WASHINGTON, DC – JUNE 23, 2012 – The New York Times interviewed Arent Fox’s Pamela Deese, a partner in the firm’s Intellectual Property and Media & Entertainment practices, regarding client Jeremy Lin’s successful efforts to protect a trademark for “Linsanity” by filing with the US Patent and Trademark Office as well as in China, Hong Kong and Taiwan and challenging the activities of third parties seeking to benefit from Lin’s celebrity, a mere five games after he had emerged as a star for the NBA’s New York Knicks.

Notes The New York Times:

The plan to trademark Linsanity formed quickly inside Lin’s legal and marketing team.

“We laid out a strategy and moved forward with it in 36 hours,” said Pamela Deese, a partner in the intellectual property group at Arent Fox, in Washington. “You have to be able to pivot quickly, as they say in basketball.”

Lin would not need the trademark to license Linsanity for the T-shirts, hoodies, mugs, energy drinks, duffel bags, fruit juices, nightshirts, scarves, socks, underwear, sandals, visors, bandannas, footwear and action figures that are listed in his application. But the trademark would provide him with legal protection against others who wanted to stamp, sew or print the Linsanity name on their merchandise.

“We wouldn’t want marks like these if there were no business to be made,” Deese said. “But we wouldn’t want them hanging out with someone else, either. It’s defense, but it’s also a good offense.”

In discussing the firm’s active role in helping protect the “Linsanity” mark, the article quotes Pam as stating, “We’ve filed letters of protest against every other application that tries to play off Jeremy Lin’s fame and personality… We’ve sent cease-and-desist letters to others who were trying to sell products. There’s a burden on a famous person to protect your celebrity status.”

Pam also weighs in on other potential opportunities for Mr. Lin, saying “There is extraordinary interest in Jeremy even since he was injured and recuperated… We’re approached multiple times a day from interests in Asia for endorsements and licensing. The Asian market holds incredible opportunities.”

To read the entire article in The New York Times, please click here.