Trademark and Brand Protection

In today’s digital economy, trademarks and other branding devices are increasingly important for identifying a company’s products and services. 

WBK’s trademark attorneys are proud to have been included in the World Trademark Review (WTR) 1000 both individually and as a  firm as top trademark professionals who provide, “quality work, fair billing and efficient handling of matters.” 

Trademarks no longer consist of only words or logos.  They can be almost anything that serves to identify a brand owner, including: slogans, sounds, and music; animated and live motion; single colors or combinations of color; building, product, or packaging shapes; and even a particular smell or taste. 

The growth of the internet, social media, the Internet of Things, and most recently, artificial intelligence, has given rise to a commensurate increase in intellectual property issues and branding challenges, many of which were foreign to a brick-and-mortar economy.  Our trademark and brand protection team leverages WBK’s deep experience in the communications and technology sectors to provide strategic advice and cost-effective solutions to our clients in these fields and beyond – ranging from telecom providers and computer chip makers to broadcast media owners, software developers, academic institutions, hospitality providers, consumer products suppliers, and even sellers in the new cannabis economy. 

In the clearance phase of brand protection, our trademark/brand protection team members – attorneys and legal assistants with decades of experience – have collectively reviewed and advised clients on thousands of trademark searches, advising on availability for registration in the U.S. and, with the assistance of foreign colleagues, internationally.  In addition to advising on conflicting marks detected in searches, we thoroughly assess where proposed marks fall on the spectrum of protectability (generic, descriptive, suggestive, and arbitrary or fanciful marks) and the attendant risks and benefits of each type.  We also consider and advise on potentially risky categories of marks, such as geographic terms and surnames. 

Following clearance, we provide comprehensive services in registering, maintaining with the help of sophisticated docketing software, and policing our clients’ valuable trademarks and protecting the goodwill that they have developed in their marks.  Our team has registered thousands of trademarks for clients in the U.S., using years of experience in private practice and as a trademark examiner to overcome examination refusals when they occur.   We have also overseen registration of many thousands more trademarks in foreign jurisdictions. 

We also assist with obtaining rights protections in other forms, including acquiring – sometimes with the help of investigators acting as anonymous agents – and registering desired domain names for clients.  For example, our team worked with the assistance of an investigator acting as agent for our client as an unidentified principal to negotiate the high-value acquisition of a rare 2-letter .com domain name. 

Our trademark attorneys’ expertise is frequently recognized through speaking engagements and interviews by the press and other media.