Assistant Office

ALAIN LAPTER

**** ***** ***** ******, *********, VA 22209 USA

Home: +1-202-***-**** Cell: +1-860-***-**** E-mail: *******@*****.***

BAR ADMISSION

Admitted to Massachusetts and District of Columbia

PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE

DRINKER BIDDLE & REATH LLP, Washington, DC September 2009 – present

Trademark and Copyright Associate

File and prosecute trademark applications with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office. Counsel and advice domestic and foreign-based clients, including numerous Fortune 500 companies on the selection, clearance, use, registration, enforcement, and licensing of trademarks and copyrights in the U.S. and abroad. Handle domain name disputes and UDRP complaints. Draft licensing agreements, as well as domain name assignment and license-back agreements. Created an Intellectual Property manual and guide for client’s employees and marketing department. Counsel clients on their publicity rights and those of third parties. Draft notices of opposition to U.S. trademark applications. Draft cease and desist letters, take down notices and handle other enforcement measures related to traditional and Internet use of clients’ IP. Assess and review claims of alleged infringement and counsel clients on options. Draft settlement and co-existence agreements and assignments of intellectual property rights.

BLANK ROME LLP, Washington, DC April 2007 – August 2009

Trademark and Copyright Associate

Filed and prosecuted trademark applications with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office. Conducted due diligence of clients’ trademarks and copyrights to create an all-encompassing portfolio. Counseled clients on the availability, clearance, and registrability of proposed marks in the U.S. and abroad. Consulted with foreign counsel on the prosecution of international trademark applications. Drafted notices of opposition to U.S. trademark applications and petitions to cancel U.S. trademark registrations. Handled UDRP complaints, take-down notices pursuant to the Digital Millennium Copyright Act, and cease and desist letters. Drafted and responded to discovery requests and assisted in motion practice. Drafted licensing and co-existence agreements and assignments of intellectual property rights. Conducted due diligence with respect to M&A matters and assisted in drafting several asset purchase agreements that incorporated domestic and international trademarks and copyrights. Filed copyright applications with the U.S. Copyright Office.

UNITED STATES PATENT AND TRADEMARK OFFICE, Alexandria, VA May 2005 - April 2007

Trademark Examining Attorney

Reviewed several thousand trademark applications for procedural and substantive issues. Achieved the highest production percentage of any examiner and received the highest quality review assessment for 2006. Successfully argued in front of the U.S. Trademark Trial and Appeal Board with one decision becoming citable precedent.

GARCIA AND MILAS, P.C., New Haven, CT 2003

Law Clerk for a Construction and Franchise Law Litigation and Arbitration firm.

Researched and analyzed various legal issues including: jurisdiction, liability of a surety, privity in contracts, contract language, and damage claims. Attended and assisted in arbitration hearings and depositions.

CHIEF STATE’S ATTORNEY’S OFFICE – DIVISION OF CRIMINAL JUSTICE, Meriden, CT 2002

Intern at the State Superior Court G.A.7.

SHEARMAN AND STERLING, LLP, New York, NY 2000 – 2001

Legal Assistant & Business Information Analyst in the Executive Compensation and Employee Benefits Group.

EXPERTCOMMERCE, INC., New York, NY 2000

Legal Assistant & Business Development Analyst for a Business-to-Business Internet software start-up company.

TORBORG SPORTS, LTD., New York, NY 1999 – 2000

Associate with sports agency.

KREX TELEVISION, Grand Junction, CO 1998 – 1999

Weekend sports anchor and weekday sports reporter for CBS affiliate.

UNIVERSITY OF COLORADO RADIO & TELEVISION, Boulder, CO 1994 – 1998

News and Sports Director (96-98); Play-by-Play Announcer (94-98) for KUCB-radio, the campus radio station.

Anchor, Senior Producer, and Play-by-Play Commentator for Campus Cable Channel 55 and PBS Channel 12.

EDUCATION

THE GEORGE WASHINGTON UNIVERSITY LAW SCHOOL, Washington, DC 2005

Masters of Laws (LL.M.) in Intellectual Property, GPA 3.63 (out of 4.00)

UNIVERSITY OF CONNECTICUT SCHOOL OF LAW, Hartford, CT 2001-2004

Juris Doctor (with honors), GPA 3.44 (out of 4.00)

Awards: CALI Top Student Award for Civil Appellate Litigation Clinic; CALI Top Student Award for Toxic Torts Seminar.

Clinical Work: Civil Appellate Litigation Clinic focusing on child custody and termination of parental rights issues; argued before the State of Connecticut Appellate Court.

Teaching Assistantships: Teaching Assistant for Legal Profession/Legal Ethics.

National Appointments: ABA Law Student Liaison to the Forum on Communications Law (2002-2004).

Activities: Connecticut Moot Court Board, Member and Treasurer (2002-2003); Public Interest Law Group, Member.

Moot Court Competitions: Quarterfinalist (out of 32 teams) in the Tulane University Sports Law Competition.

UNIVERSITY OF COLORADO, School of Journalism & Mass Communication, Boulder, CO 1994-1998

Bachelor of Science Broadcast Journalism (with honors and distinction); Minor in Sociology. GPA 3.75

Honors: Emmy Award for Best Student Entertainment Program (1998); Kappa Tau Alpha member; Dean’s List.

LANGUAGE SKILLS

Fluent in French

ASSOCIATION AND COMMITTEE MEMBERSHIPS

International Trademark Association and member of OHIM Regulations and Procedures Subcommittee; American Intellectual Property Law Association; D.C. Bar Intellectual Property Section

PUBLICATIONS

• “How the Other Half Lives (Revisited) - Twenty Years Since Midler v. Ford: A Global Perspective on the Right of Publicity” - University of Texas Intellectual Property Journal, 15 Tex. Intell. Prop. L.J. 239 (2007) – approximately 110 pages – article being used as part of the curriculum at Harvard Law School

• “The WTO’s Dispute Resolution Mechanism: Does the United States Take it Seriously? – A TRIPs Analysis” – Chicago – Kent Journal of Intellectual Property Law, 4 Chi.- Kent J. Intell. Prop. 217 (Spring 2005) – 35 pages

• “Jeremy Bloom v. National Collegiate Athletic Association: A Procedural Due Process Analysis and the Need for Reform” – Tulane University School of Law Sports Lawyers Journal, 12 Sports Law. J. 255 (Spring 2005) – 69 pages

• Media Scandals: When the Press Is the News; Hot Issues in Ethics; Hot Issues in Entertainment Communications Lawyer – The Journal of Media, Information and Communications Law, 22 Comm. Law 20 (Spring 2004)

• Newsgathering in the Shadow of Terrorism; Hot Issues on the Internet; Hot Issues in Entertainment Communications Lawyer – The Journal of Media, Information and Communications Law, (Spring 2003), no Lexis citation available

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