The WTR 1000 focuses exclusively on trademark practice and has firmly established itself as the definitive 'go-to' resource for those seeking world-class legal trademark expertise.
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IP devotee Brooks Kushman maintains an outstanding trademark practice by any measure and has an international reputation for excellence. It manages tens of thousands of registrations, works closely with the in-house teams of many top companies, protects and enforces brands globally, and brings wide-ranging and deep industry knowledge to the table. It also has a deep bench of top pros, as the WTR 1000 rankings, which recognise seven of the firm’s leading representatives, attest. Top billing is given to trademark practice co-chairs Robyn Lederman and Elizabeth Janda, who have nearly 60 years of experience between them. Lederman provides an attentive and efficient service to some of the outfit’s largest trademark clients and is prized for her creativity and problem-solving skill; Janda is hailed as a cross-border portfolio management maestro and has a huge foreign associate network. Molly Crandall and Hope Shovein add more than 40 years to the group’s collective experience. Crandall is a fount of insight and analysis regarding brand strategy and licensing. Shovein has in-house experience and demonstrates great commitment to achieving her patrons’ business goals. Over the past five years Brooks Kushman has experienced significant growth, which coincides with Erica Klein’s tenure at the group. Like Crandall, she excels on anything commercial or transactional; she also showcases high-level online brand protection and enforcement expertise. Anchoring the contentious side, meanwhile, are Chanille Carswell and Rebecca Cantor. Carswell co-chairs the litigation offering and advocates with poise in all kinds of IP disputes. As the firm’s chief diversity officer, she has also overseen many operation improvements. Cantor leans heavily into the patent practice – she chairs the life sciences group – but is highly adept at handling trademark cases, too.
At Brooks Kushman, we believe the best IP solutions come from putting great minds together – yours and ours. Committed to advancing and protecting inventions, brand names, creative works and all other forms of intellectual property, Brooks Kushman creates customised strategies for Fortune 500 companies, start-ups, technology companies and universities. Our firm offers a full range of IP services provided by skilled experts who work with clients in a variety of technical disciplines and industries. We have represented clients in nearly every industry in IP litigation covering a diverse range of technologies and products.
Brooks Kushman is among the top trademark firms in the United States, protecting some of the world’s most recognisable brands. Led by creative, enthusiastic and trustworthy professionals, our trademark team works with you to render top-quality and timely counsel for your brands. We lead with your business objectives in mind.
We manage international trademark portfolios for Fortune 500 companies and others across various industries and technologies. In aggregate, Brooks Kushman has well over 30,000 active trademark applications/registrations under its management. We have an incredibly talented paralegal pool and, along with our longstanding and extensive network of foreign firms, we provide expertise in a collaborative and efficient manner in the United States and abroad.
Our practice is based on relishing what we do, maintaining a client-centric focus and developing innovative solutions to address client ‘pain points’. Our practice has grown significantly over the years due, in part, to our ability to pivot and meet changing business needs in a way that continues to provide superior service. Part of our value proposition is our ability to build and enjoy long-lasting client relationships.
Inclusive teams
Diversity and inclusiveness are fundamental tenets of our firm and we are working to make them fundamental parts of your experience with us. Over the past decade we achieved a 76% increase in women professionals and 80% increase in minority professionals. In 2020 at least 30% of our leadership roles were filled by diverse individuals, and we’re not done yet.
Global brand protection
We advise our clients on everything related to registration and use of trademarks. We understand the need to develop a comprehensive strategy for filing and enforcement to protect intellectual property in important commercial and emerging markets. We have a trusted network of law firms that we vetted over many years on the basis of quality, responsiveness and value. In addition to guiding substantive and strategic work associated with growing and protecting a global portfolio, we manage foreign counsel charges and review invoices to ensure compliance with fee arrangements.
Online enforcement and brand protection
In today’s digital world, the ways in which we protect trademark assets is important, often creative and in collaboration with local experts.
We work with our clients to build brand protection programmes including recording trademark registrations with customs authorities, developing relationships with customs officers, preparing brand protection guides and holding customs training sessions.
We work with our clients to develop online enforcement protocol to police and enforce brands on the Internet, including how to address unauthorised use of marks and counterfeit goods offered at online marketplaces and websites. We offer guidance for domain name recovery and online enforcement strategies, including recovery of domain names via the Uniform Domain Name Dispute Resolution Policy and other domain name dispute resolution policies, online takedowns via specific platform policies (including social media and shopping platforms), and otherwise utilising the notice and takedown provisions of the Digital Millennium Copyright Act.
Trademark enforcement and litigation
Brooks Kushman actively reviews weekly watch notices, amounting to tens of thousands annually, for well-known brand owners. We work on predetermined parameters to assess level of concern and take a deeper dive for those that may give rise to opposition proceedings, ceased and desist letters and/or escalation to a formal lawsuit. We have vast experience in representing clients at the Trademark Trial and Appeal Board, at district courts across the nation, and have an appellate practice in state and federal courts. Brooks Kushman knows what it takes to win high-stakes cases and offers litigation teams that are courtroom-tested.
Our decades-long relationships with clients reflects our commitment to providing concise, practical and timely, business-focused advice.
Jurisdiction