Knobbe Martens has for the seventh consecutive year, been ranked as one of the top trademark law firms in the nation by the World Trademark Review (WTR) in the “WTR 1000”.
The firm received a “gold tier” regional ranking for its practice in enforcement and litigation, and prosecution and strategy. Firms that receive a “gold tier” ranking and attract the most positive comments from outside sources have established top-level reputations and are able to secure high-profile work from top clients. WTR recognized Knobbe Martens’ trademark practice as “always a main competitor” that “absolutely deserves to be in the gold tier”.
Seven Knobbe Martens partners were once again individually recognized as leading trademark lawyers:
Catherine Holland, known for her brand management and licensing work with sports, nutritional supplement, publishing and software companies, was described as “especially adept at juggling franchising and licensing deals, as well as enforcement before the TTAB. Her ability to build rapport with clients is legendary”.
Jonathan Hyman, was described as a “favorite in the food and beverage world [who] offers incisive counsel to BJ’s restaurants, Rubicon and the Jelly Belly Candy Company,” among many others. His practice includes domestic and international trademark prosecution, enforcement and clearance, proceedings before the Trademark Trial and Appeal Board (TTAB), social media issues, intellectual property licensing, copyrights, rights of publicity, domain name disputes, entertainment law, and client counseling.
Susan Natland, who focuses on domestic and international trademark law, including all aspects of trademark protection, portfolio management, and enforcement and licensing, was commended for her work with Broadcom in connection with its purchase by Avago Technologies for $37 billion – one of the largest tech deals ever. “She constantly remains professional, while fighting hard and fair.”
Gregory Phillips focuses his practice on counseling clients with their domestic and international trademark matters, including clearance, registration and enforcement, federal trademark litigation, and petitioning and defending opposition and cancellation matters. He was described as having “wide-ranging trademark experience, with a knack for prosecution and counselling”.
Diane Reed was described as a “heavy-hitter for licensing and distribution agreements” and was commended for her recent role in smoothing the transfer of a global energy drink business for her client Monster Energy. Her practice focuses on IP transactions, where she has helped many brand owners negotiate major agreements.
Jeffrey Van Hoosear, who has three decades of wide-ranging trademark experience, has “become a preferred choice for marquee brands across an array of industries”. He is “widely celebrated as a ‘top trademark lawyer’ who is ‘bright and dedicated, with a lot of common sense’”.
Lynda Zadra-Symes, a litigator who represents clients through all stages of litigation in trademark, copyright, patent, trade secret, false advertising and unfair competition cases, was described as “strong in anti-counterfeiting and domain name matters.” She “brings value through her ability to manage international cases, especially with her prior experience as a barrister in the United Kingdom.”
World Trademark Review is the only standalone ranking publication to exclusively focus on trademark practices and practitioners. To compile the WTR 1000, researchers interviewed hundreds of in-house and private practice lawyers and attorneys based in over 50 countries and were asked to identify the leading individuals and firms in both contentious and non-contentious work. Firms qualified based on their depth of expertise, market presence and the level of work on which they are typically instructed. Full rankings and methodology can be found at www.worldtrademarkreview.com.
About Knobbe Martens
Knobbe Martens Olson & Bear LLP is a law firm practicing exclusively in the area of intellectual property law. We have been recognized as a top law firm for trademark litigation and prosecution in the United States by U.S. News & World Report and Best Lawyers and by Managing Intellectual Property (MIP). Our lawyers have an extensive practice in trademark protection, trademark licensing, unfair competition, trade dress, rights of publicity, copyrights and false advertising, and considerable experience before the Trademark Trial and Appeal Board in oppositions, cancellations and concurrent rights proceedings.
