Overview
What We Do
Your brand is your most valuable asset. In an era when a logo can be replicated, a slogan can be appropriated, and a product design can be copied overnight — IP protection is not a luxury. It is a survival strategy. Shah Grossi provides comprehensive intellectual property counsel for businesses that take their brand seriously.
Schedule a Consultation →Services Include
- —Trademark searches & clearance
- —USPTO trademark applications
- —Office action responses
- —Trade dress registration & protection
- —Copyright registration
- —IP licensing & assignments
- —DMCA takedowns & enforcement
- —IP audits & portfolio strategy
Common Scenarios
Problems We Solve
- 01
A brand has been operating for years with common-law trademark rights only — and a competitor files federally first, locking the business out of its own name in registration.
How we help: Brand Protection
- 02
A consumer brand's visual identity — packaging, retail interior, product shape — has become recognizable, but no trade dress documentation has ever been filed.
How we help: Brand Protection · Fashion & Lifestyle industry
- 03
A competitor is using an imitative brand name or logo, and the business has no enforcement playbook — by the time counsel is engaged, the competitor has built months of recognition.
How we help: Dispute & Recovery
- 04
A licensing agreement was signed early in the business, and the licensee has exceeded the scope of use without anyone tracking it — the IP is being used in channels that were never contemplated.
How we help: Contracts practice
- 05
The brand has grown internationally, but USPTO registrations cover only the United States — leaving parallel international marks unregistered and vulnerable.
How we help: International Business industry
Common Questions
Frequently Asked
Q.When should I file a trademark application?
As early as possible — ideally before you launch. U.S. trademark rights are based on first use, but federal registration establishes nationwide priority from the filing date, provides a presumption of validity, and enables statutory damages in infringement cases. Intent-to-use applications allow you to file before you begin using the mark, preserving priority while you get the business off the ground. Waiting until a mark has real value often means waiting until someone else has motivation to copy it.
Related: Brand Protection
Q.What can and cannot be trademarked?
Distinctive names, logos, slogans, sounds, and even colors can be trademarked when they function as source identifiers. Descriptive terms ("Cold Beer"), geographic terms ("California Wine"), and generic words for the goods ("Bread" for a bakery) generally cannot be registered unless they have acquired distinctiveness through extensive use. Fanciful marks (KODAK, EXXON) are the strongest; arbitrary and suggestive marks are protectable with less evidence; descriptive marks require proof of secondary meaning.
Q.How long does USPTO trademark registration take?
Current USPTO timelines run roughly 12 to 18 months in straightforward cases, longer if the examining attorney issues office actions that require responses. The process includes examination for confusingly similar marks, a 30-day opposition period after approval, and final registration. We draft applications with clean specifications and correct classification the first time to minimize office-action risk, which is the most common source of timeline slippage.
Q.What is trade dress and how is it different from a trademark?
Trade dress protects the overall visual appearance of a product, package, or commercial setting — the shape of a bottle, the layout of a restaurant interior, the color palette and typography of a consumer product line — when that appearance identifies the source. Unlike a standard mark, trade dress must be non-functional and distinctive, and product-design trade dress generally requires secondary meaning. We help consumer and hospitality brands document trade dress early so the record exists if enforcement becomes necessary.
Related: Hospitality & Restaurant industry · Fashion & Lifestyle industry
Q.What happens if someone is infringing my trademark?
The typical enforcement path starts with a cease-and-desist letter identifying the infringement and demanding it stop. If the infringement continues, options include UDRP proceedings (for domain-name cases), TTAB oppositions (for pending applications), and federal litigation for injunctive relief and damages. The ITC and Customs and Border Protection provide additional tools for counterfeit goods. Early action is almost always less expensive than waiting.
Related: Dispute Resolution
Q.Do I need to register my trademark internationally?
U.S. registration protects only the United States. If you sell, manufacture, or plan to expand internationally, international trademark filings through the Madrid Protocol (filing one application with WIPO that designates multiple member countries) or direct national filings are essential. Many businesses discover the gap when a distributor in another market registers their mark first. We build international filing strategies that match the business's commercial footprint.
Related: International Business
Related Practice Areas
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