THE G-O-A-T @ MOATS
$2B+
Cumulative client valuations
100+
IP-related negotiations since 2021
$10M+
IP licensing deals since 2024
90%
Allowance rate, patents & trademarks
400+
Patents drafted, prosecuted and/or asserted
200+
Trademarks filed, prosecuted and/or asserted
01 - ORIGIN
EXPERIENCED & INTERNATIONAL
Twenty thousand hours, two disciplines, one practice.
Matthew Leaper spent 10,000+ hours as a structural, electrical, and mechanical engineer at international AEC firms before he ever set foot in a law office. He then spent another 10,000+ hours handling intellectual property law matters at boutique firms including Smart & Biggar, Bookoff McAndrews, and Lerner David.
In 2013, he started bringing engineering-first thinking to IP strategy. In 2019, he co-founded DataFeel®, a haptic technology company that uses IP to attract capital, defend market position, and create enterprise value. In 2021, he founded MLAIP® to help select clients benefit directly from that experience.
02 - COUNSEL
STRATEGIC ADVISORS
We engage earlier than most firms - during ideation, strategy, and creative decision-making.
PATENTS
What to protect, when to file, how to structure claims, where to file internationally, and how to monetize.
TRADEMARKS
The right name before you start investing, protection once your brand is established, and license revenue when you're ready.
COPYRIGHTS
Early registration with ongoing monitoring and enforcement across formats, platforms, and territories.
TRADE SECRETS
Trusted environments, documented human contributions, and keeping secrets secret.
TRANSACTIONS
We lead negotiations, draft term sheets, prepare agreements, and push back when needed.
03 - METHOD
HUMAN-CENTRIC,
AI POWERED
Every strategic decision, filing, and legal action is written, reviewed, and signed by a registered attorney with 10,000+ hours of experience. That will never change.
What has changed is everything around it. Our AI Strategy involves deploying agentic AI tools to accelerate prior art searching, profile patent examiners, monitor competitor activity, detect infringement, model portfolio valuations, and identify prospective licensees faster and at lower cost than was possible even five years ago. We are not experimenting with AI. We have built our practice around it, and we use it conservatively every day on behalf of our clients.
The result is IP counsel that creates measurable business value by protecting the margins of what you sell today, helping you generate new revenue from what you own, and giving you tools for closing deals.
04 - REACH
WORLD CLASS PROSECUTORS
To extend our reach, we have partnered with dozens of associates around the world - strategic agents and lawyers at firms across every major jurisdiction. We take the lead on drafting and substantive analysis to maximize efficiencies. This approach - what we call quarterbacking - combined with our experience, focus, and network, allows us to provide exceptional value to startups and SMEs wherever they operate.
05 - ENFORCEMENT
LITIGATION SUPPORT
We build cases to secure licensing deals with infringers who would rather pay than fight. To manage costs, we deploy agentic AI to identify infringers, run pre-suit diligence, and model case value, freeing our team to build the strategy and funding structure a strong case demands. Bottom line: our skill at assembling case files that experienced litigators want increases your odds early settlement or placing qualifying matters with contingency counsel if/when needed.
OUR MANIFESTO
MISSION
To build legal monopolies for our clients.
VISION
A boutique intellectual property practice that is:
dedicated to client services that create business value;
focused exclusively on patents, trademarks, copyrights, trade secrets, and related proceedings and transactions;
committed to being a world-leading provider of AI-powered IP services;
100% remote, virtual, and paperless; and
international in scope, through a global network of associates.
CREED
We believe that a human-centric, AI-powered practice will support a loyal client base by helping them generate value from their IP spend, protect the margins of what they sell today, generate new revenue from what they own, and provide better tools for closing deals.
PROMISE
Good work requires trusted relationships. We strive to deliver top-tier professional services to a limited number of long-term clients, working every day to help them build and maintain their legal monopolies as efficiently as possible.
Let’s Get Started
From early-stage discoveries to commercial success, we help innovators protect, develop, and maximize the value of their intellectual property.