VENABLE: A LEADER IN TRADEMARK FILING – WITH GLOBAL REACH

A company or organization’s brand names are some of its most valuable assets. Whether it be a company name, product or service name, logo, or trade dress, the right to use and enforce these brands (or trademarks) is essential to the organization’s value. Each year, organizations and their competitors invest large amounts of money into establishing and developing their brands. Trademark law and the trademark registration process are the legal tools needed to protect that investment.

Venable provides a wide range of services that protect and leverage the use of our clients’ brands in trademarks, trade dress, designs, copyright, social media and domain names. We understand that these assets are unique, and we know how to address client objectives with practical, efficient guidance, designed to accomplish their commercial goals. Venable has been instrumental in maximizing the value of intellectual property, in uncovering new intellectual property assets, and in developing strategic and practical solutions for effective protection and commercialization. Our pragmatic approach, technological capabilities, transactional experience, and legal insight make the difference in the results we achieve for our clients.

Venable’s Trademark team brings a depth of knowledge and experience to each and every client situation. Our team is bolstered by four former USPTO Trademark Examiners and two former in-house counsels. We have worked on trademark matters in virtually every country in the world working closely with an established, extensive, and cost efficient network of trademark lawyers and agents on a wide range of trademark-related matters. Our trademark practice is truly high-volume in reach with a portfolio of more than 35,000 trademark applications/registrations under management.  Its experience ranges from brand clearance and licensing, to handling trademark litigation and disputes.

In addition to Venable’s National and DC First-Tier Ranking in U.S. News – Best Lawyers "Best Law Firms" 2011-2012, Venable ranked in the top 20 law firms in terms of applications filed and registrations issued, based on annual rankings issued in 2007-2011 by Trademark Insider/World Trademark Review and Intellectual Property Today. Also, Venable’s trademark practice was recognized in the second edition of World Trademark Review 1000 – The World’s Leading Trademark Professionals among the top groups in the United States – DC Metro area. Partners Mark Harrison and Andrew Price were also included.

Worldwide experience in brand protection.

The Trademark Group’s International experience extends to six continents and an established network of foreign counsel. The group is well versed in filing under the Madrid Protocol and frequently advises clients on the benefits and drawbacks of filing under that system as compared to filing nationally in individual countries. Because of its experience, Venable is able to provide advice regarding the most effective and cost efficient means of providing trademark protection in foreign markets, including recordation of licensing agreements for better brand enforcement. The team coordinates and manages trademark disputes worldwide including opposition and cancellation proceedings, as well as litigation before foreign courts.

Members of the group have been elected to positions in INTA and Marques, the European Trademark Owners association. Through these organizations Venable Attorneys have become familiar with other legal systems and have strong personal and professional relationships with the best foreign lawyers in virtually every jurisdiction.

REPRESENTATIVE EXPERIENCE

Here is a sampling of our trademark experience:

• Venable manages the international trademark portfolio for one of the world’s leading mobile phone manufacturers, including contentious and non-contentious matters, domain name counseling and dispute resolution, and advertising review and clearance.
• Venable is responsible for the global trademark prosecution and enforcement efforts, including anti-counterfeiting, for Playboy. The portfolio covers over 10,000 marks in 190 countries.
• Venable manages and maintains the full range of trademark work, including portfolio management and copyright work, for a global investment management firm.
• Venable represented Arianna Huffington in negotiating intellectual property aspects of the sale of The Huffington Post to AOL.
• Venable is lead Intellectual Property counsel to Perdue Farms Inc., the third largest poultry company in the United States, managing Perdue's international trademark portfolio including contentious and non-contentious matters, domain name counseling and dispute resolution, and advertising review and clearance.
• Venable manages the international trademark portfolio of a European hotel chain.
• Venable, working with local European counsel, won an important appeal for one of the world’s leading mobile phone manufacturers in its bid to register a rare motion trademark in the European Community.
• Venable stopped a sham technology outsourcing company from using our client’s well-known Internet hosting brand on Facebook to attract would-be victims to its business and websites.