We created this blog for people who are passionate about protecting their brands. In our travels through the blogosphere, we haven’t run across an online home for tips and commentary for owners and managers of U.S. and international trademark portfolios and marketing or advertising matters, so we decided to create one. Welcome!
Who are we? Brand Worshipers and Curators. We love brands so much that we’ll give you free tips and tricks for protecting yours (though we’d be delighted if you would call us up and ask us to lend a hand).
If you’ve come here looking for an in-depth analysis of that IP litigation you’ve been following, you might leave less than completely fulfilled. Although we touch on important IP decisions from time to time, other blogs have that angle pretty well covered. We designed this blog primarily for the business owners, the in-house counsel, and the marketing and advertising managers of the world; in other words, people who just need some uncomplicated, practical, day-to-day advice about how to build, protect, or monetize a brand. All in language normal humans can understand.
We’re especially excited to wax poetic on the minutiae of managing portfolios comprising hundreds or even thousands of applications and registrations. (If the “trademark nerd” label comes to mind, we won’t be too upset.) We love finding nifty new ways to move applications toward registration more quickly, and developing strategies for navigating around a pesky Trademark Office refusal, as well as keeping up with the ever changing rules and regulations around marketing and advertising.
Just to spice things up, we’ll sprinkle in information from related areas that we think may be of interest to brand owners and managers. We just know you’ve all been asked about sweepstakes and contests, false advertising claims, text-messaging promotions, and (usually at 5 PM on a Friday), “How do I get that infringing web site taken down in the next two hours”? Don’t sweat it – we’ve got your back.
Our contributors are Faegre Drinker lawyers and paralegals with extensive experience managing trademark (and copyright, and patent) portfolios owned by everyone from Fortune 100 companies to sole proprietorships. We’ve spent countless hours guiding the beloved and brilliant marketing folks through thickets of regulations, helping them to emerge unscathed and (mostly) happy.
Want in on our secrets? Just reach out! If there’s a particular topic that caught your eye, or a post you thought was especially perceptive (hey, it happens sometimes), that article’s author would be a good place to start! (You can find links to their contact information in the “Contributors” section below).
Contributors
Louis T. Perry
Lora Brzezynski
Jennifer Dean
Kenneth Dort
Melissa Dillenbeck
Janet Fries
David F. Gomez
Stephanie Gumm
Tore DeBella
Kelly Horein
Abe Jentry Shanehsaz
Libby Baney
David Merritt
Diane J. Mason
Emily A. Bayton
James J. Saul
Jared B. Briant
Patricia Reding
Background on our Trademark and Copyright Team
Faegre Drinker’s Intellectual Property Group consists of nearly 100 individuals, including branding specialists, government affairs counsel, registered patent attorneys and patent agents, IP technical specialists and litigators with in-depth trial experience. Our Team currently manages thousands of trademark applications and registrations for companies in industries as varied as fashion, health care, insurance, publishing, and software, as well as a host of retail enterprises.
Our Strategy
Our Trademark and Copyright Team strives to provide the finest in client service. We are responsive, quick, and dependable – always seeking to anticipate clients’ needs. Our team approach to brand clearance, prosecution, and enforcement promotes efficiency, and helps ensure that prosecution tactics are aligned with our clients’ strategic objectives.
When IP disputes arise, our goal is to resolve them without formal adversarial proceedings whenever possible. But when litigation is required, our team is well versed in the intricacies of opposition and cancellation actions before the Trademark Trial and Appeal Board and trademark infringement actions in court. Our deep knowledge of trademark prosecution enables us to identify and capitalize on adversaries’ vulnerabilities that generalists might overlook; and our portfolio management experience helps ensure that our clients’ branding goals remain at the forefront in litigation strategy.