Thomas Kingsbury – GC Powerlist
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United States 2019

Thomas Kingsbury

Chief counsel, intellectual property | Bridgestone Americas

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United States 2019

legal500.com/gc-powerlist/

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Thomas Kingsbury

Chief counsel, intellectual property | Bridgestone Americas

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‘Thomas Kingsbury is a very busy man. As chief IP counsel for Bridgestone, he is charged with protecting and enforcing some of the world’s best-known and respected brands (including BRIDGESTONE, FIRESTONE, and others), along with the company’s patents, copyrights, and trade secrets. He also oversees related legal issues involving publicity rights, domain names, the internet, and advertising. It’s often hard to appreciate that Kingsbury wears so many other hats given his impressive and considerable knowledge of trademark law. In this world, he is intimately involved with district court litigation, trademark trial and appeal board oppositions and cancellations, clearance, prosecution, and licensing. For litigation, Kingsbury directs cases throughout the country and serves as Bridgestone’s main corporate representative in mediation and court appearances. He’s a shrewd negotiator who consistently gets the most for the client. For cases that cannot be settled, Kingsbury has racked up an impressive array of trademark victories in various courts, including the US Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit and US District Courts for the Districts of California, Tennessee, and Texas (including wins on appeal, temporary restraining orders, preliminary injunctions, and summary judgment). He’s smart, decisive, and has impeccable instincts. Beyond litigation, Kingsbury oversees and leads teams that produce a dizzying amount of work-product and advice on clearance, registration, and other issues. We have seen first-hand how much Bridgestone’s internal business clients respect and rely on him. The company’s top executives routinely and justifiably praise him for all he does, and how well he does it. Within the Bridgestone IP legal department, Kingsbury is incredibly well respected. His cool, professional, and unflappable demeanour and approach make him the consummate leader. As a result, he has garnered the immense loyalty of his team (including outside counsel). This extends across the globe to his Japanese counterparts who, like those in the US, recognise and rely on his expertise and talents. Thinking about all that Kingsbury does is stressful. Thinking about how he does it all so well is inspiring. He’s one of the best and deserves to continue to be recognised as such. And we are honoured to nominate him for this significant accolade’.

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