Mike works on behalf of clients in a wide range of industries. His clients include major companies in the fields of entertainment, software, online services, hospitality services, food, pharmaceutical products, eyewear, clothing and fashion, publishing, real estate, insurance, and franchising.

Mike has represented clients in intellectual property civil actions and appeals in state and federal courts throughout the United States and in several foreign countries. He also is known for helping clients with licensing, technology transfer agreements and other transactions involving intellectual property. He counsels clients on trademark selection, clearance and registration; domestic and international trademark and copyright protection; anti-counterfeiting; unfair competition law; advertising; computer law; franchise law; and licensing.

In addition to representing clients in the courts and before federal agencies, Mike has assisted in securing legislation directed at enhancing their intellectual property rights. He has testified before congressional committees in both the Senate and House of Representatives on intellectual property matters. He was instrumental in securing amendments to Sections 14 and 39 of the Lanham Act, which clarify the grounds on which a registered mark may be held generic and which prohibit the states from interfering with federally registered marks.

Examples of cases in which Mike served as lead attorney are:

• General Mills v. Soyyigit Civil Action No. (D. Minn. 2011) Mike and others at Arent Fox took over the defense of a trademark infringement action after a preliminary injunction had been entered. A favorable settlement was achieved.
• Grupo Andrea S.A. v. Privacy Protection Service (C.D. Cal. 2010) Mike and attorneys in our LA office obtained a monetary judgment against a notorious cybersquatter that had used our client’s mark in a domain name linked to a monetized website that diverted prospective customers to our client’s competitors.
• Mars, Inc. v. Hershey Chocolate Company (ED Va. 2009) Mike and the Arent Fox Team represented Mars in a trademark and copyright infringement case against one of its primary competitors. The matter was settled favorably.
• Warner Bros. Entertainment, Inc. v. Fleet Wholesale Supply Co. (TTAB 2008) Following a trial on the merits, Mike on the Arent Fox team obtained a judgment finding likelihood of confusion and upholding the famous ROAD RUNNER mark.
• Louis Vuitton Malletier v. Allegro Mfg. Inc. (E.D. Va. 2007) Mike was lead counsel in a successful trademark infringement and unfair competition suit brought by our client Louis Vuitton against a handbag manufacturer and a major retail pharmacy chain.
• ZAO Askeri v. International Accounting Standards Committee Foundation (Del. Ch. 2006) Mike and colleagues from the New York Office successfully defended one of the world’s major financial standard setting organizations in a copyright infringement case filed in Delaware. The Plaintiff claimed that our client had violated the copyright laws of Russia, the United Kingdom and several former Soviet republics by displaying the work in question on the Internet. All of the claims were dismissed.
• Max Mara Fashion Group S.r.l. v. Wal-Mart Stores, Inc. (D. Md. 2006) We represented a well known Italian fashion company in a trademark counterfeiting and unfair competition suit filed against Wal-Mart. The matter was resolved favorably.
• Daesang Corporation v. Rhee Bros. Inc. (D. Md. 2005) At a trial in the federal court in Baltimore, we defended a major Korean food company against infringement claims. We also proved that the plaintiff had obtained its trademark registration fraudulently.
• Quantum National Bank v. MBNA America Bank NA (N.D. Ga. 2004) At a trial in the federal court in Atlanta, Mike and the Arent Fox team defended MBNA in an action for trademark infringement and unfair competition.
• In re California Innovations, 66 USPQ2d 1853, 329 F3d 1334 (Fed. Cir. 2003) Mike and the team appealed a decision from the Trademark Trial and Appeal Board, which had refused registration of the mark California Innovations, on the grounds that the mark was allegedly primarily geographically deceptively misdescriptive. The Federal Circuit reversed and issued a decision that enhances the scope of protection available to trademark owners.
• Online Careline Inc. v. America Online, Inc., 229 F.3d 1080, 56 USPQ2d 1471 (Fed. Cir. 2000) Mike and his colleagues defended America Online in an appeal heard by the Federal Circuit; The court affirmed an order of the TTAB sustaining an opposition filed by AOL and dismissing a cancellation petition filed by Online Careline.

As a member of the International Trademark Association, Mike has served on the Board of Directors and Executive Committee, and as chair of the Federal Legislation Committee. He also has served as co-chair of the Intellectual Property Law Section of the District of Columbia Bar Association and as a member of its steering committee. Mike is a member of the American Intellectual Property Law Association and the Patent, Trademark and Copyright Section of the Virginia Bar Association. He is also active in, AIPPI, FICPI, IPIC, and Marques.

Mike is a former member of the editorial board of the Trademark Reporter. He has written several articles relating to intellectual property law and has given numerous presentations at conferences sponsored by AIPLA, INTA, the FBI Academy, and various other organizations in the United States and abroad on intellectual property topics. His recent speaking engagements include:

• “Multicultural Issues in Trademark Selection,” AIPLA, Mid Winter Meeting 2009, Miami, FL
• “Does Dilution Make A Difference,”  California Bar IP Section Meeting, November 6, 2008, Rancho Mirage, CA
• “Protection of Strong and Famous Marks,” Virginia Bar Association IP Section, October 2008, Williamsburg, VA
• Trademark And Copyright Protection Strategies” Maryland Tech Council – Johns Hopkins University, May 17, 2007
• “Domestic Enforcement of Foreign Copyright Violations” – Global Trade Symposium – Chapman University Law School, April 19, 2007
• “Litigating Preliminary Injunction Motions in Trademark Cases – INTA Annual Meeting, May 2006
• “Protecting IP Rights in Cartoon Characters;” December 14, 2004, December 14, 2004, Washington, DC

Mike is listed among leading trademark lawyers in the United States by Chambers USA,  the Legal 500, and the International Who’s Who of Business Lawyers. He is also ranked as a first tier trademark litigator by the World Trademark Reporter.

Mike is fluent in Italian and Spanish.