Protecting Your Innovation

We know the value of trademarks and are here to help you at every step along the way. 

A trademark is your company or product in a nutshell.  It is a distillation of identity, reputation, goodwill and brand and, as such, might just be one of the most important assets your company owns.  By working with our clients to understand their business and their goals for trademark protection, we are able to build a focused plan that is tailored to our clients’ specific needs.  

From choosing a mark, to registration, to enforcement, we have extensive experience in all the trademark-related matters that a brand owner might face across the globe, including the following:  

• Trademark Enforcement

• Trademark Prosecution and Counseling

• Trade Dress

• Trademark Monitoring

• TTAB Litigation

• Domain Name Litigation and UDRPs

• False Advertising

• Counterfeiting/Gray Market Goods

Trademark Enforcement

Whether enforcing your trademark rights or defending against accusations of infringement, we will protect your best interests, which sometimes requires litigation.  We handle a variety of disputes and litigate cases throughout the United States. With a fully understanding of what the dispute means to you, our litigation team, working closely with our trademark prosecutors, will develop a strategy to achieve the results most in line with your business goals. 

We handle all phases of trademark and unfair competition disputes, including initial dispute negotiations and correspondence, temporary restraining orders, preliminary injunctions and seizures, declaratory judgment proceedings, trials and appeals.  

Prosecution & Counseling

A strong trademark begins with an efficient, but rigorous, vetting process.  By working with our clients from the outset, Renner Otto’s trademark attorneys are able to assist in the selection of marks that are available, obtainable and enforceable through the use of tailored clearance searches.  Depending on the client’s specific situation, our attorneys can perform searches in-house or work with our outside vendors for more in-depth queries. 

Once a mark has been selected, and its availability confirmed, Renner Otto’s trademark attorneys are here to assist with the filing and prosecution of applications for registrations, both here in the U.S. and in foreign jurisdictions.  With respect to obtaining the most effective international protections, Renner Otto’s attorneys employ a variety of strategies, including use of regional registration systems (such as the Community Trade Mark in the European Union), international registrations under the Madrid Protocol and Paris Convention priority claims. We maintain close relationships with a select group of foreign trademark attorneys that help us ensure we are utilizing the most effective strategy in each jurisdiction. 

Trade Dress

Trade dress is the total image of a good as defined by its overall composition, design, and appearance.  This can include how a product is labeled, packaged and advertised.

Unlike trademarks, in order to be legally protectable, trade dress requires special effort on the part of the business owner to create recognition of the trade dress.  We help our clients create an overarching IP portfolio that often leverages our clients existing trademarks and design patents to establish the consumer recognition necessary to obtain protection for trade dress.  

Trademark Monitoring

A trademark is only as strong as the effort a trademark owner puts into policing the mark.  By keeping a watchful eye on your competitors’ activities at the USPTO and in the market, you can maximize the value of your trademark registrations.

We offer a variety of trademark monitoring services that can be tailored to the resources and budget of each client.  These services range from providing weekly or monthly “threat reports” based on activity at the Patent Office to assisting clients in setting up internal monitoring systems and procedures using tools such as Google Alerts and tailored search strings.