Sean Ploen has more than twenty-five years of experience in protecting trademarks and copyrights on behalf of clients in industries engaged in virtually every aspect of human activity, including food and beverage, clothing, healthcare and pharmaceuticals, life sciences, information technology, transportation, entertainment, education, agriculture, manufacturing, and professional services.

Sean has advised clients concerning the availability for use and registration of tens of thousands of proposed new trademarks, obtained and maintained thousands of copyright and trademark registrations in the U.S. and dozens of other countries, performed intellectual property audits of existing and new portfolios of intellectual property assets, negotiated copyright and trademark licenses for the U.S. and elsewhere, vetted trademarks and copyrights in the context of mergers and acquisitions, enforced rights and defended against infringement claims in state, federal, and international courts and tribunals, and represented parties in more than 100 adversarial proceedings before the Trademark Trial and Appeal Board.

Sean graduated from the Boston University School of Law, where he was an honors graduate with a concentration in Intellectual Property. He also was the Edward F. Hennessey Distinguished Scholar and recipient of the Dean’s Award.

REPRESENTATIVE MATTERS

• Negotiated resolution of trademark infringement dispute involving a major skiwear manufacturer
• Prevailed in an adversarial proceeding at the Trademark Trial and Appeal Board, then prevailed against opposing party’s appeal of decision to U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit
• Represented clients in trademark, copyright, false advertising, and unfair trade practices disputes in various U.S. federal courts
• Successfully appealed against refusals to register trademarks on grounds of likelihood-of-confusion, descriptiveness and genericness
• Managed domestic and international trademark portfolios for clients in diverse industries
• Secured ownership of YouTube and Instagram handles through use of anonymous purchasing agent
• Oversaw six-figure sale of domain registration for a client
• Developed trademark enforcement strategy for a multi-state moving company
• Resolved usage audit of keystone trademark registration owned by a leading motorcycle products manufacturer
• Provided counsel concerning use of a National Basketball Association star’s name, image and likeness in food product name and packaging
• Advised clients across multiple industries concerning enrollment in and use of Amazon Brand Registry
• Oversaw multiyear intellectual property litigation successfully conducted for a client by an AmLaw 200 firm against a multinational technology conglomerate