Van Kirk, Jennifer

Jennifer Van Kirk counsels clients on a wide variety of IP matters, including all aspects of ‎trademark and brand protection: trademark clearance, prosecution, licensing, portfolio ‎management, and litigation guidance. Her experience includes traditional marks as well as 3-‎dimensional marks, motion marks, service trade dress, and packaging trade dress. She also assist clients with identifying, protecting, and licensing copyrights and rights of publicity for use in products and advertising and protecting and licensing clients' copyrights and rights of publicity.

Trademark Prosecution and Brand Protection

With a network of trademark agents in nearly every country, Jennifer has particular experience ‎helping clients secure and protect trademark rights around the world. She assists in securing ‎worldwide portfolios for new brands and streamlining portfolios for long-established brands. Additionally, her ‎international trademark experience includes advising clients on what global registrations to pursue, ‎filing strategies to maximize coverage, what form the mark should take, cost-containment options, and ‎which trademarks to secure.

Copyrights and Rights of Publicity

Jennifer has extensive multi-media clearance experience, which includes tracing the chain of title (including probate analyses) to works of art, photographs, and rights of publicity and then securing licenses to use those third party rights on products and in advertising. She helps clients protect their copyrights through formal ‎registrations, licensing agreements, and enforcement actions. She has negotiated licenses between her ‎clients and major motion picture studios, merchandising firms and rights organizations including BMI, ‎MPLC and the CCC. When necessary, she represents clients whose copyrights have been infringed by ‎third parties.‎

Trademark Enforcement

On the trademark enforcement side, Jennifer has experience managing the policing ‎programs of several prominent clients including one of the world’s top spas, a federal government ‎agency, a multi-billion dollar tool manufacturer, the leading e-cigarette company, and an international ‎bakery and restaurant franchise with over 200 stores globally.

She has also coordinated anti-counterfeiting programs in the Far East and has extensive experience ‎litigating before the Trademark Trial and Appeal Board. When necessary, she defends her clients ‎against infringement allegations made by other companies. ‎

Internet IP

Jennifer regularly counsels clients on Internet-related intellectual ‎property issues. She has considerable experience with domain name disputes, having represented ‎clients in dozens of successful arbitration proceedings under the Uniform Domain Dispute Resolution ‎Policy (UDRP).

She also counsels clients about recording with ‎ICANN’s Trademark Clearinghouse and other rights protection mechanisms.

Industry Recognition

Jennifer is frequently recognized by top legal organizations and publications, including the International Bar Association’s Who’s Who Legal – Trademarks, “AV/Preeminent Attorney” rating from Martindale-Hubbell, The Best Lawyers in America® in the categories of Copyright and Trademark Law, and “IP Stars” by Managing IP magazine, which described her as “a highly regarded trademark attorney, focused on counseling clients in a host of matters related to brand protection and licensing.”

Additionally, Jennifer and her colleagues are honored to be continually recognized by World Trademark Review "WTR 1000 - The World's Leading Trademark Professional Ranking":

“Jennifer puts clients’ commercial considerations first and is brilliant at managing overseas firms and giving global advice that is consistent.”

“The practitioners at Lewis Roca Rothgerber Christie are exceptional – with outstanding trademark knowledge. They really take ownership of matters and provide rock-solid support in a clear, organised way. It’s always very easy communicating with them.” Jennifer Van Kirk is one of these “top-notch” individuals. “She has the contacts and experience needed to effectively manage clients’ matters globally, giving them a single point of contact for everything. Extremely knowledgeable about all their businesses, she prioritises things appropriately and gets things off her desk efficiently.”

Memberships & Affiliations

• Arizona State Bar Committee for State Trademark Law Reform, Former Co-Chair
• Childsplay Inc, Board of Trustees Member
• International Trademark Association, Former Subcommittee Chair for the Bulletin