Sharon Lee Toerek

I counsel advertising, design and marketing agencies and their clients on regulatory and contractual matters related to advertising, including agency-client agreements, compliance review for advertising and marketing work, intellectual property rights ownership issues between agencies and clients, licensing of original creative work, digital marketing issues, rights and permissions clearances, and contest and sweepstakes reviews.

I advise clients on all legal aspects of trademark law to protect their valuable brands. This includes trademark clearance searches and counsel about the availability and enforceability of trademarks. It also includes management of every aspect of the federal trademark registration process, including application preparation and prosecution before the United States Patent & Trademark Office. I also manage opposition proceedings and licensing transactions involving trademarks.

I work with creators of original works and content to protect their valuable rights by determining when copyright registration is appropriate. When it is, I draft and prosecute copyright registration applications before the United States Copyright Office. I also assist clients who transfer or license copyright by drafting and filing appropriate assignment documents with the United States Copyright office as well as drafting copyright license or transfer agreements.

When a client's copyright(s) are infringed upon, I address the matter with a number of tools, including appropriate cease and desist demands or by instituting copyright infringement litigation in the United States Federal Court. On some occasions, I assist clients in negotiating a resolution of copyright infringement issues by entering into a beneficial license arrangement. I also represent clients who receive cease and desist demands or must defend copyright infringement litigation.