Overview
Jeff is the co-chair of Dorsey’s Creative Industries and Video Game groups. He has a multidimensional practice and a diverse client base, but his objective is constant: to help clients fully take advantage of their intellectual property in order to grow their business. For some clients, that means providing copyright advice (including analysis of fair use and digital content issues) and obtaining copyright registrations. For others, it means advising clients on the availability, registrability, and strength of proposed trademarks in the United States and abroad. These same clients rely on Jeff to develop strategies for protecting and enforcing their trademark and copyright rights. His rigorous advocacy for trademark clients has led to his WTR 1000 and WTR Global Leaders rankings by the World Trademark Review in its annual report on the world’s best trademark professionals. The WTR has hailed Jeff for his “excellent attention to detail, responsiveness and unparalleled communication skills.” WTR has also quoted one of Jeff’s clients, stating, "Jeff is simply the best and his services are top notch. He goes above and beyond to provide strategic, practical and cost-effective advice." Because of Jeff’s music background, he can offer clients the rare combination of trademark and copyright expertise and first-hand experience.
An important element of Jeff’s practice involves helping clients commercialize their brands and ideas. Whether through license agreements, sponsorship agreements, personality license agreements, publishing agreements, entertainment and media agreements, Jeff is a strong negotiator and effective advocate, and clients trust him to deliver the best deal possible.
Jeff has particular expertise in clearance and protection of marks in the music and pharmaceuticals industries. He has worked on a number of branding projects for new pharmaceutical products. Jeff also has extensive experience with Internet issues. He is skilled at domain name acquisition and enforcement, Uniform Domain Name Resolution Policy (UDRP) proceedings, takedown notices under the Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA), termination of email accounts and domain names used for fraudulent purposes, and other cybersquatting and cyberpiracy issues.
Finally, Jeff’s practice involves consulting on transactions like mergers and acquisitions or secured financings. Intellectual property can play a major role in these deals, and Jeff ensures that Dorsey’s clients’ rights and interests are protected.
Jeff is a contributor to Dorsey’s critically-acclaimed IP Blog, TheTMCA.com, which focuses on legal developments in the world of TradeMarks, Copyrights, and Advertising. TheTMCA.com and the Firm’s Trademark Practice Group have been recognized in JD Supra’s 2022 Readers’ Choice Awards. Jeff is a co-editor of Dorsey’s video game law newsletter entitled “Dorsey Legal Arcade.”
Education & Admissions
Santa Clara University School of Law (J.D., 2006), magna cum laude; Order of the Coif; High Tech Law Certificate; Senior Technical Editor of the Santa Clara Law Review
University of Minnesota, Twin Cities (M.A., 2001), Music Composition
Drake University (B.M., Individualized Major, 1999), An Interdisciplinary Study in Theory, Creativity, and Intersection, summa cum laude; departmental honors.
Admissions
- Minnesota
- California
-
U.S. District Court for the District of Minnesota
Experience
Client Achievements
Representative Matters
Notable Recent Matters
- Drafted content license agreement relating to court decisions and legal research materials.
- Negotiated and drafted several production and licensing agreements for a film series focused on Indigenous rights.
- Successfully petitioned the USPTO to allow use of a “care of” address in trademark filings by two well-known musicians.
- Drafted agreement for commissioning of a sculpture of a famous individual.
- Drafted agreement for hosting of a television series by celebrity.
- Drafted agreement for use by game developer in creation of online games to be used in connection with publicizing musicians and bands.
- Advised on sale of a non-profit organization's intellectual property assets to a for-profit organization.
- Drafted contribution agreements for use by music criticism website when engaging with authors.
- Negotiated license agreement between local organization and national chapter to ensure adequate protection of pre-existing trademarks.
- Drafted sponsorship agreement between professional athlete and sporting goods manufacturer.
- Advised online publishing company on complex copyright issues.
- Negotiated publishing agreement and ancillary agreements for Vice President Mondale’s autobiography.
Notable Recent Enforcement Matters
- Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research v. Reiner Ryan / All Coin Central (achieved transfer of a domain name that was being used in connection with a fraudulent employment scam).
- Convinced a brewery to cease use of a famous song title as the name of a craft beer.
- Christopher Breaux aka Frank Ocean v. TDA Ltd. (achieved transfer of a domain name for musician Frank Ocean that was being used to sell counterfeit merchandise).
- Secured payment and license relating to unauthorized use of a musical track in a major motion picture.
- Achieved removal of counterfeit merchandise listings from Etsy, Amazon, eBay, and other sites for numerous clients in the entertainment industry.
- Long Meadow Ranch Partners, LP v. Katleski et al. (N.D.N.Y.) (negotiated a settlement with the defendant to phase-out use of a confusingly-similar trademark).
- International Barrier Technology, Inc. v Hoover Treated Wood Products, Inc. (obtained transfer of a domain name corresponding to a client’s trademark that was registered to a competitor).
- Impact Applications, Inc. v. CNS Vital Signs and NCS Pearson, Inc. (W.D. Pa) (won motion to dismiss copyright and trademark claims on grounds of fair use).
- Radisson Hotels International, Inc. v. 1 1 / 1 (client awarded transfer of domain name from cybersquatter who tried to mask bad faith by having domain resolve to client’s own website).
- Radisson Hotels International, Inc. v. Radisson Travels (obtained transfer of domain name that was being used to offer travel reservation services).
- Delta Air Lines, Inc. v. WhoisGuard and 3D (client awarded transfer of domain name from cybersquatter in UDRP proceeding).
- Regents of the Univ. of Minnesota and NCS Pearson v. Andrew Dobson, Kazan Corp. and KazServ, Inc. (SDNY) (secured consent judgment against individual who posted copyrighted materials on websites).
- Radisson Hotels International, Inc. v. Ron Schumaker (obtained domain name from cybersquatter in UDRP proceeding).
News & Resources
Articles
News & Press Mentions
Events & Speaking Engagements
Industries & Practices
Trademark, Copyright + Advertising
Explore This Practice View client achievements related to this practice View resources related to this practiceIntellectual Property Litigation
Explore This Practice View client achievements related to this practice View resources related to this practiceEducational Publishing, Technology & Services
Explore This Practice View client achievements related to this practice View resources related to this practiceFood, Beverage & Agribusiness
Explore This Practice View client achievements related to this practice View resources related to this practiceHealthcare & Life Sciences
Explore This Practice View client achievements related to this practice View resources related to this practiceCanada Cross-Border Transactions
Explore This Practice View client achievements related to this practice View resources related to this practice- Advertising & Marketing
- Artificial Intelligence
- Canada Cross-Border Transactions
- Creative Industries
- Educational Publishing, Technology & Services
- Food, Beverage & Agribusiness
- Healthcare & Life Sciences
- Intellectual Property
- Intellectual Property Litigation
- Technology
- Technology Commerce
- Trademark, Copyright + Advertising
- Video Games
Professional & Civic
Professional Achievements
- Midwest IP Institute - Member, Planning Committee (2024-present)
- International Trademark Association (INTA)
- Member, Copyright Committee
- Titles & Characters Subcommittee (2018-19)
- Chair of Artificial Intelligence & 3D Copyright Subcommittee (2020-21)
- Enforcement and Anti-Piracy Subcommittee (2024-25)
- Member, Right of Publicity Committee
- Sports, Actors, and Celebrities Subcommittee (2022-23)
- Member, Copyright Committee
- Copyright Society of the USA – Member; Board of Trustees (2022-present); Midwest Chapter Co-Chair
- Minnesota Intellectual Property Law Association (MIPLA) – Past Chair, Copyright Committee
Community Involvement
- American Composers Forum – Board of Directors (2015-2021)
- Wesley Foundation at the University of Minnesota – Board of Directors (2013-19), served as Chair (2015-18)
Accolades
- Recognized as an “IP Star” by Managing Intellectual Property Handbook, 2024
- Named a Top Lawyer in Copyright Law by Minnesota Monthly, 2024
- Who's Who Legal: IP – Copyright, 2021, 2023, 2024
- Recognized as a Leading Practitioner in World Trademark Review 1000 – The World’s Leading Trademark Professionals, 2016-2024
- Recognized as a Global Leader in World Trademark Review’s Global Leaders Guide: Private Practice, 2019-2024
- Dorsey & Whitney – Scales of Justice Team Award (The World Ventilator Foundation), 2021
- MSBA North Star Lawyer (recognizing pro bono service), 2012-2013 and 2015-2020