Cristina has extensive experience in domestic and foreign trademark prosecution and disputes, and supervises associates and paralegals in managing international trademark portfolios for major clients. She regularly counsels clients with respect to the selection and adoption of trademarks, how to build and enhance rights in brands, and enforcement strategies, domestically and abroad. She has assisted clients in multimillion dollar transactions involving the acquisition and divestiture of intellectual property portfolios. She is skilled in drafting and reviewing domestic and foreign license agreements involving trademarks and copyrights. Cristina also assists clients in trademark infringement, unfair competition and copyright litigation throughout the United States, domain name dispute resolution proceedings and opposition and cancellation proceedings before the Trademark Trial and Appeal Board.

Cristina represents Mars, Incorporated and its affiliates in trademark and copyright matters in connection with their chocolate, petcare, food, drinks and symbioscience segments. She also represents major Brazilian Companies in intellectual property and related matters in the United States and abroad. Among her clients are Petrobras, one of the largest oil, gas, and energy companies in the world, Editora Abril, one of the largest publishing companies in Latin America, and several large clothing, shoe, and fashion accessories companies. Cristina also manages the portfolios of celebrities and sports figures trademarks, including soccer legend Pelé.

Before joining Arent Fox in April 1997, Cristina practiced intellectual property law in New York City, where she managed domestic and foreign trademark portfolios for leading financial services companies, toy and sportswear manufacturers, and book publishers. She was also involved in trademark and copyright litigation as well as in trademark proceedings before the Trademark Trial and Appeal Board for major alcohol, spirits and beer companies..

While attending law school in Brazil, Cristina clerked for the Brazilian Patent and Trademark Office (INPI) where she drafted decisions and opinions in trademark registration appeals, and opposition and cancellation proceedings. Following graduation from law school in 1985, she practiced intellectual property law for seven years in Brazil, where she was extensively involved in all aspects of trademark, patent prosecution, and licensing for North American, South American, and European clients. Cristina managed trademark prosecution practice for multinational consumer product and communications companies and represented clients in infringement actions in federal courts, including seizures of counterfeit sportswear, and in administrative proceedings before the Brazilian Patent and Trademark Office. She also drafted and negotiated technology transfer and license agreements between foreign and Brazilian companies.

Cristina is the ABA-IPL section liaison to the Brazilian Association for the Protection of Intellectual Property and has recently served as co-chair of the International Trademark Law Committee of Intellectual Properties Owners Association (IPO).

Cristina currently holds membership in the International Trademark Association (INTA). She is also a member of the New York Intellectual Property Law Association.

• Cristina was nominated by in-house counsel and peers to appear in Guide to the World’s Leading Women in Business Law 2012 as one of the outstanding practitioners in Trademark law
• “How To Deal With Restrictions on Trademark Use and Advertising in Regulated Industries,” speaker, International Trademark Association, May 7, 2012
• “Building and Protecting Non-Traditional Trademarks,” speaker, Brazilian Association for Intellectual Property, August 29, 2011
• “Developments in Intellectual Property Law in Brazil,” speaker, International Trademark Association, May 2011
• “Intellectual Property Due Diligence,” speaker, Brazilian Association for Intellectual Property, August 24, 2010

Cristina is a native Portuguese speaker and is fluent in Spanish.