Jane Shay Wald chairs the firm’s Trademark practice group. Her intellectual property practice focuses on trademark, unfair competition, false advertising and copyright. Jane counsels clients on acquiring and maintaining U.S. and foreign rights and on potential and pending infringement problems. She also provides counsel in regard to titles, names, logos and configuration and prosecutes trademark applications in the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office. She litigates before the Trademark Trial and Appeal Board and the federal courts.
Since 2013, WTR 1000 – The World’s Leading Trademark Professionals has ranked the “formidable” and “rock star” Jane among the best trademark attorneys in California for “enforcement and litigation” and “prosecution and strategy.” Her brand protection practice is described as “a potent cocktail of trademark, false advertising and unfair competition” in the 2016 guide. Previous guides recognize Jane for her “dexterous handling of a diverse range of trademark assignments, including complex licensing arrangements” and for being “a wonderful lawyer—just incredibly smart and thoughtful.”
Together with David Nimmer, Jane was counsel on the briefs for Dastar Corp., the prevailing party, in the U.S. Supreme Court Lanham Act Case Dastar Corp. v. Twentieth Century Fox Film Corp., 539 U.S. 23 (2003).
Jane’s featured commentary and coverage include:
- “Distill A TM Owner’s Goodwill At Your Bourbon Co.’s Own Peril,” Law360 (December 22, 2021)
- Hartman, Jan C., The Lawyer Says – Quotes, Quips and Words of Wisdom. Princeton Architectural Press (2020) (Jane was quoted in this book)
- “These 10 Decisions Remade the Trademark Landscape,” Law360 (July 17, 2020)
- “Lady Antebellum Sues Blues Singer Lady A Over Who Owns Trademark,” HuffPost (July 8, 2020)
- “COVID-19: Gender Equality Advocate?” Law.com/The American Lawyer (May 29, 2020)
- “Trump’s EU Trademark Revocations Provide Another Lesson on Evidence of Use,” World Trademark Review (March 10, 2020)
- “‘Old Spice’ Jingle Creator Sues Procter & Gamble,” Daily Journal (August 7, 2019)
- “Default Judgment Issued Against No-Show Desilu Studios Inc.,” Daily Journal (May 8, 2019)
News
Honors & Awards
- The annual Jane Shay Wald Service Award was created by the Century City Bar Association in her honor (2022)
- Selected as among the WTR Global Leaders by World Trademark Review (2022)
- Received the Lifetime Achievement Award by Century City Bar Association (2018)
- Named the Los Angeles Copyright/Trademark Law “Lawyer of the Year” by Best Lawyers in America (2012, 2018, 2020) and has been included in the list every year since 2007
- Recognized as one of the “Most Influential Women Lawyers” in Los Angeles by the Los Angeles Business Journal (2017)
- Selected to the Southern California Super Lawyers list in the area of intellectual property (2005-2023)
- Named an “Icon of IP” by Law360 (2016)
Publications
- “Fifty Years of Trademark Law: Where We Stand and What We Saw,” AIPLA Quarterly Journal, Volume 50, Issue 4 (2023)
- “F-Word TM Ruling Highlights Key Defect of Salacious Terms,” Law360 (August 2022)
- “A Look at the Trademark Modernization Act – Part 2,” New Matter (Winter 2021)
- “'FAILURE TO FUNCTION' When that Catchy Slogan You ♥ is Not a Mark At All,” New Matter (Summer 2021)
- “A Look at the Trademark Modernization Act: Early Observations of a Bold New Law,” New Matter (Summer 2021)
- Chapter Nine, “Settlement and Alternative Dispute Resolution,” A Legal Strategist’s Guide to Trademark Trial and Appeal Practice, ABA Section of Intellectual Property Law (4th Ed. 2020, 3rd Ed. 2016, 2nd Ed. 2012, 1st Ed. 2010)
- “How Int'l Filing Strategy Led To Ivanka Trump's Coffin TMs,” Law360 (May 2020)
Speaking Engagements
- “AM General Loses Humvee Lawsuit Against 'Call of Duty' Video Game Developer,” a remote presentation for Media Law Research Center (July 1, 2020)
- “Top 10 Things to Know About Canada and U.S. Trademark Law,” a joint program by the Los Angeles County Bar Association, Intellectual Property and Entertainment Law Section and International Law Section, and the Bar of Montreal (June 6, 2019)
- “Trademark Year in Review,” LAIPLA Spring Seminar, Rancho Palos Verdes, CA (April 26, 2019)
- “Non-Conventional Trademarks in the US & Abroad,” Beverly Hills Bar Association IP Section (November 8, 2018)
- “IP Year in Review,” LAIPLA Spring Seminar, Ojai, CA (May 4, 2018)
Professional Activities
- Editorial board member, IP Law360 (2016-2018)
- President, Century City Bar Association (2011)
- Adjunct professor in trademark law, UCLA School of Law (2006-2007)
- Adjunct professor in trademark law, Southern California Law School (2003-2005)
- President, LA Copyright Society (2004-2005)
- AIPLA chair, International Trademarks and Treaties (1999-2001); AIPLA delegate to WIPO, “Standing Committee on the Law of Trademarks, Industrial Designs and Geographical Indications,” Geneva, Switzerland (1999, 2001)
- Board of trustees, Copyright Society of the USA (1999)
Education
DePaul University, College of Law (J.D., 1976), cum laude
DePaul University, (B.A., Economics, 1973), magna cum laude
Admissions
- California
- New York
- U.S. District Court for the Central and Northern Districts of California
- U.S. District Court for the Eastern and Southern Districts of New York
- U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit
- U.S. Supreme Court