Photo of Eric T. Fingerhut

Eric T. Fingerhut Member

Eric T. Fingerhut is the Office Managing Member of Dykema's Washington, D.C. office and former leader of Dykema’s Trademark & Copyright Practice for 8 years. Ranked as a First Tier trademark lawyer in the World Trademark Review’s “WTR 1000,” he has practiced all aspects of global brand identity and reputation management for more than twenty-five years. His practice includes trademark, copyright, right of publicity, advertising, marketing, domain name and new media law. Throughout his career Mr. Fingerhut has registered and protected many of the world's best known brand names in the automotive, bicycle, clothing, food, hospitality and technology industries. The crux of Mr. Fingerhut’s practice includes clearance searches and opinions, global filing programs, designing and implementing trademark protection and enforcement programs, and managing global trademark portfolios. His litigation experience includes infringement, dilution, cybersquatting and unfair competition cases in U.S. district and appellate courts, oppositions and cancellations before the United States Trademark Trial and Appeal Board and domain name arbitration proceedings.  Mr. Fingerhut also is adept in corporate-transactional work, having worked on audits, due diligence and licensing for many years as the lead IP member of a reputable emerging company practice.

Experience

  • Designed and implemented policing campaigns to combat genericization of major consumer products brands
  • Used Federal dilution and cybersquatting laws to shutter more than 200 adult entertainment sites misusing client brands
  • Managed large portfolios of brands in more than 190 countries
  • Prevailed in dozens of domain name dispute arbitrations
  • Testified as expert witness in trademark law
  • Founded International Cycling Law Association (ICLA) to educate global bicycle industry on laws affecting business, provide pro bono referral assistance to nonprofits, advocate on safety and legal issues and provide venture capital
  • What's a Trademark To Do: Protection and Infringement on the Internet, The District of Columbia Bar Continuing Legal Education Program, Washington, DC
    June 25, 2014
  • Management of Trademark Departments - Top 10 Strategies, FICPI ABC Meeting 2014 Master Class in IP Strategy, Bridgetown, Barbados
    March 1, 2014
  • 2013 AICPA Conference on Doing Business in China –IP Challenges for US Brand Owners Doing Business in China, American Institute of Certified Public Accountants (AICPA) International Business Conference, New York, NY
    May 30, 2013
  • The New gTLDs...a dot.boom or a dot.bust?, 2013 AIPLA Spring Meeting, Austin, Texas
    May 11, 2013
  • 2011 AICPA Conference on Doing Business in China - IP Challenges for US Brand Owners Doing Business in China, American Institute of Certified Public Accountants (AIPCA) International Business Conference, New York, NY
    June 15, 2011
  • Brand Bullying, INTA Annual Meeting, San Francisco, CA
    May 19, 2011
  • Federal Legislative Opportunities for Light Electric Vehicle Association, LEVA, Interbike, Las Vegas, NV
    September 30, 2010
  • Not Your Grandfather's Trademark Law: How Social Media Has Changed Trademark Law into Brand Identity and Reputation Management, Corporation Service Company (CSC) Webinar, Washington, DC
    December 10, 2009
  • Managing IP During a Financial Crunch, INTA Trademark Administrators Conference, Chicago, IL
    September 21, 2009
  • The Trademark Implications of Pay Per Click Advertising and Domaining, INTA Trademark Administrators Conference, Long Beach, CA
    October 2007
  • The US Trademark Practitioner's Experience with the Madrid Protocol International Filing Treaty, INTA Annual Meeting
    May 2005
  • Hot Trademark Topics in the Food and Beverage Industry, INTA Annual Meeting
    May 2004
  • Advanced Practice before the TTAB, INTA
    December 2003
  • Top Ten Myths of Trademark Law, INTA Trademark Basics Forum
    January 2001
  • Intellectual Property: Leverage It, Protect It Or Lose It, Netpreneur Coffee and Doughnets
    January 2000
  • Dot.com Mania and the Art of Mastering Your Domain, American Conference Institute, the Advanced Forum for Cyberspace Advertising and the Law
    November 1, 1999
  • “Hunting and Gathering for the Trademark Audit”
    September 1, 2018
    Intellectual Property Magazine
  • “Drawing the Battle Lines: Adidas’s Mission to Protect Its Three Stripes”
    April 24, 2018
    World Intellectual Property Review
  • Presidential Candidates May Come and Go, But Their Monikers Last Forever
    November 8, 2016
    Editor & Publisher
  • "Trademark Trial and Appeal Board Rules 'REDSKINS' Name Disparaging and Cancels Registrations"
    June 18, 2014
    Serendipity, Dykema IP Blog
  • "Spring Cleaning...Eight Easy Ways to Get Your Trademark House in Order"
    April 2014
    The Metropolitan Corporate Counsel
  • "The Everchanging Landscape: New gTLDs, UDRPs, Brand Bully Backlash, and Others Force Changes to Enforcement Strategy"
    2014 Edition
    Inside the Minds
  • "Internet Domain Name Landscape About to Expand; Is Your Brand’s Trademark Protected?"
    February 5, 2013
    Lexology daily newsfeed in cooperation with ACC
    http://www.lexology.com/library/detail.aspx?g=0f5264cf-4876-4b99-83f8-96e1d6d97847&utm_source=Lexology+Daily+Newsfeed&utm_medium=HTML+email+-+Body+-+Federal+section&utm_campaign=AIPLA+subscriber+daily+feed&utm_content=Lexology+Daily+Newsfe
  • "State of the Automotive Industry"
    2012 Automotive Institute Survey Results
    October 17, 2012
    Dykema Publication
  • "A Path Forward for Online Piracy Legislation?"
    February 6, 2012
    IPFRONTLINE.com
  • "Undressing .XXX: Sexier Than the Name Itself, A Brewing Revolt by Adult Entertainment Industry Brand Owners"
    November 2011
    E-Commerce Law & Strategy Journal, ALM
  • "If It's Not .Bank, It's Not Safe"
    June 7, 2011
    IPLaw360
  • "Don't Ignore Brand Assets in a Bad Economy: Doing So Impoverishes Long-Term Legal Position and Goodwill"
    August 4, 2009
    AdAge.com
  • Cross Border IP in Business Transaction Handbook 2009/2010
    2009
    Pactical Law Company
  • "Best Brand Practices"
    May/June 2009
    IAM Magazine
  • "Protect Your Marks, Even in Tough Times"
    2009
    The World Intellectual Property Review
  • "Managing Brands in a Down Economy: A Discussion for Management"
    May 2009
    Brands in the Boardroom 2009
  • "Good Name; Bad Economy"
    October 2008
    The Cloak Room
  • "What's in a Name? Too Often, Lame"
    November 2006
    Brandweek
  • "It's No Secret! With the New Federal Dilution Law, Famous Brand Owners Have Reason to Celebrate"
    October 25, 2006
    Apparel
  • "Morality Aside, Brand Owners Scorn Porn"
    Fall 2006
    The MARQUES Newsletter No. 88
  • "We're Entering a New Domain"
    October 6, 1997
    Legal Times
  • "The gTLD-MoU: A Yellow Flag for Trademark Owners on the Information Superhighway," IDEA The Journal of Law and Technology 38, No. 2
    1988

Memberships & Involvement

  • International Trademark Association (INTA)
    • North American Subcommittee of the INTA’s Public and Media Relations Committee, Chair
  • DC Bar Intellectual Property Law Section, Past Chair and Six-Year Member of Steering Committee
  • American Intellectual Property Law Association (AIPLA)
  • CT Corsearch Client Advisory Board Member
  • Intellectual Property Constituency (IPC) of Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN), Founding Member
  • Restaurant Association of Metropolitan Washington (RAMW)
  • International Cycling Law Association (ICLA), Founder
  • Washington Area Bicyclists Association (WABA), Board Member
  • Light Electric Vehicle Association (LEVA), Legislative Committee Member
  • Washington DC Technology Council, Past Director and Chair of Membership Committee

Recognized in Washington, DC Super Lawyers®  for Intellectual Property and Intellectual Property Litigation, 2016-2018

Recognized in Managing Intellectual Property magazine as an IP Star, 2015-2016

Recognized for prosecution and strategy in WTR 1000 — The World's Leading Trademark Professionals, United States - DC jurisdiction, 2016, 2017