Sheppard, Mullin, Richter & Hampton

Firm overview:

Sheppard, Mullin, Richter & Hampton offers a comprehensive range of trademark services from its coast-to-coast US offices. The prosecution practice is well-versed before the trademark examining attorneys, the United States Patent Trademark Office and the Trademark Trial and Appeal Board and is experienced in clearance for new brands, including non-traditional colour and motion marks. As a full-service firm, Sheppard Mullin extends its advice to licensing, due diligence and transactional matters.

Global brands have benefited from Sheppard Mullins’ litigation practice, including film maker Lions Gate Entertainment label Summit Entertainment, which successfully obtained a preliminary injunction and a summary judgment to protect trademarks for the blockbuster vampire picture, Twilight. In a widely-reported case, Sheppard Mullin won a $71 million trade dress verdict for musicians the OMG Girlz, after a jury found that toy manufacturer MGA Entertainment had infringed their IP rights.

Team overview:

Jill Pietrini, a partner in the firm’s IP Practice Group is described by a peer as “one of the top litigators in the trademark field in Los Angeles … While she is aggressive as a litigator, she does not cross that line of turning aggressive litigation into personal litigation, a rare trait in any field.” Pietrini is particularly sought out for her expertise that spans industries including entertainment, music, advertising, cannabis and e-commerce.

Key matters:

• In September 2024 a California federal jury found that MGM Entertainment, which produces the LOL Surprise! dolls, had willfully and maliciously infringed the trade dress and publicity rights of pop group the OMG Girlz. The jury awarded over $71 million, a verdict that followed four years of litigation. Sheppard Mullin’s team representing the OMG Girlz included John Keville, Chante Westmoreland and Robert Green.
• Sheppard Mullin secured a major victory for client Stride, a private online education platform, in a trademark dispute with Florida Virtual School which had alleged trademark infringement with regards to Stride’s ‘Florida Online School’. The federal court labelled Florida Virtual School a “trademark bully” and concluded that its mark registrations were merely descriptive and relatively weak.

Clients:

Fear of God, Hana Bank, Huf Worldwide, Lions Gate Entertainment, Mattel, Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios, OMG Girlz, Stride.