Jami A. Gekas is a partner and intellectual property litigation lawyer with Foley & Lardner LLP, where she focuses on an array of advertising, marketing, copyright and trademark issues. A key focus of her practice is brand enforcement and she represents clients in adversary proceedings involving false advertising, unfair competition and trademark, copyright and patent infringement. Jami is a member of the Northern District of Illinois’ Trial Bar and has obtained favorable results in numerous federal district and appellate courts; she recently served as lead trial counsel in a trademark infringement matter, which resulted in a jury verdict in her client’s favor. Jami is also experienced in the clearance of brand names, trade identities and advertising copy; obtaining federal registration for copyrights and trademarks; drafting and negotiating a multitude of licensing and promotional agreements; and helping clients implement promotions and new media campaigns. She is a member of the firm’s IP Litigation and Trademark, Copyright & Advertising Practices.
Jami’s practice includes:
- Litigating intellectual property disputes involving trademarks, trade dress, false advertising, cybersquatting/domain names, unfair competition, patents and copyrights in a variety of federal district and appellate courts
- Intellectual property and brand enforcement matters in the nature of domain name recovery; takedown notices; drafting and responding to pre-litigation “cease and desist” letters; and negotiating licenses and settlement agreements
- Managing domestic and foreign trademark portfolios for clients in a variety of industries (including consumer products, financial services, e-commerce, travel services, design, managed care, consulting and not-for-profit organizations); overseeing trademark clearance, prosecution, licensing and policing; and representing clients in connection with ex parte and inter partes Trademark Trial & Appeal Board proceedings
- Advising clients on advertising/marketing clearance, substantiation and compliance with laws related to trademarks, copyrights, defamation, disparagement, rights of publicity, telemarketing, rebates/incentives, internet marketing, green marketing claims, unsolicited email, privacy and other consumer protection laws
- Drafting and negotiating a variety of agreements (e.g., co-promotion, strategic alliance, work-for-hire, e-commerce, agency and licensing of characters, trademarks, music, software, photos, images and artwork)
- Counseling advertisers on compliance with NAD and CARU guidelines and findings and assisting in NAD/NARB proceedings
- Advising clients on all aspects of legal compliance for sweepstakes, skill contests and other promotions (including drafting official rules, reviewing ad copy, attending to applicable state registrations and drafting affidavits and participant releases)
- Reviewing new media campaigns and counseling clients on branded social networking, text message/mobile campaigns, SEO and keyword advertising and user-generated content issues
- Coordinating client internal software audits and responding to copyright licensing inquiries from software industry organizations (BSA, SIIA)
Prior to joining Foley, Jami was an intellectual property partner at a global law firm.
