Boutique Law Firm Updates Its Name and Look in Its 100^th Year of Operation

Troy, Michigan (October 19, 2021) – In May, Harness Dickey commemorated its 100^th anniversary. Now, the firm will start its next century of offering intellectual property (IP) legal services with a new name: Harness IP.

The brand refresh was designed to clearly convey the firm’s purpose: To protect and advance client innovations through cutting-edge intellectual property strategies. Harness IP will formally launch on October 19.

“Harness IP is not just our name, it is our mission,” said CEO Ray Millien. “It is a meaningful endeavor to refresh the firm’s brand during this milestone year. We are fortunate to be able to continue honoring one of our founders, J. King Harness — who led the first patent department at Ford Motor Company — while focusing our identity on how we serve our clients around the world.”

The firm was founded in 1921 in downtown Detroit and grew steadily throughout the twentieth century, adding new clients in different industries and handling IP matters ranging from patent and trademark preparation and prosecution, trade secret and copyright counseling, IP litigation, and licensing.

Harness IP now has nearly 100 lawyers and serves clients worldwide from four offices in Metropolitan Dallas, Detroit, St. Louis, and Washington, D.C.

The brand refresh is among Millien’s first projects as the firm’s chief executive. He was selected to head the firm in August 2021 after serving as Chief IP Officer at Volvo Car Corporation and CEO of Volvo Cars Ventures in Sweden. This experience as a prospective client of IP legal services provided the perspective for the positive impact that the Harness IP rebranding would have on the firm’s evolution, Millien said.

“We represent the innovators in society — engineers, scientists, designers, authors, artists and musicians. Their ideas are their livelihood and their legacy,” he said. “Our success will stem from our ability to earn their trust to safeguard their IP. That starts with clarity of purpose, and what’s behind our new identity. Now our name is simply what we have done for over a century.”

About Harness IP

Harness IP is celebrating 100 years as an intellectual property law firm. Founded in 1921, the firm currently holds a No. 2 ranking from IAM Media for providing counsel to 44 companies with the largest portfolios of issued U.S. patents. The firm also ranks No. 6 for filing the most patent applications on behalf of those companies. Harness IP’s attorneys and IP professionals focus exclusively on patents, trademarks, global IP management, litigation, and other IP rights. The firm has offices in Metropolitan Dallas, Detroit, St. Louis, and Washington, D.C. Visit www.harnessip.com for more information.