Biography
Kelly Williams assists clients with trademark clearance, prosecution, maintenance, enforcement, and brand and marketing strategy, development and execution. She provides well-reasoned advice and practical recommendations on critical business decisions and risk mitigation strategies. She works with clients in a variety of industries including clothing and footwear, mobile applications, and the food and beverage sector as well as retail services and other service sectors.
Her experience includes:
Trademark Protection
- Providing strategic management and budgeting advice for domestic and foreign trademark portfolios on behalf of U.S. and foreign clients.
- Conducting trademark clearance searches of the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office and foreign trademark office databases and preparing availability opinions.
- Preparing, filing and prosecuting U.S. trademark applications through to registration, and attending to post-registration maintenance.
- Assisting clients with trademark enforcement strategies, including infringement investigations, drafting cease and desist letters and settlement negotiations, as well as opposition and cancellation proceedings.
Marketing and Branding
- Advising clients in development and execution of global brand campaigns, including review of concept/creative materials and 3rd party rights clearance to ensure proper use of trademark assets, other IP rights and 3rd party rights.
- Negotiating and drafting of a variety of commercial agreements, including licensing agreements, IP development agreements, marketing and promotion agency agreements, endorsement and photo/video production agreements.
- Advising on 3rd party rights management, including photographer, talent, music and other 3rd party rights agreements, rights of publicity and consumer privacy issues.
- Providing legal support related to drafting of sweepstakes rules and campaign administration.
- Drafting of customer rewards program and providing legal support to business unit in implementation.
Admitted in Maryland.
Legal Services
- Intellectual Property Strategic Counseling
- Trademarks & Copyrights
- Sports, Entertainment and Media Industry
Education and Honors
- Quinnipiac University School of Law (J.D., 1997)
- Marquette University (B.A., 1991)
Bar Admissions
- Maryland
Professional Recognition
- 12th Annual Lexology and ACC Global Counsel Awards, "Intellectual Property Team Award," 2018
- World Trademark Review (WTR) 300, 2017, 2018