Over the last decade, Mr. Lighthouse has represented entrepreneurs, startups, small businesses, A-list celebrities, and Fortune 500 companies in developing, protecting, and enforcing their trademarks, copyrights, trade secrets, publicity rights, and general business interests before the U.S. Copyright Office, the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office, the FTC, and in state and federal courts.  He regularly counsels clients across a range of industries, including the food and beverage, consumer product, health care, medical device, media, telecommunication, software, cryptocurrency, energy, entertainment, and fashion industries.

In addition, Mr. Lighthouse zealously represents clients in all stages of litigation, including pre-litigation due diligence; the preparation of pleadings; dispositive motion practice; fact discovery; lay and expert witness depositions; claim construction; summary judgment; pre-trial motion practice; trial; and appeal. He has successfully secured and vacated temporary restraining orders and preliminary injunctions against online stores in large-scale counterfeiting cases, won discovery sanctions, and prevailed at summary judgment in bench and jury trials, as well as in appeals before the TTAB.

Mr. Lighthouse values personalized, one-on-one communication with his clients. He strives to distill the most complex issues into easy-to-understand explanations, thereby empowering his clients to make informed and strategically forward decisions.

EXPERIENCE

Trademark Clearance, Prosecution, Portfolio Management, Enforcement, and Litigation

• • Knockout and comprehensive clearance searches
  • Brand standards, style guides, enforcement procedures for internal business use
  • State and federal registration of word marks, logos, slogans, product packaging marks, and product design marks
  • Worldwide trademark portfolio management
  • Bespoke global domestic and international brand-enforcement strategies
  • TTAB proceedings, including ex parte appeals, oppositions, and cancellations
  • Filing and defending counterfeit goods lawsuits with ex parte asset restraints
  • Licensing, franchising, co-branding, and coexistence agreements
  • Due diligence for M&A transactions

Trade Secrets, Unfair Competition, and Deceptive Trade Practices

• • Identification of trade secrets
  • NDAs and confidentiality agreements
  • Non-competes
  • Fraud
  • Unjust enrichment
  • Violations of federal and state unfair competition statutes and common law

Cybersquatting

• • UDRP proceedings
  • Anticybersquatting Consumer Protection Act litigation
  • Cease-and-desist letters

Copyright Protection and Enforcement

• • Registration of complex software code
  • Registration of compilations
  • Digital Millennium Copyright Act (“DMCA”) compliance and litigation
  • Visual Artists Rights Act (“VARA”) counsel and litigation
  • Termination rights under Copyright Act Sections 203 and 304

Entertainment Agreements and Disputes

• • Talent release agreements
  • Location agreements
  • Publishing contracts
  • Audiovisual licenses

Licensing and General Agreements

• • Reviewing, drafting, and negotiating trademark, copyright, patent, and right of publicity licenses, assignments, and agreements
  • Independent contractor agreements
  • Influencer agreements
  • Distribution agreements
  • Material transfer agreement
  • Operating agreements
  • Employment agreements
  • Master service agreements

Advertising and Online Policies

• • Advertising copy review and claim substantiation
  • Comparative advertising
  • Contests and sweepstakes
  • Sponsorship agreements
  • Terms and conditions
  • Privacy policies

General Business Litigation

• • Contract disputes
  • Breaches of fiduciary duty
  • Partnership disputes
  • Employment disputes
  • NDA disputes

INTERESTS & HOBBIES

Mr. Lighthouse enjoys live music, running, writing, investing, and spending time with his friends and family.  He serves his local community through volunteering, including at the Boys and Girls Club of America of Wake County and pro bono legal initiatives.