright Services & Content Protection (BPAHAMAC)

akta.pro secondary industry

Litigation Support & Expert Witness Services (BPAHALAG)

Keywords

• Intellectual property law
• Trademark registration services
• Copyright protection services
• Alternative dispute resolution
• Arts law mediation

Headquarters

HQ city

Concord

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations

Revenue model

1. Legal Services - Professional Services: Law firm providing legal representation and counsel in intellectual property matters including trademark registration and maintenance, copyright registration and enforcement, and alternative dispute resolution services.

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels2 records

Core offering

Owen, Wickersham & Erickson, P.C. was a boutique specialty law practice providing intellectual property legal services, including trademark registration and maintenance, copyright registration and enforcement, trade secret protection, unfair competition claims, visual artists' rights, publicity/privacy rights, and alternative dispute resolution (neutral evaluation, mediation, and arbitration) for IP disputes. The firm served clients in California and beyond, with particular focus on visual artists and creative professionals.

Product overview

Owen, Wickersham & Erickson, P.C. was a boutique specialty law practice in San Francisco, California, that closed on January 27, 2026 after 93 years of rendering intellectual property legal services. The firm provided legal services in trademark, copyright, and broader intellectual property law, with key attorneys Greg Owen, Linda Joy Kattwinkel, and Larry Townsend. The firm's services included Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) with neutral evaluation, mediation, and arbitration modules. The firm also maintained an extensive educational resource library covering IP topics including trademarks, copyrights, trade secrets, visual artists' rights, publicity/privacy rights, and unfair competition. A notable offering was the Legalities column, a regular publication for visual artists covering copyright law and related legal issues. Prior to closure, the firm offered a Client Center for payment processing. After closure, Greg Owen and Linda Joy Kattwinkel continued their IP practices at Buchalter, while Larry Townsend maintained an independent IP practice.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Intellectual Property Legal Services Boutique specialty law practice providing intellectual property legal services including trademark, copyright, and related IP matters for clients in California and beyond.
• Trademark Services (Federal Registration, Clearance, and Maintenance) Trademark-related legal services including the Federal Trademark Registration Process, Trademark Clearance Process, and ongoing trademark maintenance for clients seeking to secure and protect marks.
• International Trademark Registration Legal services for obtaining trademark protection internationally, supporting clients seeking cross-border trademark rights.
• Copyright Services Copyright-related legal services including registration and protection guidance for creative works.
• Trade Secret Protection Services Legal services related to trade secret protection for clients seeking to safeguard confidential business information.
• Unfair Competition Legal Services Legal services addressing unfair competition claims under U.S. law.
• Visual Artists' Rights Legal Services Legal services covering moral rights, California resale royalties, fine art consignment laws, and certificate of authenticity requirements for visual artists.
• Publicity and Privacy Rights Legal Services Legal services addressing rights of publicity and privacy, including invasion of privacy claims and celebrity rights.
• Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) for IP Disputes ADR services for intellectual property conflicts comprising neutral evaluation, mediation, and arbitration serving trademark and copyright disputes.

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• AIGA|SFminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerOW&E member Linda Joy Kattwinkel wrote a regular column called 'Legalities' for AIGA|SF (American Institute of Graphic Arts, San Francisco chapter). The column addressed legal issues for visual artists including copyright law, trademarks, rights of publicity and privacy, licensing, gallery and agency relationships, co-authorship agreements, and publishing contracts. The column ran for 46 issues spanning many years.

Scale indicators1 record

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights1 record

Broad incumbents

• Cooley LLP: Major California-headquartered law firm with significant IP, trademark, and copyright practice. Comparable as a California IP services provider, especially for technology and creative-industry clients.
• Kilpatrick Townsend & Stockton: Full-service law firm with a substantial IP practice covering trademark prosecution, copyright, and IP litigation. Comparable IP services portfolio to OW&E though at much larger scale.
• Buchalter: General practice firm with a thriving IP practice group that absorbed OW&E's two lead partners (Greg Owen and Linda Joy Kattwinkel) on the firm's closure. Directly comparable as a California-based IP legal services provider, though broader in scope.
• Orrick, Herrington & Sutcliffe: San Francisco-rooted global law firm with intellectual property practice. Comparable as a California IP services competitor serving technology and creative clients.
• Morrison & Foerster: San Francisco-based global law firm with a strong IP practice group covering trademark, copyright, and IP litigation. Comparable California IP legal services competitor.

Direct peers

• Fish & Richardson: Leading IP specialty law firm handling patent, trademark, copyright, and IP litigation. Comparable as a specialist IP practice competing for similar trademark and copyright clients.
• Keohane & D'Alessandro: Boutique intellectual property law firm. Comparable as a small specialist IP practice handling trademark, copyright, and IP disputes for individual creators and small businesses.
• Finnegan: Boutique-style IP specialty law firm focused on patent, trademark, copyright, and IP litigation. Comparable to OW&E as a specialist IP services provider, though larger and more nationally distributed.
• Law Offices of Lawrence G. Townsend: Independent IP practice started by OW&E partner Larry Townsend after the firm closed. Directly comparable boutique IP practice serving similar copyright/trademark clients in the Bay Area.

Others

• AIGA (American Institute of Graphic Arts): Professional association for designers that hosted OW&E's Legalities column. Comparable only insofar as it represents the same visual-artist community the firm targeted, but is an ecosystem partner rather than a competitor.

Market position

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights5 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/OWE_SF
• Facebookfacebook.com/profile.php

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

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 Owen, Wickersham & Erickson