Pete’s practice focuses on all aspects of building brands. He represents well-known and emerging companies in trademark and copyright matters, and strategizes with them on global enforcement and licensing.
He serves clients in a very wide range of fields, but has particularly deep expertise in entertainment and new technology matters, and with companies at the intersection of the two, from his California base. He also has nearly two decades of experience representing prominent personal care, cosmetic, apparel, and nutrition brands, as well as representing famous celebrities and musicians in the protection of their personal brands, and the licensing of their name, image and likeness rights.
Pete has extensive experience in trademark selection, clearance, and portfolio strategies. He began his career as a trademark examining attorney at the US Patent and Trademark Office, making determinations on thousands of trademark applications and representing the Office in ex parte appeals, prior to entering private practice. He now handles many opposition and cancellation matters before the US Trademark Trial and Appeal Board, and teams with colleagues on federal trademark litigation.
He is a frequent speaker on trademark law and best practices, and is ranked in the World Trademark Review 1000 - The World's Leading Trademark Professionals. He has served on INTA’s Right of Publicity committee, and as a member of the Executive Committee of the California Lawyers Association’s Intellectual Property Section.
Representative Experience
Any result the lawyer or law firm may have achieved on behalf of clients in other matters does not necessarily indicate similar results can be obtained for other clients.
- Negotiated license of California-based vintage apparel company to global mass-market clothing retailer.
- Managed global trademark portfolio of sports apparel company and played central role in the multi-million dollar sale of its IP assets.
- Defended challenge to trademark of well-known musical celebrity based on asserted likelihood of confusion with audio equipment manufacturer, in matter before European Court of Justice (CJEU).
- Invalidated European Union trademark registration of a competitor on “bad faith” grounds, based on client’s use of the same mark in the US and awareness abroad.
- Secured transfer of 17 domains used by counterfeiters to client, by way of single consolidated UDRP proceeding against multiple domain owners.
