ROBERTA (ROBIN) S. BREN Co-Chairs the Copyright practice group and practices in the firm's Trademark and Litigation practice groups. With extensive legal experience and a strong business perspective, Ms. Bren counsels clients in all fields on a full range of trademark and copyright law issues and advises on trade dress, unfair competition, false advertising, website content protection, plus name selection and protection in the U.S. and elsewhere. Additionally, she helps foreign and domestic clients adopt, clear and protect their trademarks, and defend against infringement. Large multinational companies regularly rely on Ms. Bren to manage and protect worldwide trademark portfolios consisting of hundreds of marks. She also actively protects clients’ marks in oppositions and cancellation actions, as well as in the courts.
A former Examining Attorney at the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO), Ms. Bren was the first woman to be named partner at Oblon, Spivak. She represents large multinationals to small companies, considering not only legal principles, but also her clients' business realities and marketing objectives to provide them with cost-effective, practical advice. Working closely with a variety of professionals at her clients’ companies, including marketing and sales staff, she empowers her clients with the information they need to avoid problems in the future.
Ms. Bren’s clients run the gamut from health care providers and medical device manufacturers to leading electrical, wiring, and connector and lighting companies. Representing small and large companies alike, Ms. Bren counsels start-ups that own a single brand as well as large established companies that license multiple well-known and famous brands, including leading retailers and manufacturers worldwide.
Ms. Bren lectures extensively on the adoption and protection of marks, including search strategies, licensing, prosecution, and ex parte and inter partes proceedings before the USPTO, as well as negotiation and settlement approaches. She has taught trademark law at the George Mason University Law School and has lectured at the George Washington University Law School.
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