The Chicagoland & Suburban Law Firm - Chicago Trademark Copyright Law

Commercial Litigation

Clients from around the globe count on CSL to manage their complex lawsuits in Chicago and courts throughout the nation.

CSL is proud to have fought and won lawsuits and favorable settlements in Federal Courts, State Courts and Administrative agencies throughout the nation, including in Illinois, California, New York, Texas, Florida and Washington, D.C. for its large base of clients. CSL has aggressively and extensively litigated in practice areas including Trademarks, Copyrights, Trade Secrets, Trade Dress, Breach of Business Agreements and Personal Service Contracts, False Advertising, Unfair Competition and involving E-Commerce issues such as Cybersquatting and in high-dollar Real Estate disputes.

CSL also has extensive experience managing the resolution of disputes before the United States Patent and Trademark Office, the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers, the National Advertising Review Board and Better Business Bureaus through the nation.

Chicago/Local Counsel Services

CSL has and continues to offer local counsel services to prospective Clients and attorneys licensed in other jurisdictions seeking counsel for lawsuits pending in the:

• United States District Court for the Northern District of Illinois
• United States Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit
• Circuit Court of Cook County, Illinois
• Illinois Court of Appeals for the First Appellate District
• Supreme Court of Illinois

CSL understands that Clients and attorneys are often required to litigate disputes in geographic regions they are not based in or are otherwise unfamiliar with. CSL strives to offer exceptional local counsel services for disputes managed in Chicago and the greater Chicagoland area. CSL’s familiarity with Local Rules, relationships with local opposing counsel and understanding of Chicago’s legal dynamics often paves the path for Clients and lead counsel to achieve favorable outcomes in lawsuits litigated far from home, in a cost effective manner, and while enjoying peace of mind.

Market Penetration in U.S. and Abroad & Business Counseling

Small, medium and large businesses rely on CSL for all of their Outside General Counsel needs, including as subscribers of CSL’s cost-effective and innovative fixed rate billing program, The Skyline Plan.™

Whether a business is developing or mature, CSL has the keys to help clients unlock barriers to entry, implement growth and enjoy higher market visibility and profitability through its cross-functional application of its Intellectual Property, Branding and Business Formation & Agreement experience. Whether clients desire to expand product distribution into Chicago from Dubai, vice versa or elsewhere, or to outsource manufacturing abroad for returned domestic consumption, CSL has the vision, knowledge and global alliances to make client market growth objectives a reality. Consequently, CSL clients enjoy the leverage necessary to compete in today’s transnational marketplace.

CSL clients own dynamic domestic and international presences in the industries of Agriculture, Cosmetics, Computer Hardware and Software, Construction, Steel, Heavy Machinery, Food and Drugs, Textiles, Petroleum and Petroleum Products, Oil, Education, Film Distribution, Securities and Financial Services, Medical Devices, Clothing & Apparel, Realty, Publishing and Exotic Vacations, among others.

Intellectual Property

Trademarks

CSL understands that your trademark is the soul of your brand. CSL assists clients in developing, registering, maintaining and policing trademarks, including in connection with its litigation practice, both domestically and internationally, for the purpose of ensuring that your trademark properly represents your business and brand.

United States Trademark Services

CSL works with domestic clients to help simplify this complex area of U.S. Federal and State law, enabling clients to understand the benefits of trademarks rights and their importance to the establishment and growth of their business. CSL works diligently in counseling, prosecuting, maintaining and policing trademarks in the U.S. while also maintaining a vision towards preserving clients’ international trademark rights. Conversely, CSL also provides clients with risk avoidance advice regarding trademark infringement and potential liability issues.

International Trademark Services

CSL understands that in our global marketplace trademark rights are of great importance, and this importance continues to grow. CSL has selected what it believes to be the best trademark attorneys in their respective countries and works closely with them to achieve the international trademark objectives of our clients. CSL works with its clients and international counsel to properly develop, register, maintain and police international trademarks with the same zealousness as it provides to clients pursuing trademark rights in the U.S. In addition, CSL provides clients with risk avoidance counsel regarding international trademark infringement and potential liability issues.

Copyrights

CSL has broad experience working with clients to protect rights under copyright law. CSL assists clients in conducting clearance searches, counseling with respect to copyright protection strategy, preparation and filing of copyright applications and the licensing of protected works. CSL provides a variety of copyright services for client product designs, publications, advertising and marketing materials, computer software, websites and other original expressions. CSL also provides risk avoidance advice to clients regarding copyright liability issues.

CSL works with international counsel to preserve client rights in copyrighted material from infringers abroad, including counterfeiters, infringers and other purveyors of black-market goods in conjunction with its dynamic litigation practice.

Also, CSL works with individual artists to preserve and enforce rights pertaining to their original expressions in the forms of literature, film, music, choreography and visual art such as sculpture and painting, including any pertinent moral rights that clients may enjoy abroad.

Trade Secrets

CSL understands that the preservation of secrets pertaining to inventions can be more important that any patent right a client may be eligible to receive. For this reason, CSL works diligently with clients to institute an aggressive plan to preserve innovative and secret product and business method information. CSL tailors and crafts individualized trade secret protection plans for clients, including the use of employee, supplier and/or vendor confidentiality agreements and effective covenant not to compete agreements; CSL effectively engages in trade secret litigation to protect and enforce clients’ rights.

CSL also offers clients unique trade secret licensing and assignment agreements services that help clients leverage the full value of their trade secrets without unduly risking their preservation and efficacy.

Business Agreements

CSL offers clients a wide array of business agreement preparation and review services. Among the agreements CSL regularly offers clients are:

• Manufacturing Agreements
• Distribution Agreements
• Importation/Exportation Agreements
• Supply Chain Agreements
• Retailer Distribution Agreements
• Intellectual Property Licensing Agreements
• Brand Licensing Agreements
• Employment Agreements
• Confidentiality Agreements
• Trade Secret Retention Agreements
• Non-Competition Agreements
• Franchising Agreements

CSL works regularly with clients to ensure that agreements are drafted favorably, implemented accurately and enforced vigorously to enable clients to meet their objectives and to position themselves for growth. CSL’s agreements are custom drafted and tailored to each client’s unique needs and business objectives.

E-Commerce & Cybersquatting

CSL’s e-commerce practice involves handling operational and legal issues involved with Internet-based client transactions. CSL assists clients starting e-commerce businesses by offering website development and sales agreements, content and intellectual property licensing agreements, developing internal electronic communications policies with an eye toward satisfying Electronic Discovery requirements in litigation and reviewing advertising/marketing claims for truthfulness and accuracy in accordance with Federal Trade Commission regulations among other services.

CSL also represents clients in resolving domain name disputes, including disputes grounded in allegations of Cybersquatting, before U.S. Federal courts and state courts and also in accordance with the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers’ Uniform Domain-Name Dispute Resolution Policy. CSL provides services in all stages of domain name and Cybersquatting dispute resolution and has the experience clients need to resolve such disputes.

Business Entity Selection & Formation

CSL understands that every business starts with a well-developed model and encourages clients to carefully consider entity types before making a selection. A successful business often starts with a concise strategic objective and defined organizational chart; CSL assists client in their development to ensure clients position themselves for success at their earliest stages of conception and to appoint individuals to positions that maximize their utility to the business while fostering a spirit of team work and a collegial atmosphere.

CSL works closely with foreign associates to ensure that clients who wish to do business in nations outside the U.S. form business entities abroad that will offer the legal and tax protections they desire. CSL works closely with foreign associates to enable clients to create international entities, to adequately capitalize them and to enjoy the rights offered by the nations they conduct commerce in.

Franchising

CSL works closely with clients to purchase and maintain franchise rights. CSL represents clients purchasing franchise rights in the fast food, convenience store, apparel and health care industries among others. CSL understands the complexities of implementing franchisor protocols and helps clients navigate the franchising process.

CSL works closely with clients to ensure they understand the underpinnings and requirements of franchise applications, the functionalities of all disclosure documents, the expectations articulated in franchise and supplier agreements and clients’ right under them. CSL also assists clients in navigating operations manuals to help achieve maximum efficiency and quality control.

Branding & Advertising/Marketing

CSL combines its intellectual property services with its business agreement services to compliment its clients’ branding strategies. CSL understands that a clients brand is often its most valuable asset. CSL tailors unique plans for each client to maximize brand visibility and marketplace recognition, including through the creation of distribution agreements and intellectual property policing and litigation strategies reasonably calculated to enhance brand visibility and recognition.

Clients make daily decisions that affect what potential customers observe; the observations ultimately affect whether they buy client goods or services. CSL also works with clients to maximize the efficacy of advertising, marketing and promotional tactics and to satisfy client objectives. CSL also serves clients in connection with advertising substantiation for Federal Trade Commission compliance, provides sweepstakes and promotions counseling, and provides clients with counsel before the National Advertising Review Board and Better Business Bureaus throughout the U.S.

CSL also works closely with foreign associates for compliance with international advertising regulations and to create marketing strategies for clients that are in accordance with potential consumers of each target nation’s cultural, linguistic and religious sensibilities.

Real Estate

Real Estate Transactions

CSL works with clients to resolve their commercial and residential real estate legal needs. CSL assists developers, investors and individual homebuyers/sellers in:

Developers

• Locating and acquiring desirable building sites
• Drafting and reviewing necessary contracts and loan documents
• Identifying zoning issues, recommending and implementing legal solutions
• Acquiring necessary permits
• Securing financing for development
• Contracting with subcontractors to create building plans
• Monitoring the systematic implementation of building plans
• Drafting and reviewing sales contracts and closing documents
• Drafting and reviewing lease agreements

Investors

• Locating desirable investment opportunities
• Drafting and reviewing loan and securitization documents, recommending and implementing solutions
• Monitoring site development for compliance with investment agreement
• Utilizing inspection rights
• Collecting returns when investment term terminates

Individuals

• Negotiating and preparing residential purchase and sale contracts
• Preparation of closing documents, such as deed, bill of sale, property tax and association proration figures, conduct title inspection analysis and recommend and implement legal solutions
• Negotiation and preparation of lease terms and conditions
• Review of mortgage, mortgage re-financing and reverse mortgages documents
• Negotiation and preparation of documents in accordance with IRS Code 1031 tax deferred exchanges requirements
• Farm and ranch acquisitions and sales

Real Estate Litigation

CSL assists clients in resolving real estate disputes in litigation. CSL works with clients to resolve disputes grounded in:

• Breach of Commercial and Residential Sales Contracts, Supplier Agreements & Title Disputes
• Fraud and Unjust Enrichment
• Agency & Breach of Fiduciary Duty actions
• Eminent Domain disputes
• Federal, State and Local Governmental Takings-Clause actions
• Nuisance and Property Devalue Avoidance actions

CSL has extensively practiced in real estate litigation matters throughout Federal and State courts in Illinois.