Get the answers you’ve been asking about US trademark prosecution. Panellists Stephanie Vaccari and Micheline Johnson will explore the mysteries and subtleties of US trademarks practice from a Canadian perspective.
This program will qualify for 1 substantive hour toward Law Society of Ontario CPD requirements.
Micheline Johnson is a partner at Taylor English Duma LLP.
Micheline synthesizes her chemistry, finance, and legal education and experience to elevate her work as a corporate IP Strategist - developing, managing, and leveraging Intellectual Property (IP) assets to improve businesses’ bottom lines.
Leveraging IP to improve the bottom line begins with identifying and protecting intellectual capital for defensive purposes; it also includes taking the offense to shut down infringers. Most recently, Micheline directed the litigation that won the first recognition of the AVIS trademark as “famous,” in a highly-pitched infringement lawsuit in Taiwan. Famous marks receive greater protection under the law, leaving infringers little room for argument even in cases of trademark dilution rather than exact copying.
Micheline has obtained trademark protection for both product configurations and market-leading brands, and negotiated and structured critical international co-existence agreements designed to protect brand strength while embracing business opportunities. She represents clients in enforcement efforts worldwide, as well as in federal courts and before the Patent and the Trademark Trial and Appeal Boards of the United States Patent and Trademark Office. She has also prosecuted and litigated both domestic and international patents related to diverse technology including chemicals, manufacturing materials and processes, toys, medical devices, and computer-based business methods.
Stephanie Vaccari is Managing Partner in Baker McKenzie’s Toronto office and a member of the Intellectual Property (IP) Practice group. She leads the Toronto office Industrial Design and Transactional IP team and co-leads its IP Portfolio Management and Trademark Enforcement teams. Stephanie also serves as co-chair of Baker McKenzie's Toronto Consumer Goods and Retail Group, its Baker Women's Networking Group and is spearheading the Toronto office's Luxury and Fashion Group.
Stephanie advises industry clients on a broad range of IP-related matters. She has extensive trade mark-related experience, has assisted global clients with worldwide trade mark portfolios (and manages global trademark portfolios of Fortune 500 companies), and represented them in opposition and cancellation proceedings. She has experience in transactional IP and has also participated in a variety of complex lawsuits protecting and defending various IP.
