Brian J. Winterfeldt

Partner

• bwinterfeldt@steptoe.com
• vCard
• Washington Office

Brian J. Winterfeldt is a partner in the Washington office of Steptoe & Johnson LLP, where he is a member of the Intellectual Property group. Mr. Winterfeldt’s practice involves most aspects of intellectual property law, including domestic and international trademark counseling, clearance, prosecution, enforcement, and litigation, as well as trade dress and domain name issues.

Mr. Winterfeldt assists clients with the creation of trademark and branding strategies and the development of programs to enforce and protect intellectual property rights. He represents clients seeking to protect against infringement of their copyrights, trademarks, and trade dress in the United States and internationally. Mr. Winterfeldt represents clients who are global leaders in their industries, including the retail and apparel, media, financial, consumer products, and Internet industries.

Mr. Winterfeldt’s practice includes significant work in domain name law and new media counseling and enforcement, including assisting clients with the management of their domain name portfolios and securing domain names that incorporate clients' trademarks through the Uniform Dispute Resolution Policy and other similar processes for foreign domain names.  Mr. Winterfeldt has also counseled clients on cutting edge issues such as social media and Web 2.0, including strategies for brand promotion and protection in these spaces.

Mr. Winterfeldt has also written numerous articles on trademark law and has been selected for the past several years to serve as a reviewer for the Saul Lefkowitz Moot Court Competition by the International Trademark Association.  Mr. Winterfeldt also serves as Co-Chair of Steptoe's GLBT Forum and as a member of Steptoe's Diversity Committee. Mr. Winterfeldt is a prominent and frequent speaker at industry events on topics including trademark issues and social media.

Professional Affiliations

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• International Trademark Association (INTA)
• INTA Internet Committee (2007-Present)
  • Subcommittee Chair, Internet Governance and Contractual Relationships Subcommittee (2010-2011)
  • Registration Practice & DNS Administration Subcommittee (2008-2009)
• INTA Bulletin Committee (2000-2007)
  • Subcommittee Chair/Editor, Feature Articles: Policy and Practice, INTA Bulletin (2005-2007)
  • Subcommittee Chair/Executive Editor, INTA Special Reports (2003-2004)
• MARQUES (European Trademark Association)
• Member of Cyberspace Team (2010)
• American Apparel & Footwear Association (AAFA)
• Member of Brand Enforcement Council                  
• Human Rights Campaign (HRC)
• Member of Federal Club
• National LGBT Bar Association

Noteworthy

• Selected as a Co-Chair for INTA's 2011 Trademark Administrators Conference.
• Serves as a Planning Committee Member for the November 2010 INTA Leadership Meeting.
• Selected as a leading trademark practitioner in Guide to the World's Leading Trade Mark Law Practitioners, published by Legal Media Group (2008).
  

Select News & Events

• Infringement in the Virtual World, INTA's Trademark Administrators Conference, Washington, DC, October 5, 2010
• New gTLDs: Updates for Brand Owners and Social Media and Brand Enforcement, AAFA's Brand Protection Council Summer Meeting, June 15, 2010
• Advanced Social Media, Web 2.0, and Beyond: Online Brand Usage in 2010, April 22, 2010, (A Steptoe-Sponsored Event)
• Social Media, Web 2.0, and Beyond - Advanced Topics in Online Branding Usage, March 18, 2010, (A Steptoe-Sponsored Event)
• Annual Employment Law Update: What In-House Counsel and HR Executives Need to Know, March 2, 2010, (A Steptoe-Sponsored Event)
• IP Webinar - New Generic Top-Level Domains - What Brand Owners Should Know, October 15, 2009, (A Steptoe-Sponsored Event)

Selected Publications

• The Mark of the Wise
  December 8, 2009, Legal Week
• Protecting Marks in the Wild West of Web 2.0
  November 30, 2009, National Law Journal
• The View Online: Navigating New Networks
  October 2009, World Trademark Review
• Intellectual Property Advisory - New Facebook URL Policy: Facts and Issues for Discussion
  June 12, 2009
• Intellectual Property Advisory - New gTLDs: What You Need To Know
  June 3, 2009
• Trademark Law and the Internet: Virtual Worlds, Social Networks, Blogs and More Best Practices for Enforcement in User Generated Content Spaces
  February 2009, INTA