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Vanessa Ignacio leads Lowenstein’s global Trademarks, Copyrights, Trade Secrets & Advertising practice with devotion and enthusiasm, representing Fortune 500 companies and internationally known brands throughout every stage of the brand life cycle: from selection, clearance, and registration; through licensing, maintenance, auditing, and enforcement. Her practice spans the full spectrum of intellectual property and technology law matters, domain name issues, and advertising law, with a special emphasis on domestic and international trademark counseling and enforcement.
Working with such iconic brands as Claritin, Dr. Scholls, Suave, Arm & Hammer, Coppertone, Trojan, Aleve, Afrin, American Standard, and Catalent— to name only a few—Vanessa manages national and global trademark portfolios, including clearance and contested matters, for clients across such diverse industries as consumer goods, skincare, pharmaceuticals, life sciences, animal health, crypto and blockchain, technology and food and beverage. She frequently represents clients at the very beginning of their brands’ development and remains with them through their lifecycle – sometimes for a decade or more.
Clients rely upon Vanessa’s deep understanding of their business as she guides them through brand selection and launch, always aiming to monetize brands through effective registration, marketing, and protection from unlawful exploitation and counterfeits. Vanessa also negotiates and drafts agreements governing the use of trademarks and other types of intellectual property, representing buyers and sellers in complex corporate transactions that involve trademark, copyright, and domain name assets, unraveling chain of title issues, and perfecting security interests. In addition, she has specialized knowledge related to clearing global pharmaceutical names, including counseling on drug nomenclature.
An early advocate for the protection of brand rights in domain names and online platforms, Vanessa has an undefeated record in combatting online trademark infringement, cybersquatting, and phishing attacks in domain name dispute proceedings. She regularly advises on intellectual property issues and digital marketing strategies, brand issues and advertising with social media influencers as well as innovative technologies, the Metaverse and “virtual goods.”
When it comes to enforcing online brands and confronting third parties, Vanessa is equally adept at handling opposition and cancellation proceedings before the Trademark Trial and Appeal Board as she is managing contested proceedings in nearly every jurisdiction around the world. Highly experienced in enforcing and defending intellectual property in oppositions, cancellations, and appeals, she has successfully litigated and negotiated matters involving brand rights, trade dress, copyright infringement, and false advertising disputes, and she has an impeccable record of success in appealing refusals to register trademarks in the USPTO and agencies worldwide.
Vanessa’s international experience includes specialized knowledge about clearing marks for use in online resale platforms in China, managing trademark disputes against copycat infringers, and other peculiar trademark registration issues that often block clients from doing business in China. With a strong network of foreign counsel in more than 100 countries around the world, Vanessa advises on cross-border IP transactional issues in the context of trademark portfolio audits, securitization of IP assets, and due diligence.
A leader within the firm, Vanessa is a member of Lowenstein’s Executive Board and Alumni Committee, active in the firm’s Women’s Initiative and the firm’s Diversity, Equity and Inclusion network. She previously served on the firm’s Operating Committee, Recruiting Committee and the Associate-Partner Relations Committee.
Prior to her legal career, Vanessa worked in Artist & Repertoire at several prominent music companies, including Polygram and Capitol Records. She still enjoys her eclectic music collection and attending concerts, is obsessed with hockey (“Let’s Go Rangers!”), and volunteers as a member of Impact 100 Garden State, a women-led philanthropic organization providing high-impact community grants.
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