Karen Won is a nationally recognized trademark attorney and branding strategist with nearly two decades of experience advising clients across industries, most notably the life sciences and technology sectors. She advises clients — from Fortune 500 companies to biotech startups — on trademark counseling, brand protection, global trademark strategy, enforcement, licensing, and litigation.
Consistently named in the “World’s Leading Trademark Practitioners” by World Trademark Review (WTR) and “IP Stars” by Managing Intellectual Property, Karen is sought after by leading life sciences, technology, and consumer brands to guide their trademarks from concept to market. Clients praise Karen for her “knowledgeable, practical, efficient” approach and trust her commercially-aligned partnership in providing “sound, pragmatic advice in an efficient manner.”
WTR names Karen as one of the nation’s top trademark experts for the life sciences industry, with “unparalleled” pharmaceutical branding expertise and “impressive client list.” Navigating the complex overlay of trademark and health regulatory agency requirements, she “successfully obtains the most vital life sciences trademarks” through carefully coordinated multi-year, muti-country, multi-agency strategies tailored for each client. Her expertise includes:
- Clinical trial branding
- Proprietary (brand) drug name selection and USPTO/FDA approval
- Generic USAN/International Nonproprietary Name (INN) approvals
- Drug name branding strategy
- Global trademark clearance, risk assessment, and regulatory analysis
- Packaging, advertising, and launch clearance
- Pharmaceutical brand licensing and transactions
In addition to her specialization in life sciences IP, Karen has comprehensive expertise for advising clients across diverse sectors, including technology, consumer products, and medical devices. Her practice includes:
- Strategic trademark counseling
- Global trademark clearance and prosecution
- Copyright, trade dress, and domain strategy and enforcement
- Brand protection and trademark enforcement
- Portfolio management and audit
- Licensing, diligence and risk assessment, transaction support
- Litigation, administrative proceedings, and dispute resolution
Karen is an established speaker on topics such as pharmaceutical drug naming strategies, driving commercial value in life sciences through branding, and top IP pitfalls to avoid for startups.
Before joining Mintz, Karen was at a California-based global law firm, where she co-managed the Trademark, Copyright, and Advertising practice in the Northeast U.S. region and founded the Pharmaceutical & MedTech Branding practice.
Karen Won is a nationally recognized trademark attorney and branding strategist with nearly two decades of experience advising clients across industries, most notably the life sciences and technology sectors. She advises clients — from Fortune 500 companies to biotech startups — on trademark counseling, brand protection, global trademark strategy, enforcement, licensing, and litigation.
Experience
- Counseling: Developing a comprehensive pre-commercialization branding strategy for a biopharmaceutical client with an innovative drug delivery system. Karen’s work for this client included trademark and regulatory risk assessment for drug names, global prosecution activities, resolving disputes with leading pharmaceutical companies, assisting with FDA proprietary name review issues, and counseling on product packaging and launch materials.
- Enforcement: Protecting a client in the toy industry from infringing competitors through a coordinated policing and enforcement strategy across trademarks, copyrights and trade dress.
- Transaction: Negotiated and prepared purchase and license terms for trademark, copyright, and right of publicity assets related to Elvis Presley on behalf of an entertainment licensing client involved in the operation of Graceland.
- Litigation: Served as a subject matter specialist on a litigation team that secured a summary judgment victory for the defendant in the Oculu LLC v. Oculus VR Inc. trademark infringement case in the Central District of California.
viewpoints
FDA Issues New Guidance on Drug Naming
December 17, 2020 | Blog | By Karen K. Won
YouTube Enables Ads on Coronavirus Content; Brands Should Evaluate Strategies to Mitigate Inadvertent Backlash
March 26, 2020 | Blog | By Karen K. Won
News & Press
Mintz has been recognized in the 2025 edition of WTR 1000: The World’s Leading Trademark Professionals, marking the fifth consecutive year of acknowledgement by the World Trademark Review. This guide identifies the top trademark professionals and firms in over 80 jurisdictions worldwide.
Mintz is pleased to share that 15 attorneys have been recognized by Managing Intellectual Property in the 2024 edition of ‘IP Stars.’ The annual guide evaluates law firms and legal practitioners through in-depth research conducted by Managing IP, encompassing both contentious and non-contentious aspects of the intellectual property market across various states in the nation. The firm was recognized in the nationwide ITC Litigation and Life Sciences IP categories.
Mintz’s Trademark Practice Recognized in 2024 WTR 1000 Rankings
February 06, 2024
NEW YORK, SAN DIEGO, and WASHINGTON, DC - Mintz has been recognized in the 2024 edition of WTR 1000: The World’s Leading Trademark Professionals, marking the fourth consecutive year of acknowledgement by the World Trademark Review. This guide identifies the top trademark professionals and firms in over 80 jurisdictions worldwide. This year, WTR ranked Mintz in New York as a leading firm for “Enforcement and Litigation” and “Prosecution and Strategy.”
BOSTON, MA – In the 2023 edition of 'IP Stars,' published by Managing Intellectual Property (Managing IP), Mintz achieved recognition in two nationwide categories and received acknowledgment for the exceptional performance of nine of its attorneys.
Mintz’s Trademark Practice Recognized in 2023 WTR 1000 Rankings
February 14, 2023
NEW YORK, SAN DIEGO, and WASHINGTON, D.C. – Mintz has been recognized in the 2023 edition of “WTR 1000: The World’s Leading Trademark Professionals”—a unique guide that identifies the top trademark professionals in key jurisdictions around the globe.
Mintz, Practitioner Ranked in 2021 World Trademark Review 1000
February 23, 2021
Mintz Members Loretta Shaw-Lorello and Karen Won Selected to Crain’s New York 2020 Notable Women in Law List
December 16, 2019
Karen Won Joins Mintz Bolstering IP and Life Sciences Practices
September 18, 2019
Mintz Adds Ex-Cooley Life Sciences Trademark Pro In NY
September 18, 2019
podcasts
EXCLUSIVE RIGHTS: Intellectual Property — Bad Dog? “Bad Spaniels” at SCOTUS
June 27, 2023 | Podcast | By Daniel Weinger, Karen K. Won
In this episode of the EXCLUSIVE RIGHTS: Intellectual Property podcast, IP Members Daniel Weinger and Karen Won discuss the recent Supreme Court decision in Jack Daniels v. VIP Products addressing whether the “Bad Spaniels” dog chew toy violates the Lanham Act for trademark infringement.
EXCLUSIVE RIGHTS: Intellectual Property — Descriptive v. Distinctive: How to Brand Your Business and Products
June 17, 2021 | Podcast | By Karen K. Won
Events & Speaking
Guide to Advertising for Life Sciences Companies: Insights from Legal and Business Perspectives
Association of Corporate Counsel San Francisco
Online Event
Trademark Essentials for In-House Counsel
In-House Connect
Mintz, 666 Third Avenue, New York, NY 10017
Key IP Protections and Pitfalls for Healthcare Entrepreneurs
Wharton Business School
Philadelphia, PA
Re-examining Current Dialogues on Diversity
National Asian Pacific American Bar Association Annual Convention
Washington Marriott Marquis, 901 Massachusetts Avenue, NW, Washington, DC 20001
Diamond in the Rough: Driving Commercial Value through Pharmaceutical Brands
Massachusetts Biotechnology Council
Cambridge, MA
Pharmaceutical Branding: Obtaining Trademark Protection and FDA Approval for Your Drug Name
Managing Intellectual Property, Life Sciences Forum
New York, NY
Successful Pharmaceutical Branding: Key Insights from the Business, Legal, and Creative Process
2016 BIO International Convention
San Francisco, CA
FDA's Proposed Guidance on Nonproprietary Naming of Biological Products
The Knowledge Group /The Knowledge Congress Live Webcast Series
Webinar
Commercial Value of Pharmaceutical Branding – Critical Knowledge for an Evolving Marketplace
PharmatekU Seminar Series
San Diego, CA
Building the Future Layer by Layer: Overview of 3D Printing and Potential Trademark/Copyright Issues
Association of Corporate Counsel
New York, NY
The Essentials for Pharma, Biotech, and Medtech Companies on How to Expand into the US Market
MedStartUp 2015
New York, NY
Pharmaceutical Branding: Navigating Processes and Pitfalls
New York Health Business Leaders
New York, NY
Karen Won is a nationally recognized trademark attorney and branding strategist with nearly two decades of experience advising clients across industries, most notably the life sciences and technology sectors. She advises clients — from Fortune 500 companies to biotech startups — on trademark counseling, brand protection, global trademark strategy, enforcement, licensing, and litigation.
Recognition & Awards
World Trademark Review: WTR 1000 (2022-2025)
Managing Intellectual Property: IP Stars (Rising Star, 2019; Notable Practitioner, 2021-2025)
Leadership Council on Legal Diversity: Fellow (2022)
American Bar Foundation: Fellow (limited to 1% of licensed attorneys) (2021-present)
Crain's New York Business: Notable Women in Law (2020)
Karen Won is a nationally recognized trademark attorney and branding strategist with nearly two decades of experience advising clients across industries, most notably the life sciences and technology sectors. She advises clients — from Fortune 500 companies to biotech startups — on trademark counseling, brand protection, global trademark strategy, enforcement, licensing, and litigation.
Involvement
- Member, International Trademark Association
- Member, Pharmaceutical Trade Marks Group
- Co-Chair, Trademarks/Copyright Subcommittee, National Asian Pacific American Bar Association
- Member, Asian American Bar Association of NY
- Fellow, Leading Women in Technology
- Member, Chiefs In Intellectual Property (ChIPs)
- Board of Directors (Former), Embers International Inc.
Recent Insights
Mintz has been recognized in the 2025 edition of WTR 1000: The World’s Leading Trademark Professionals, marking the fifth consecutive year of acknowledgement by the World Trademark Review. This guide identifies the top trademark professionals and firms in over 80 jurisdictions worldwide.
Mintz is pleased to share that 15 attorneys have been recognized by Managing Intellectual Property in the 2024 edition of ‘IP Stars.’ The annual guide evaluates law firms and legal practitioners through in-depth research conducted by Managing IP, encompassing both contentious and non-contentious aspects of the intellectual property market across various states in the nation. The firm was recognized in the nationwide ITC Litigation and Life Sciences IP categories.
