Introduction

Paul practices in Fredrikson & Byron’s Advertising, Marketing & Trademark Law and Intellectual Property Groups. His work includes assisting clients in developing and registering trademarks in the United States and in foreign jurisdictions, negotiating publishing, film, and electronic media agreements, negotiating and settling domestic and foreign trademark disputes, negotiating and preparing licensing agreements involving copyright, trademark, and patent assets, and managing his clients’ global trademark portfolios.

Paul has served clients in a variety of fields, including arts & entertainment, media & publishing, museums, software & high-tech, feature film production, music, literature, advertising, e-commerce, financial services, hospitality, agriculture, cosmetics, sailing and marine navigation, wine & spirits, and food services industries. Before coming to Fredrikson & Byron, Paul worked in prominent law firms in Silicon Valley. He maintains his strong California connections and continues to represent clients based in Silicon Valley and L.A., as well as clients who have dealings there.

Before becoming a lawyer, Paul taught English literature for nine years at Breck School in Minneapolis. After law school, Paul continued to work with educators while serving for two years as the Copyright Attorney for the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum in Washington, D.C. Today Paul combines his experiences as a writer and educator with his legal expertise to address the intellectual property issues facing both individuals and businesses.

Education

• Hamline University School of Law, J.D., 1997
• University of Chicago, M.A., English Literature, 1985
• University of Chicago, B.A., English Literature, 1984

Bar Admissions

• Minnesota, 1997
• California, 2000

Practice Areas

• Advertising, Marketing & Trademark Law
• Media & Entertainment
• Intellectual Property
• Copyrights

Selected Publications & Presentations

• "Golon v. Holder: What is the Public Domain?," FredALERT: Tangent to the Circle C^SM, January 31, 2012
• “What Will Come from the Uncertainty of the Split Decision in Costco v. Omega?,” FredALERT: Tangent to the Circle C^SM, December 31, 2010
• “Costco v. Omega and the Scope of the First Sale Doctrine,” FredALERT: Tangent to the Circle C^SM, November 19, 2010
• “A Day in Court for the Google Books Settlement,” FredALERT: Tangent to the Circle C^SM, February 18, 2010
• “Lessons for Brand Developers from the Ninth Circuit,” Fredrikson & Byron’s Trademark Topics^SM, February 2010
• “Verb Up and Run Till You Drop,” Fredrikson & Byron’s Trademark Topics^SM, October 2009
• “Waiting at an Unmarked Crossroads: The Google Book Settlement Postponed,” FredALERT: Tangent to the Circle C^SM, October 5, 2009
• “No Frolic in Central Park for a Septuagenarian "Mr. C.": a Preliminary Injunction Prevents the U.S. Publication of an Unauthorized Sequel to The Catcher in the Rye,” Tangent to the Circle C^SM, July 2009
• “The Peace of Incontestability,” Fredrikson & Byron’s Trademark Topics^SM, May 2009
• Presenter, “What to Bear in Mind when Dealing with Domain Name Disputes,” 2009 International Trademark Association Annual Meeting, May 17, 2009
• “Should I Register My Copyright?,” Tangent to the Circle C^SM, April 2009
• “The Copyright Office Proposes Fee Increases,” Tangent to the Circle C^SM, April 2009
• “Balancing Equities: the Use Requirement and Intent-to-Use Trademark Applications,” Fredrikson & Byron’s Trademark Topics^SM, March 2009
• “Some Low-Cost Steps for Protecting Copyrightable Business Assets in a Recession,” Tangent to the Circle C^SM, February 2009
• “The Pitfalls of the Freelancer ‘Work-Made-For-Hire,’” Tangent to the Circle C^SM, January 2009
• “Tacking-on: Moving Ahead While Clinging to the Past,” Fredrikson & Byron’s Trademark Topics^SM, December 2008
• “A Common Mistake in a Freelance Art Contract,” Tangent to the Circle C^SM, October 2008
• “Building the Intellectual Property Assets of Your Golf Course,” 12th Annual Midwest Golf Course Owners Association Conference & Trade Show, October 27-28, 2008
• “Facts are Free under Copyright Law,” Tangent to the Circle C^SM, September 2008
• “Just How Creative Do You Need to Be?,” Tangent to the Circle C^SM, August 2008
• “Copyright Law and its Siblings: Patent, Trademark, and Trade Secret Law,” Tangent to the Circle C^SM, August 2008
• “Some Lessons about Settlement from Tiffany v. eBay,” Fredrikson & Byron’s Trademark Topics^SM, August 2008
• “Marketers Beware: Avoid the Olympic Temptation,” Fredrikson & Byron’s Trademark Topics^SM, August 2008
• “Copyright 101,” Tangent to the Circle C^SM, July 2008

Professional Activities

• Paul is an independent writer and literary critic who has written extensively on the works of J.R.R. Tolkien and E.R. Eddison.