Mayer Brown announced today that leading intellectual property lawyer Brian J. Winterfeldt has joined the firm in Washington DC as a partner in the Intellectual Property practice, where he will serve as co-leader of the firm’s Global Brand Management and Internet practice. Previously, he was a partner at Katten Muchin Rosenman LLP, where he led that firm’s Internet practice. Joining Mr. Winterfeldt in the move from Katten to Mayer Brown is a team of lawyers, including one counsel in New York and two associates in New York and Washington DC.
Mr. Winterfeldt advises clients on the creation of global trademark and branding strategies. He also develops programs to enforce clients’ IP rights and protect against infringement of their trademarks, trade dress and copyrights in the US and internationally, including domestic and international trademark counseling, clearance, prosecution, enforcement and litigation. In addition, Mr. Winterfeldt advises clients on Internet governance and domain name issues. He represents global leaders in the retail and apparel, media, financial services, consumer products, food and beverage, hospitality, and Internet and technology industries.
“Brian is widely recognized throughout the industry for his work in the cutting-edge area of Internet law, and he is a leading practitioner in advising organizations on their global portfolio needs,” said Alan Grimaldi, co-leader of Mayer Brown’s global Intellectual Property practice. “We are thrilled to welcome Brian and his team to our growing IP practice.”
“Brian’s traditional trademark practice, coupled with his experience handling Internet-related matters like social media and Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers policy and compliance issues, further expands the depth and breadth of our capabilities and will prove extremely valuable to our global clients,” added John Mancini, co-leader of Mayer Brown’s global Intellectual Property practice.
Mr. Winterfeldt has extensive experience in evolving Internet issues and has counseled clients on the new generic top-level domain (gTLD) program, including drafting and prosecuting new gTLD applications and developing advocacy and enforcement strategies in this space. In addition, Mr. Winterfeldt regularly counsels clients and provides training in the social media space, including developing and administering social media policies and promoting and protecting clients’ brands on social media platforms.
“Mayer Brown’s collaborative culture and extensive global platform, which is becoming increasingly important to clients, as well as its dedication to client service and value, make the firm a terrific fit for me and my team,” said Mr. Winterfeldt. “I’ve had the privilege of working with a number of Mayer Brown’s world-class IP lawyers throughout my career and look forward to joining the practice and contributing to its continued expansion.”
As a prominent voice in the IP arena, Mr. Winterfeldt has written numerous articles on trademark law and is a frequent speaker at industry events on topics such as trademark issues, Internet governance and social media. He has served as co-chair to several major conferences for the International Trademark Association (INTA), including the recent Trademarks and the Changing Internet Landscape conference in 2013, and is currently a special advisor for INTA’s Internet Committee and co-chair for INTA’s Trademark Administrators Committee Internet Project Team. He also currently serves on INTA’s Board of Directors.
Dan Masur, partner-in-charge of Mayer Brown’s Washington DC office, said that the arrival of Mr. Winterfeldt and his team continues the DC office’s strong recent growth. “Since the start of 2014, we have added more than 40 notable laterals in key practice groups, including Antitrust & Competition, Banking & Finance, Employment & Benefits, Privacy & Security, Securities Litigation & Enforcement and White Collar Defense & Compliance. In particular, our IP practice has nearly doubled its size in DC in the last 18 months. The addition of this outstanding team demonstrates that top-tier lawyers in Washington DC continue to view Mayer Brown as a destination of choice.”
In addition to his IP practice, Mr. Winterfeldt is a leading voice for diversity in the legal industry, particularly in connection with lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) issues. Mayer Brown’s strong commitment to diversity was another factor in his decision to move his practice to the firm. Mr. Winterfeldt recently chaired an IP Law Institute as part of the National LGBT Bar Foundation’s 2015 Lavender Law Conference & Career Fair, and he serves on the Board of Directors for The Trevor Project, the leading provider of suicide prevention and crisis management services for LGBT and questioning youth in the United States. In addition, Mr. Winterfeldt and his team were successfully nominated for INTA’s 2014 Volunteer Service Award for Pro Bono Services, largely in connection with their pro bono work for diversity-related organizations.
Mr. Winterfeldt earned a JD from Georgetown University Law Center, an MA from Tulane University and a BA from Emory University.
Source: www.mayerbrown.com
