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Joseph P. Grasser
Partner
Joseph Grasser’s practice focuses on helping companies and individuals solve problems arising from intellectual property issues. Joseph advises domestic and international clients on matters relating to trademarks, copyrights, trade secrets and false advertising.
- Representing a startup corporation in negotiations over the implementation and licensing of AI technology related to car and airplane part manufacturing.
- Representing various technology companies in preparing and assisting in implementing AI compliance guidelines and other materials for employees to reference when using AI, to ensure company assets are protected appropriately and in accordance with the companies’ strategic goals.
- Representing various companies, in all stages of a company’s life cycle (startup through mature), and from all types of industries (from technology to food distribution), in trademark prosecution matters on a global basis.
- Representing Muirfield Village Golf Club against a trademark troll; the team ensured that the troll took nothing and the Memorial Tournament (founded and hosted by Jack Nicklaus) went off without a hitch.
- Representing a successful cannabis company in various trademark matters.
- Representing an overseas engineering and design company in a nine-figure dispute with a former employee over ownership of certain patents.
- Representing Zippo Manufacturing Co. in enforcing one of its trademark families in a dispute against an electronic cigarette company.
- Representing Zippo Manufacturing Co. in enforcing its trade dress and trademark rights against numerous infringers.
- Representing and advising sugar growers and producers regarding false advertising claims against the makers of high fructose corn syrup (HFCS) and its lobbying arm who were attempting to re-brand HFCS as “corn sugar.”
- Defending the author and owner of copyrights to a documentary and a bestselling book against claims of co-ownership asserted by a director of the documentary. (Also representing the publisher in parallel proceedings.) Our client was completely vindicated following a jury trial.
- Representing and advising one of the world’s largest yogurt manufacturers in relation to false advertising and unfair-business-practices class action claims that related to the product’s labeling and claims of nutritional value.
- Successfully resolving a trademark infringement and unfair competition claims on behalf of a nationwide distributor of fine hand-knitting yarns whose trademarks were being used by a competitor in online keyword advertising.
- Representing the producer of a mobile phone application in an action for copyright infringement.
- Representing a leading video game developer and manufacturer in actions and proceedings to protect images and trademarks.
- Counsel in numerous Trademark Trial and Appeal Board (TTAB) opposition and cancellation proceedings.
Education
- Santa Clara University, J.D., 2007
- Santa Clara University, B.S., cum laude, 2002
Admissions
- California, 2008
Courts
- U.S. Ct. of App., Ninth Circuit
- U.S. Dist. Ct., C. Dist. of California
- U.S. Dist. Ct., N. Dist. of California
- U.S. Dist. Ct., S. Dist. of California
- Selected by peers as a rising star, the top 2.5% of lawyers aged 40 or less, or in practice 10 years or less, and listed in Northern California Super Lawyers – Rising Stars
- Co-author, “Ninth Circuit: Commercial Brand Names Can Be Expressive Speech,” Global IP & Technology Law Blog, November 30, 2022.