Fross Zelnick Lehrman & Zissu, P.C. > New York, United States > Firm Profile

Fross Zelnick Lehrman & Zissu, P.C.
151 West 42nd Street
17th Floor
New York, NY 10036
NEW YORK
United States

Intellectual property > Trademarks: litigation Tier 1

Regarded as a leader in the trademark litigation field, Fross Zelnick Lehrman & Zissu, P.C. utilizes its global network to handle multi-jurisdictional trademark litigation for an impressive roster of pharma, retail, and celebrity clients, among others. Senior litigator Nadine Jacobson excels in engaging in complex international disputes, while Laura Popp-Rosenberg represents notable blue-chip clients across the fashion, beverages, financial services, and sport sectors. David Donahue routinely represents a multitude of clients that are active in the areas of fashion, music, entertainment, and film, and James Weinberger possesses considerable knowledge in managing trademark, dilution, and false advertising matters. Jason Jones is notably active in federal trial and appellate courts, as well as before the Trademark Trial and Appeal Board. Veteran litigator Barbara Solomon and Leo Kittay bolster the practice with their extensive experience in the trademark arena. All listed lawyers operate from the firm’s New York office.

Practice head(s):

Amanda Agati; Cara Boyle; Carlos Cucurella; David Donahue; Lydia Gobena; Nadine Jacobson; Jason Jones; Leo Kittay; Karen Lim; John Margiotta; Craig Mende; Laura Popp-Rosenberg; Barbara Solomon; Ashford Tucker; James Weinberger

Testimonials

‘They are instructed by many of the world’s leading brands on business-critical disputes and we are happy to instruct them when our clients have enforcement issues in the US. They have a deep bench, talented lawyers and secure great outcomes. They are first amongst equals.’

‘This practice is unique because of its substantive knowledge and the depth of its bench. They are also incredibly responsive and provide practical business solutions.’

‘Craig Mende is a litigation partner that is top notch, extremely knowledgeable, creative and business-minded. Craig is also always there, incredibly responsive. In addition to his technical expertise and client focus, Craig is a great person who is passionate about his clients’ brands.’

‘Extremely knowledgeable, very experienced, accessible, quick to respond, and just excellent litigators.’

‘David Donahue is just the best you can get.’

Key clients

The Guess Who

Richemont North America, Inc. et al.

Sunday Night Productions

Materialize, Inc.

Capital Records

CLOT, Inc.

ColourPop

People For the Ethical Treatment of Animals

Muylle-Facon BV

Rudsak

Peloton Interactive, Inc.

Work highlights

  • Defended Sunday Night Productions Inc., a film and TV production company, in a trademark infringement action, resulting in a dismissal.
  • Received a favorable decision on an opposition against an application filed in the Turkish Trademark office for the name “Peta Verse” on behalf of People for The Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA).

Intellectual property > Trademarks: non-contentious (including prosecution, portfolio management and licensing) Tier 2

Recommended for its ‘very deep and strong bench of experts’, New York-based intellectual property boutique firm Fross Zelnick Lehrman & Zissu, P.C. enjoys a strong presence in the consumer products, fashion, food and beverage and pharma sectors among others, operating for a number of notable blue-chip clients. ‘Genius’ Nadine Jacobson deploys her considerable experience to manage all facets of global brand strategies, while Allison Strickland Ricketts holds a wealth of experience in trademark prosecution. Nancy Sabarra is regularly entrusted by high-profile clients to manage trademark counselling and prosecution mandates and ‘superstar’ Lydia Gobena pairs her international experience with a wide-ranging expertise that encompasses trademark, industrial design, copyright and unfair competition issues. Craig Mende and Charles Weigell are other names to note in the practice.

Other key lawyers:

Lawrence Apolzon; Amanda Agati; Tamar Niv Bessinger; Cara Boyle; Carlos Cucurella; Joyce Ferraro; Andrew Fredbeck; Lydia Gobena; Nadine Jacobson; Karen Lim; Allison Strickland Ricketts; Nancy Sabarra; Ashford Tucker; Charles Weigell; Robin Baydurcan; Maritza Schaeffer

Testimonials

‘The firm looks after some of the world’s biggest brands both domestically and internationally. Uniquely they divide their teams into domestic and international camps to best leverage off of the accrued expertise and this approach works brilliantly.’

‘Nadine Jacobson runs their international practice and is a genius – she knows more about trade mark law around the world than many of the local practitioners. She is also hugely committed to her clients, hard working and deeply creative.’

‘Worthy of special mention are Amanda Agati, Robin Baydurcan, Lydia Gobena (another superstar), Alison Strickland, Maritza Schaeffer and Ashford Tucker. The bench is exceptional.’

‘They have a very deep and strong bench of experts in all areas, clearance, prosecution, conflicts, agreements, licensing, rights of publicity, copyright, music, surveys, etc. They are by far subject matter experts above all other IP firms that I have worked with.’

‘They are also very responsive and provide practical, business minded solutions. They are also value diversity.’

‘They are all also very seasoned professionals with many years of experience.’

At Fross Zelnick, we secure and defend our clients’ most valuable assets—their brands, designs, and content.

      • Our trademark practice is unmatched. After five decades, we’ve developed a singular trademark practice serving clients in the United States and around the world. We’ve handled every type of trademark issue and dispute, multiple times for multiple companies in multiple jurisdictions, from the simplest registration to the thorniest cross-jurisdictional enforcement action.
      • We boast top-tier copyright experience, with a special emphasis on defending creative works, including character rights, branding assets, and product design. For decades we’ve assisted clients as they navigate the consequences of new technological frontiers – most recently, digital, and virtual performance rights and blockchain-based technologies.
      • Our patent practice focuses exclusively on design patents, with particular expertise in developing multi-pronged strategies combining patent, trademark, and copyright law to protect our clients’ prized works.

The breadth and depth of our practice has attracted a wide range of clients, from celebrated brands, industry leaders, and renowned content providers to disruptive startups and regional companies, all of whom rely on us to protect their unique properties at home and around the world. Many of the largest corporate law firms rely on our advice for unique or hard-to-handle U.S. and international issues.

Our capabilities include:

Top-Tier IP Litigation
We are a renowned trademark and copyright litigation firm, with a reputation for both aggressive advocacy in court and quick, favorable settlements out of court. We know how to fight and win—whether in our backyard or in the most intractable foreign jurisdictions.

Strategic and Nuanced Registration Strategies
We register trademarks, copyrights, and design patents with our clients’ business goals in mind. Our cross-discipline expertise means we leverage multiple legal strategies to shore up strong protections for the most hard-to-defend assets. We obtain rights that ward off newcomers and stand up in court. We are one of the most prolific filers of U.S. trademark applications, and our expertise in the finer points of U.S. trademark prosecution is second to none.

Global Portfolio Management
With our unparalleled in-house knowledge of international IP law, we provide unrivaled advice for global portfolio management, litigations, and transactions around the globe. Our dynamic, carefully selected network of foreign counsel helps us guide U.S. and foreign clients alike as they identify, protect, and defend their rights under copyright, trademark, trade dress, design patent, domain name, and related laws worldwide. Our international capabilities are just as robust as our local prowess.

Deal Expertise
Whether a client is buying or selling an entire business or a portion of an intellectual property portfolio, we’ve seen it before—and can advise on how to structure the deal to fit the client’s goals. We conduct due diligence reviews for mergers, acquisitions, and other corporate ventures, and formulate efficient worldwide strategies to record the corporate changes against their clients’ IP registrations. Many of the country’s premier M&A attorneys partner with us on the IP components of larger transactions.

Services on the Cutting Edge
Thanks to our more than 50-year legacy, we’ve been witness to the birth and evolution of nearly every technology that’s central to the modern economy. From in-the-trenches Uniform Dispute Resolution Proceeding litigations against cybersquatters, to the rapidly changing intersection of IP rights and blockchain innovations like NFTs, to educating trademark offices around the world on new technological intersections, we’re helping clients successfully steer through uncharted waters and prepare for what’s to come.

Protection of Celebrities and Cherished Characters
From Batman to Harry Potter, we protect famous characters through sophisticated copyright and trademark protection strategies and enforcement against infringers. We’ve also retrieved numerous infringing trademarks and domain names for celebrities and litigate high-profile, right-of-publicity cases involving the unauthorized use of well-known names and likenesses, all within a quickly evolving legal landscape.

Combating Counterfeiting
We’ve developed sophisticated and cost-effective enforcement programs for preventing the importation, sale, and distribution of infringing or counterfeit products. Our experience is capacious, including apparel, footwear, cosmetics, jewelry, and luxury goods products. Included in these programs is the recordal of relevant intellectual property rights with Customs in the United States and abroad.

Department Name Email Telephone
General, US litigation Craig Mende
US counseling and prosecution Lawrence E Apolzon
International counseling, prosecution and litigation Nadine Jacobson
Photo Name Position Profile
Allison Strickland Ricketts photo Allison Strickland Ricketts Allison Strickland Ricketts helps clients build and protect their trademark, so that…
Number of Partners : 21
Number of Other Fee-Earners : 24
Total Staff : 102
Founding Partner : Ronald J Lehrman