Experience
Ken Kwartler has
specialized in intellectual property and related law for
over 20 years, representing clients that range from Fortune
500 companies and major brands to individual artists,
authors, and developers, start-ups and small businesses.
Before opening his own practice, Ken served most recently
as Assistant General Counsel to
Nike, Inc. from
1999 to 2006. For seven years, he directed the global
trademark practice of one of the world’s leading brands. He
was responsible for protecting the company’s multi-billion
dollar trademark portfolio (which includes the famous Nike,
Swoosh design, Jumpman (Michael Jordan) design and Just Do
It trademarks). Ken made clearance decisions on thousands
of proposed trademarks, logos, slogans, domain names,
product designs, t-shirt graphics and the like, managed
international disputes and litigation, negotiated
acquisitions and licenses, educated Nike’s worldwide
workforce about marketing/legal issues, and worked with
Nike executives, subsidiaries (Cole Haan, Converse, Bauer
Hockey), business partners, retailers, sports leagues,
federations and athletes.
Before joining Nike, Ken served as Commercial &
Trademark Counsel to
Silicon Graphics, Inc. from
1991-98. SGI’s innovative computer graphics technology made
it one of Silicon Valley’s most prominent and successful
companies during the mid-1990’s. Ken handled trademark,
trade dress, copyright, right of publicity, advertising and
product placement issues for SGI and its subsidiaries (MIPS
Technologies, Cray Research, Alias/Wavefront), and
negotiated technology licensing transactions. SGI (from
which Netscape later sprang) was also an innovator in the
field of then-emerging web technologies, and Ken was one of
the first attorneys extensively to address internet-related
trademark issues
Prior to joining these Fortune 500 companies, Ken served
clients in private practice for 7 years with two leading
San Francisco firms. He litigated disputes involving
best-selling books, hit records and movies, software and
trade secrets (rulings can be found here),
and helped clear, acquire and register trademarks for
professional sports teams, technology companies,
wineries and others.
Ken has built a national reputation as a commentator and
lecturer, particularly on cutting-edge trademark and
marketing issues. He has appeared on
CNBC, and
spoken at leading national conferences such as the USC
Intellectual Property Law Institute, the National Sports
Law Institute at Marquette University, the Association of
Corporate Counsel, the National Bar Association, and the
International Trademark Association Annual and Leadership
meetings and Advanced Practitioners Program (a list can be
found here).
Articles about Ken's innovative work have appeared
in
The American Lawyer,
The National Law Journal,
Corporate
Legal Times and
The
Recorder.
Ken is a 1984 graduate of Boston University School of Law,
where he served as
Editor of the
Boston University Law Review. He
earned a Bachelor of Arts cum
laude from the
State University of New York at Albany, and is a graduate
of Manhattan’s Stuyvesant High School.
Ken is a member of the State Bars of California and Oregon.
Prior to entering law, Ken was a journalist and musician.
He lives in Portland OR with his family, and is coaching a
great 7th
grade
soccer team.
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