Trademark: the Foundation of Commercial Identity
From a marketing perspective, no single intellectual property asset is more valuable than a trademark.
Trademarks are central to the identity of businesses and companies in both traditional industries and businesses operating in the new online economy. Also, trademark law is central to the emerging body of law that pertains to domain names and online branding.
GBC’s trademark practice is designed to assure that our clients’ trademarks are secured and protected in an efficient and cost-effective manner.
We advise large and small businesses on strategies for maximizing the value of existing trademark portfolios, as well as the selection of new marks for products, services and technologies.
Greer, Burns & Crain bases its practice on a comprehensive understanding of our clients’ marketing strategies. We are experienced in conducting international trademark searches and presenting clients seeking integrated international branding with clear guidance as to their international trademark availability options.
We have a long track record of successful trademark prosecution in the United States and are experienced in working with Examining Attorneys at the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office, as well as securing international trademark protection.
Our trademark attorneys are highly experienced in the transactional issues related to resolving trademark disputes — including legal issues associated with domain name disputes — and in litigating trademark disputes when other avenues of conflict resolution have been exhausted.
Our legal services related to trademarks include:
- Searching, clearing, filing and registering trademarks and domain names
- Providing trademark validity and trademark infringement opinions
- Legal representation at trademark opposition and cancellation proceedings
- Resolving trademark, trade dress, trade name, unfair competition and comparative advertising disputes — and litigating when necessary
- Pursuing domain name legal actions and defense of trademark before courts as well as ICANN and other administrative bodies
- Providing legal advice on online trademark infringement issues such as linking, framing, metatagging and cyberstuffing
- Providing transaction advice in the evaluation and management of trademark intellectual property in acquisitions, mergers, and bankruptcies
- Creating trademark licenses and franchise agreements
GBC is proud to be consistently ranked as one of the top Chicago IP law firms for both contentious and non-contentious trademark legal services.
Copyright: Protecting Original Works
Copyright protects original works of authorship, centering on the original expression of an idea. From individual artists to corporations, Greer, Burns & Crain can obtain copyrights for literary, dramatic, musical, and artistic works, such as poetry, novels, movies, songs, computer software, visual and sculptural works, and architecture.
GBC attorneys can help clients identify potentially copyrightable works. We are experienced in obtaining copyright registrations, as well as protecting and enforcing the client’s copyrights. Our attorneys can provide infringement and clearance opinions, and can conduct due diligence investigations. We can also counsel on the value of copyright enforcement as well as litigation avoidance.