Biography
Professional experience
Education
Biography
Charlie is a Partner in CM Law’s Chicago office. His practice focuses on trademarks, copyrights, domain names, litigation, and appeals. He advises clients in a diverse range of industry sectors, including technology, financial, insurance, education, and food & beverage.
Charlie assists clients with all aspects of protecting, managing, and enforcing their trademarks. His trademark prosecution experience includes trademark clearance, filing, maintenance, and portfolio management. He also advises clients on domain name and Internet issues, including transactions and disputes, namely, those involving the Uniform Domain Name Dispute Policy (UDRP), Uniform Rapid Suspension (URS), and Anticybersquatting Consumer Protection Act (ACPA).
Charlie has experience in enforcement and litigation matters in federal court (both district court and courts of appeals) and before the Trademark Trial and Appeal Board (TTAB). He has represented clients in matters involving claims and defenses under the Lanham Act (trademark infringement/unfair competition), ACPA (domain name issues), the Copyright Act, and the Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA).
Following law school, Charlie served as a law clerk for the Honorable William J. Bauer of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit. Charlie’s appellate clerkship provided him the experience and knowledge to strategically advocate for his clients, whether in the district court or before an appellate court. Upon the completion of his clerkship, Charlie joined a small boutique firm located in Chicago.
Charlie earned his law degree with a Certificate in Information Technology Law from the DePaul University College of Law.
Representative Experience
• Successfully moved to dismiss appeal based on grounds of lack of Article III standing
• Prevailed on summary judgment in an in rem ACPA case, resulting in the transfer of the disputed domain name to the client; prepared appellate response brief and engaged in motion practice on appeal
• Successfully settled claims of copyright infringement after commencement of a lawsuit
• Defended a motion for summary judgment based on ownership of trademark before the Trademark Trial and Appeal Board (TTAB)
• Drafted and filed an appellate opening brief that contributed to the reversal of a district court’s order denying attorneys’ fees under the Copyright Act
• Obtained favorable UDRP decision ordering transfer of a domain name, which required establishing that a client’s trademark registered on the Supplemental Register had secondary meaning at the time the respondent registered the disputed domain name
• Successfully opposed a motion to dismiss a trademark infringement complaint based on a lack of personal jurisdiction
• Sent a variety of demand letters resulting in infringers taking down their websites or infringing material
• Drafted Letters of Protests that have been accepted by the USPTO
Interesting Facts
Outside of work Charlie enjoys exploring new Chicago restaurants, listening to music, and spending time with his friends and family.
Professional experience
- Partridge Partners PC
Education
- DePaul University College of Law, J.D.
- Marquette University, B.A.
