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Email: cthompson@fredlaw.com
Office: 612.492.7251
Assistant: Wendy Munt, 612.492.7548
Advertising, Marketing & Trademark
Anti-Counterfeiting
Corporate Sustainability & Social Responsibility
“I am approachable and work hard to ensure unmatched service and client satisfaction.”
Courtney provides great value, efficiency and service to her clients, focusing her practice at the intersection of business transactions and intellectual property protection. She regularly provides strategic advice and brand management services to her clients while protecting and enforcing intellectual property assets domestically and internationally. She has strong relationships with foreign counsel around the world, allowing her to assist clients with global filing strategies in an efficient and cost-effective manner in key jurisdictions.
Courtney works with clients of all sizes, from entrepreneurial start-ups to Fortune 500 companies, addressing each client’s unique needs. She has particular expertise with trademark, copyright, anti-counterfeiting, licensing, advertising, marketing and brand management and commercial agreements.
July 7, 2020
By Courtney A. H. Thompson and Jacob M. Abdo
Delays caused by workforce shortages, supply chain disruptions and bad business practices may give rise to unanticipated (and costly) liability.
June 22, 2020
By Courtney A. H. Thompson and Jacob M. Abdo
The United States Patent and Trademark Office is accepting petitions to prioritize review of certain COVID-19 related trademarks.
May 29, 2020
By John S. Parzych, Courtney A. H. Thompson and Jacob M. Abdo
The USPTO has extended the time to file certain patent-related documents and pay certain fees. Additionally, trademark-related deadlines extended under the CARES Act will expire on May 31, 2020.
May 4, 2020
By John S. Parzych, Courtney A. H. Thompson and Jacob M. Abdo
The U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) has again extended the time to file certain patent and trademark-related documents and to pay certain fees.
April 27, 2020
By Courtney A. H. Thompson and Jacob M. Abdo
Under U.S. law, a brand cannot advertise that its products prevent, treat or cure human disease unless the brand possesses competent and reliable scientific evidence substantiating that the claim is true.
April 15, 2020
By Courtney A. H. Thompson and Jacob M. Abdo
Copyright law plays an important role in the sharing of creative content. Whether you are an employer, an educator or a creative professional, legal guidance can help you avoid unintentionally violating copyright law.
April 6, 2020
Pandemic profiteers and trademark pirates are taking advantage of these difficult times by selling counterfeit goods to an unsuspecting public.
April 6, 2020
The CARES Act calls for the USPTO to toll, waive, adjust or modify deadlines for certain patent and trademark-related filings during the COVID-19 outbreak.
December 2, 2019
The FTC released “Disclosures 101 for Social Media Influencers” to offer guidance on how influencers should disclose a relationship with a brand.
January 18, 2018
By Grant D. Fairbairn & Courtney A. H. Thompson
While it is estimated that counterfeiting costs the global economy more than $250 billion per year, the damage counterfeiters do to brands by offering faulty and sometimes dangerous knock-off products is immeasurable.
October 25, 2017
Under the Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA), service providers can obtain safe harbor protection from copyright infringement liability by, among other things, designating an agent to receive notifications of claimed infringement with the U.S. Copyright Office.
June 19, 2017
Instagram will soon launch a new tool to help its internet celebrities, or “influencers,” disclose when they are being paid by sponsors.
March 27, 2017
On March 22, 2017, the Supreme Court handed down its decision in the Star Athletica v. Varsity Brands case. The dispute turned on the issue of whether the patterns of cheerleading uniforms, including chevrons and stripes, are protected under copyright law.
December 30, 2016
The United States has placed Chinese e-commerce giant Alibaba Group (Alibaba) back on its list of “notorious markets“ that sell counterfeit goods just four years after taking it off.
December 22, 2016
With support from the Department of Justice (DOJ), the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) launched a new program to stop the illegal importation and distribution of dangerous counterfeit consumer electronics at the border.
December 20, 2016
Under the Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA), online service providers can avail themselves of a safe harbor from liability for copyright infringement by registering contact information for a designated agent with the Copyright Office. Designated agents act as a point person for copyright holders who identify online copyright infringement and want to serve a takedown notice to get the infringing content removed from the site.
September 27, 2016
The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) Bureau of Consumer Protection released a highly-anticipated report on lead generation on September 15, 2016. The paper summarizes staff perspectives on the topics covered at the FTC’s workshop on lead generation entitled “Follow the Lead” on October 30, 2015. Specifically, the report details the mechanics of online lead generation as well as the benefits and concerns associated with lead generation for both businesses and consumers.
April 1, 2016
In October 2015, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) said that it was investigating the advertising practices of Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Volkswagen) after it was uncovered that Volkswagen fitted its “clean diesel” automobiles with illegal emission defeat devices meant to mask emissions during government tests.
March 24, 2016
On March 23, 2016, the state’s high court clarified that domain names are property subject to garnishment under Minnesota law. Sprinkler Warehouse, Inc. v. Systematic Rain, Inc., d/b/a GPLAWN.com, No. A14-1121 (Minn. March 23, 2016).
March 2, 2016
LifeLock will pay $100 million to the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) to settle the FTC’s contempt charges that the company violated a 2010 federal court order that requires the company to protect consumers’ personal information and stop its deceptive advertising. This settlement is the largest award the FTC has obtained in an enforcement action.
December 17, 2015
The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) recently investigated the Kansas-based, high-end watchmaker Niall Luxury Goods, LLC (Niall) over whether the firm overstated the extent to which its watches are made in the U.S. A key issue was that critical components of the company’s watches are sourced from other countries.
August 12, 2015
On May 8, 2013, Steven M. Gardner filed an action against CafePress, Inc. (CafePress). Gardner alleged that contents posted on the CafePress website, infringed Gardner’s copyrights in four works entitled “Find 12 Tigers,” “Polar Bears 10 Hidden Bears,” “Alaska Wildlife,” and “Harmony of Wolves.” The alleged infringement led to approximately $6,320 worth of products being sold.
