Leslie Vander Griend
Shareholder | Seattle
Areas of Practice
Overview
Education & Admissions
Recognition & Honors
Representative Work
Publications & Presentations
Professional & Community Activities
With over 25 years of experience in intellectual property, Leslie helps businesses resolve trademark and copyright disputes and build strength and value in trademark and copyright assets. Specifically, Leslie represents clients in game-changing trademark and copyright litigation in federal courts nationwide, and contested matters before the Trademark Trial & Appeal Board. Leslie has been recognized as a leader in her field by Best Lawyers in America in both Trademark and Copyright law (2009-2023), Washington Super Lawyers, the World Trademark Review, and Chambers USA.
Admissions
- Georgia
- Washington
- U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit, 11th Circuit and Federal Circuit
- U.S. Supreme Court
- U.S. District Court for the Western District of Washington
- U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Georgia
Education
- Emory University School of Law, J.D., with distinction
- Emory University’s Candler School of Theology, M.T.S., cum laude
- Calvin College, B.A. Music Theory and Composition
Recognition & Honors
- Leading Trademark Professional by World Trademark Review 1000 (2015 - 2024)
- Best Lawyers in America in Copyright Law; Trademark Law (2009 - 2024)
- Washington Super Lawyers (2006 - 2007, 2012 - 2018)
- Top-Rated Lawyer, West Coast, National Law Journal (2017)
- Women Leaders in the Law, ALM (2015)
- Notable Practitioner in Intellectual Property, Chambers USA (2010 - 2012)
- Top Lawyers, Seattle magazine
- Best Washington State Bar CLE Presentations
- AV® rated by Martindale-Hubbell Peer Review
Representative Work
- Protecting and enforcing valuable trademarks with registration and litigation, managing trademark portfolios worldwide, including international Madrid extensions, design marks, sound marks, famous marks, packaging configuration marks and certification marks;
- Uniform Domain-Name Dispute Resolution Proceedings (UDRPs).
- Copyright infringement litigation for business clients and nonprofits, including copyrights in software, books, works of art, architecture and photography.
- Served as expert witness on music theory and composition in copyright infringement litigation. Bunn v. [Famous Recording Artist], et al., (N.D.Ga./11th Cir.).
Representative Intellectual Property Litigation
- The Pennsylvania State University v. Vintage Brand, LLC (USDC M. D. Pennsylvania)
- Savannah College of Art and Design, Inc. v. Sportswear, Inc., 2019 WL 11542685 (N.D. Ga. Mar. 1, 2019), aff'd, 983 F.3d 1273 (11th Cir. 2020), cert. denied, 2021 WL 4507654 (U.S. No. 19-11258 Oct. 4, 2021)
- Mackey v. Lawson’s Finest Liquids, LLC (Fed. Cir. Ct. App.)
- PAC Worldwide Corporation v. ePac Holdings, LLC (TTAB)
- Attachmate Corp. v. Health Net, Inc. (W.D. Wash)
- De La Salle High School of Concord v. Sportswear, Inc. (Sup. Ct. CA 2014)
- Pearl Jam, LLC v J.S.E. Janssen aka Stijn Enzo Holding BV (NAF)
- Sur La Table, Inc. v. Colby (TTAB)
- Klise Manufacturing Company v. Braided Accents, L.L.C. (TTAB)
- Dexter & Chaney, Inc. v. Microsoft, Inc. (W.D. Wash.)
- Pearl Jam v. Vertical Axis, Inc. c/o Domain Administrator (NAF)
- Flow Control Inc. v. A&H Enterprises, Inc. (W.D. Wash)
- Britches of Georgetowne, Inc. v. Kinder Britches, Inc. (Fed. Cir. Ct. App.)
- Warren Publishing Inc., v. Microdos Data Corp., et al. (11th Cir.; Petition for Cert. to U.S. Sup.Ct.)
Publications & Presentations
- "Intellectual Property Basics for Businesses and Nonprofits," CLS Conference, San Antonio, TX, (October 2021)
- “Merchandising and The Controversial ‘Secondary Source’ Rule,” International Trademark Association (May 2018)
- “Intellectual Property Basics: Trademark Law,” WSBA CLE, (September 2017)
- “Trademark & Copyright Fundamentals”, Intellectual Property Washington Summit (September 2017)
- “Data Extraction: Beyond the Sweat of the Brow,” co-author Dr. Gerald Van Belle, University of Washington, Significance magazine (April 2014)
- “Who Owns The Pastor’s Sermons, Blogs & Books?” Wagenmaker & Oberly - Nonprofit Update (March 2014)
- “Trademark and Domain Name Basics for Small Businesses,” Association of Women in Computing, Seattle Chapter
- “Estate Planning Considerations for Clients Who Own and Co-Own Valuable Copyrights” co-author with RoseMary Reed, 36 Real Property Probate & Trust, WSBA
- “Damages & Remedies for Copyright Infringement,” LSI Copyright Management & Litigation Conference
- “Supreme Court Developments in Trademark Law,” International Trademark Association Annual Meeting
- “Intellectual Property Assets in Bankruptcy: Perfecting Security Interests and Drafting Technology Licenses,” CLE, Washington State Patent Law Assoc.
- “Intellectual Property Considerations in Emerging Growth Company Practice,” CLE Washington State Bar Business Law Section
Professional & Community Activities
- Seattle Pacific University
- Board of Trustees (2013-2023),
- Chair of Academic Affairs Committee (2016-2023)
- International Trademark Association, Panel of Trademark Mediators
- Intellectual Property Sections: Washington and Georgia Bar Associations
- Past President, King County Bar Association, Intellectual Property Section
- Past Member, UGM Open Door Legal Services Clinic, Advisory Board
- Past Board Member, Calvin College & Seminary (Grand Rapids, MI)
- Past Board Chairman, Neighborhood Playhouse (Atlanta, GA)
