Claudia W. Stangle

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Claudia W. Stangle

Overview

“With both prosecution and tricky policing problems, she is skillful at advising businesses and can easily convert legal concepts into plain English for non-lawyers.  Always accessible, she never fails to go the extra mile for her clients.” WTR 1000 2018

Ranked in the Top 1% among 50,000+ U.S. trademark lawyers by Huski.ai

Ms. Stangle is a partner in Chicago with over 20 years of experience and specializes in trademarks, trade dress, copyrights, false and comparative advertising, Internet law (including cybersquatting and domain name disputes), trade secrets, trademark and copyright licensing, right of publicity/privacy, and trademark acquisitions and divestitures.  Ms. Stangle has significant experience in complex inter partes proceedings before the Trademark Trial and Appeal Board (TTAB), has represented clients in federal courts around the U.S., and has won over fifty ICANN proceedings relating to domain name dispute matters for her clients.  She also has experience in patent infringement and trade secret litigation.  In addition to her litigation and dispute practice, Ms. Stangle has extensive experience in trademark counseling.  She has counseled clients by providing search advice and protectability opinions regarding domestic and global trademark availability.

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She represents clients in a wide variety of industries and has experience with trademarks and copyrights for insurance, reinsurance, financial, car rental, commercial real estate and software services companies, consumer and luxury goods, entertainment, cannabis, alcoholic beverages, pharmaceuticals, and industrial products.

Ms. Stangle has been an adjunct professor at Widener University Commonwealth Law School teaching coursework on copyright, trademark and right of publicity, Fall Semester 2022.  She writes and speaks on various trademark, copyright and DEI issues.

She currently serves on the INTA Committee Brands for a Better Society and is Vice-Chair of the IPO’s D&I Committee.  Ms. Stangle is also the Chair of the firm’s Diversity Committee, and the Vice-Chair of the Recruiting Committee.  She served on the firm’s Board of Directors from 2020-2022.

Experience

  • Represented mattress company as local counsel in Illinois in trademark infringement case brought by musicians.
  • Represented defendant as local counsel in Illinois against patent infringement and trade secret allegations.
  • Represented defendants in trade dress matter for alcoholic beverages in Nevada and successfully defended against motion for preliminary injunction and obtained summary judgment.
  • Represented defendant in action for trademark infringement in Illinois.
  • Successfully defended insurance company in Indiana in a motion for preliminary injunction where the marks “SagePoint” and “Sagemark” were at issue.

  • Represented defendant in trademark action in Illinois relating to candy; case settled prior to trial.
  • Represented plaintiff in trademark action in Colorado relating to insurance and financial services; case settled prior to trial.
  • Acted as co-counsel representing two defendants in trademark action relating to insurance services in New Jersey; case settled prior to trial.
  • Represented defendant in trademark action in Illinois relating to paper trimmers; case settled prior to trial.
  • Represented plaintiff in trademark action in Texas where mark and relatedness of financial and insurance services at issue; case settled prior to trial.
  • Represented plaintiff in Missouri in patent infringement and trade secret misappropriation action relating to battery terminal seal; case settled prior to trial.
  • Represented defendant, acting as local counsel, in trademark action relating to shoes; case settled prior to trial.
  • Represented plaintiff in Illinois in copyright infringement and right of publicity/privacy action relating to children’s book; case settled prior to trial.
  • Represented plaintiff, acting as local counsel, in trademark action where counterfeit clothing was at issue; case settled prior to trial.
  • Represented plaintiff in Florida in trademark action where mark and relatedness of financial and insurance services at issue; case settled prior to trial.
  • Represented defendant in reverse passing off case relating to engine filters; case settled prior to trial.
  • Represented plaintiff in Ohio in trademark action where mark and relatedness of financial and insurance services at issue; case settled prior to trial.
  • Represented Chinese real estate and entertainment conglomerate opposer in oppositions before TTAB dealing with bad faith filings and fraud.
  • Represented financial services company petitioner at TTAB where doctrine of foreign equivalents was at issue.
  • Represented alcoholic beverage manufacturer in numerous TTAB matters dealing with likelihood of confusion concerns.
  • Represented numerous clients at TTAB in oppositions and cancellation matters on various issues relating to likelihood of confusion, descriptiveness, fraud, and non-use.

Education

  • DePaul University, College of Law, J.D., 1997 (Editor-in-Chief of the DePaul Digest of International Law, 1996-1997, Scholarly Articles Editor, 1995-1996; Federal Judicial Externship for the Honorable Ronald A. Guzman, 1996; ISBA Student Representative 1994-1995, Student Bar Association Representative, 1994-1995)
  • University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, B.F.A., 1992 cum laude
  • American University, Rome, Italy, Art History, January 1991-May 1991
  • Art Institute of Chicago, Chicago, IL, Summer 1990

Admissions

  • Illinois, 1997

Courts

  • Illinois Supreme Court
  • U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois
  • U.S. District Court for the Central District of Illinois
  • U.S. District Court for the Western District of Texas

Honors

  • WIPR Leader, 2021-2022
  • Recognized by the World Trademark Review (WTR) 1000: The World’s Leading Trademark Professionals, 2014-2023
  • Named as IP Stars – Managing Intellectual Property™, 2013-2023
  • Recognized as a leading practitioner for Trademarks in Euromoney’s Women in Business Law Expert Guide, 2020-2022
  • Named as a Top 50 Trademark Prosecution Attorney in the U.S. by Huski.ai, 2022-2023
  • Named as IP Stars-Top 250 Women in IP, as published in Managing IP, 2013-2021
  • Leaders in Law – Copyrights Expert of the Year in the United States, 2021
  • Awarded Best Trademark Attorney-IL, 2017 North American Businesswoman Awards, Women In Business Worldwide
  • Awarded Trademark Trial Attorney of the Year – Illinois, 2017 Intellectual Property Awards, Acquisition International (AI)
  • Best Trademark Law Firm-IL, 2016 Intellectual Property Awards, Acquisition International (AI)
  • Awarded Most Outstanding – Domain Name Disputes, 2016 Excellence Awards, Acquisition International (AI)
  • Awarded Best Trademark Attorney-IL, 2016 Intellectual Property Awards, Acquisition International (AI)
  • Awarded Best Trade Dress Specialist-IL, 2015 Intellectual Property Awards, Acquisition International (AI)
  • Awarded Trademark Prosecution Firm of the Year in the Midwest by Managing Intellectual Property™ for two years in a row, 2012, 2013
  • Named in the Illinois Rising Stars list, as published in Illinois Super Lawyers, 2009, 2010
  • Selected by peers as a Leading Lawyer in Intellectual Property Law – Leading Lawyers Network

Professional Affiliations

  • Intellectual Property Owners Association (IPO)
    • Diversity & Inclusion Committee, Vice Chair, 2022- Present
    • Diversity & Inclusion Committee, Secretary, 2020-2022
    • Domain Names and Social Media Committee, 2015 – 2019
  • Intellectual Property Law Association of Chicago (IPLAC)
  • Chicago Bar Association
  • International Trademark Association (INTA) Saul Lefkowitz Moot Court Competition
    • Brands for Better Society, Committee Member, 2022 – 2024
    • Regional Oral Argument Judge, 2021 – 2022
    • Bench Memo Subcommittee, 2006-2011
  • ChIPs
  • World Trademark Review (WTR)

Articles, Publications & Lectures

  • Panelist at “Business Development Boot Camp Session Three – Thinking Outside of the Box” was presented in-person on October 18, 2023
  • Moderator of IPO DEI Committee for Hispanic Resource Group on October 18, 2023
  • “High Maintenance:  The Complexities of Brand Protection and Enforcement in the Cannabis Space,” speaker for panel at Intellectual Property Owners Association Annual Meeting, Los Angeles, CA, September 20, 2022
  • “Diversity in the European Innovation Industry and IP Profession,” Intellectual Property Owners Association, March 29, 2022
  • IPO Spring Summit, Leadership Meeting, Discussion Regarding DEI, March 11, 2022
  • IPO Annual Meeting, Moderator, Intersection Between Branding, Social Justice and DEI, September 29, 2021
  • IPO Webinar and Toolkit, “Announcing the Re-Launch of the Diversity in Innovation Law Firm Toolkit“, contributor and panelist, August 4, 2021
  • IPO Webinar and Guide, “Introduction to Diversity & Inclusion Practical Guide 3.0: Part 1“, contributor and panelist, July 20, 2021
  • Indiana State University CLE – Training on Trademark, Licensing, Copyright presentation, May 2021
  • “Trademarks – The New Bad Faith Opposition Ground in Opposition Cases:  What Can Canada Learn from Other Countries?’  IPIC2020 Virtual, October 2, 2020
  • “Smashing the Glass Ceiling and Helping Others Up the Ladder,” speaker on panel for Managing IP’s International Women’s Leadership Forum, September 12, 2019
  • “Beer, Wine, Spirits and the Law,” speaker on panel for Chicago Bar Association’s YLS Intellectual Property Committee, February 6, 2018
  • “Trademark and Copyright Law,” speaker on panel at Law & Libations, Sugar Maple Brewery, May 1, 2017
  • “IP Infringement Enforcement Best Practices: How Do You Protect Your Marks?” moderator for panel at ALM, 8th Annual IP Trademark, Copyright & Licensing Forum, New York, New York, November 2016
  • “Introduction to Copyright Law,” speaker for CLE program, April 2016
  • “Created by the Crowd: Legal Risks and IP Issues Associated with Crowdsourcing,” moderator for panel at ALM, 7th Annual IP Trademark, Copyright & Licensing Counsel Forum, New York, New York, November 2015
  • “Obtaining and Maintaining Intellectual Property Rights,” speaker for CLE program, July 2014
  • “Tweets and Friends and Pins, Oh My!:  Intellectual Property Meets Social Media,” speaker for a CLE program, October 2012
  • Guest lecturer, DePaul University, College of Law
  • NBA v. Motorola & STATS, Inc.: Real-time Basketball Scores: News or Property, 7 DePaul LCA J. Art & Ent. L. 288 (1997)

Languages

  • Fluent in German
  • Familiarity with French, Italian and Spanish

Insights

Education

  • DePaul University, College of Law, J.D., 1997 (Editor-in-Chief of the DePaul Digest of International Law, 1996-1997, Scholarly Articles Editor, 1995-1996; Federal Judicial Externship for the Honorable Ronald A. Guzman, 1996; ISBA Student Representative 1994-1995, Student Bar Association Representative, 1994-1995)
  • University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, B.F.A., 1992 cum laude
  • American University, Rome, Italy, Art History, January 1991-May 1991
  • Art Institute of Chicago, Chicago, IL, Summer 1990

Admissions

  • Illinois, 1997

Courts

  • Illinois Supreme Court
  • U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois
  • U.S. District Court for the Central District of Illinois
  • U.S. District Court for the Western District of Texas