Trademarks, Copyrights, Trade Secrets & Advertising
Intangible business assets–including all manner of brand names, logos, and trade dress–are of inestimable value. An effective trademark promotes goodwill in the marketplace, distinguishes your business from its competitors, and confers value, exclusivity, and quality.
Our Trademarks, Copyrights, Trade Secrets & Advertising lawyers offer clients the services they need to clear, register, and enforce their trademark rights. Yet successful trademark management goes far beyond clearance searches and prosecution of applications; it is a vital part of a comprehensive, long-term branding strategy. Our trademark services combine a practical, strategic business perspective with extensive legal experience to help our clients develop and protect the integrity of their brands.
The firm manages the national and global trademark portfolios of hundreds of clients that span a diverse array of industries and range in size from emerging companies to multinational corporations. Experienced in international jurisdictions, our team regularly calls on a carefully selected network of foreign trademark counsel to facilitate our work on a global scale. Our full range of trademark services also includes corporate transactions and related agreements as well as dispute resolution.
Our successful track record has not gone unnoticed. We are consistently listed among the preeminent trademark services in World Trademark Review 1000 – The World's Leading Trademark Professionals.
Trademark Clearance and Prosecution
We counsel clients with respect to name or logo availability, assess business risks associated with the adoption of marks, and work with clients to maximize the value of their trademarks. Our trademark services offer keen business insight into how a potential trademark aligns with clients' overall business goals.
During the clearance process, we conduct extensive availability searches for similar marks already in use or registered by other parties within the United States and other relevant jurisdictions. Sensitive to the pace of business, we clear marks quickly and efficiently. Once the marks are cleared, we prosecute clients' trademark applications through the examination process, serving as forceful and effective advocates before trademark registration agencies.
Beyond registration, we counsel clients on how best to leverage and protect their marks and create brand extension opportunities. We customize presentations and manuals to guide our clients on the effective use, protection, and extension of trademarks. Our docketing specialists manage our clients' global trademark portfolios while monitoring third-party trademark applications in order to alert clients to potential threats to their brands. We offer read-only access enabling clients with a real-time view of their trademark portfolios.
Corporate Transactions
We have extensive experience negotiating and drafting agreements governing the use of trademarks and other types of intellectual property in a wide variety of industries. They include agreements for coexistence and concurrent use, assignments, consents, manufacturing, private labeling, distribution, collaboration, marketing ventures, and licensing.
We also represent buyers and sellers in complex corporate transactions that involve trademark assets. During the purchase or sale of a trademark, we conduct due diligence to ensure that the assets are valued appropriately, confirm registration details in the United States and in other jurisdictions, evaluate the chain of title, and appraise the significance of any liens, assignments, or restrictions that might be in place.
Team lawyers assist our clients in perfecting security interests with respect to intellectual property rights and also help them draft disclosure statements relating to such properties. When conducting audits, our trademark attorneys also turn a critical eye on clients' portfolios to help maximize the value of key brands, ensure adequate and accurate coverage, as well as reduce maintenance costs associated with tertiary brands.
Enforcement
We have extensive experience enforcing and defending intellectual property in oppositions, cancellations, and appeals before the Trademark Trial and Appeal Board. Our trial-ready lawyers have a proven success record in litigating trademark infringement cases and related claims in federal and state courts.
Domain Names and Online
Clients benefit from our significant experience handling international domain name disputes before the World Intellectual Property Organization and similar dispute resolution organizations. Our trademark team works to ensure that our clients' trademarks are not abused by cybersquatters and other misuses on the internet. We also provide strategic counsel on other pertinent online branding issues, such as infringement of trademarks on social media and through the use of internet keywords in online advertising campaigns.
Trade Secrets
We take a proactive approach to preventing misappropriations of trade secrets, whether by outgoing executives, unscrupulous partners, or hackers. Our trade secrets team regularly helps clients establish information protection programs to safeguard sensitive business information. Clients value our experience in resolving issues resulting from the violation of non-compete and non-disclosure agreements and other trade secret breaches.
Copyright
Clients rely on us to provide strategic guidance in helping them protect, register, and manage original copyrightable content such as books, websites, logos, computer software, music, photographs, and artwork. Our team includes experienced litigators who have an outstanding record of success in enforcing clients' rights and defending their work against infringement claims.
Advertising
Our team is dedicated to guiding clients through the complex landscape of advertising law, ensuring their branding and marketing strategies are not only creative but legally sound. We provide comprehensive counsel on a broad spectrum of issues, from the intricacies of social media advertising to the nuanced challenges of the right of publicity. Our team excels in the clearance of advertising copy, meticulously reviewing content and product claims to safeguard against potential legal pitfalls. We also advise on promotional campaigns, ensuring they comply with the latest legal standards and best practices. With a keen eye on the evolving digital marketplace, we empower our clients to navigate advertising laws with confidence, securing their brand’s integrity and success.
