Susan retired from Mintz in 2026 after over 20 years of dedicated leadership of the firm's Trademark Practice.

2nd Circuit Affirms 5Pointz Whitewashing Violated Visual Artists Rights Act

March 25, 2020 | Blog

The Second Circuit recently affirmed that a developer’s whitewashing of street art painted at the “5Pointz” warehouse complex in Long Island City was a violation of the Visual Artists Rights Act (“VARA,” codified at 17 U.S.C. § 106A).

March 10, 2020 | Blog

Since 1949, a green jacket has been awarded to the winner of the Masters Tournament, one of golf’s four major championships.

January 8, 2020 | Blog | By Lei Xu, PhD

On Tuesday, October 22, 2019, the US House of Representative approved, by 410-to-6, the Copyright Alternative in Small-Claims Enforcement (CASE) Act of 2019, introduced under H.R.2426 by Representative Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY). This bill aims to “establish an alternative dispute resolution program for copyright small claims,” and creates the Copyright Claims Board, a body within the U.S. Copyright Office, to decide copyright disputes.

July 9, 2019 | Blog

As any football fan knows, Carrie Underwood has performed the introductory song for Sunday Night Football since 2013. “Waitin’ All Day For Sunday Night” was the introductory song for the 2013 and 2014 seasons, and “Oh Sunday Night” was the song performed in 2015, 2016, and 2017. On September 6, 2018, Sunday Night Football opened with Ms. Underwood singing a new introductory song entitled “Game On." Well, this “Game” is now the subject of a copyright infringement suit in Federal District Court in New York.

July 8, 2019 | Blog | By Alexander Roan, Tim McKeon

This past May, in a highly-anticipated decision, the Supreme Court held in Mission Product Holdings, Inc. v. Tempnology, LLC that a debtor’s rejection of an executory contract under Section 365 of the Bankruptcy Code has the same effect as a breach of contract outside of bankruptcy. The decision resolves an inter-circuit split on the effect of a bankrupt trademark licensor’s rejection of a trademark license, a question regarded by legal experts in the trademark community as the most significant unresolved legal issue in trademark licensing.

June 28, 2019 | Blog

Earlier this week, the Supreme Court granted the State of Georgia’s petition to review the Eleventh Circuit’s decision in Code Revision Comm'n v. Public.Resource.Org, Inc., 906 F.3d 1229 (11th Cir. 2018). In that case, the Eleventh Circuit held that the privately-compiled but officially-sanctioned and adopted Official Code of Georgia Annotated (OCGA) was not protected by copyright under the “government edicts” doctrine.

June 27, 2019 | Blog

The U.S. Supreme Court, in a split decision, held that the federal ban on registering “scandalous” and “immoral” trademarks is an unconstitutional violation of free speech under the First Amendment of the US Constitution. The trademark FUCT is what was at issue in Iancu v. Brunetti, case number 18-302 (June 24, 2019). Although the mark had been in use on clothing for many years, it was never accepted for registration by the US Trademark Office on grounds that it violated the ban on registration of “scandalous” and “immoral” marks under Section 1052(a) of the Lanham Act.

June 11, 2019 | Blog

Legalizing “hemp” under the Agricultural Improvement Act of 2018 (2018 Farm Bill) has triggered an important change for the examination of federal trademark applications concerning cannabis and cannabis-derived goods and services. In response to the Bill’s enactment on December 20, 2018, the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) issued a new examination guide to clarify its examination procedures involving hemp goods and services. For businesses in the cannabis industry, the examination guide (recently issued on May 2, 2019) will impact the viability of federal trademark applications filed on or after December 20, 2018 that were once previously barred.

March 14, 2019 | Blog | By Adam Samansky, Serge Subach

The constitutionality of yet another portion of Section 2(a) of the Lanham Act will soon be determined. Following in the footsteps of the blockbuster decision in Matal v. Tam, 137 S. Ct. 1744 (2017) (“Tam”), the U.S. Supreme Court granted certiorari to Iancu v. Brunetti on January 4, 2019. In Matal v. Tam, the Supreme Court held that the prohibition in Section 2(a) of the Lanham Act against registering disparaging trademarks at the U.S. Trademark Office (“USPTO”) was an unconstitutional restriction on free speech. However, Section 2(a) also prohibits the registration of other categories of marks, including marks that are immoral and scandalous. It is the constitutionality of this prohibition which is at issue in Brunetti.

March 5, 2019 | Blog | By Andrew D. Skale

The U.S. Supreme Court held today that bringing a suit for copyright infringement requires that the infringed work actually be registered with the U.S. Copyright Office, and that a mere application for registration will not suffice.

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173 Mintz Attorneys Across 53 Practice Areas Recognized by The Best Lawyers in America 2026

August 28, 2025

173 Mintz attorneys across 53 practice areas have been recognized by Best Lawyers® in the 2026 edition of The Best Lawyers in America©. Five Mintz attorneys received 2026 “Lawyer of the Year” awards, and 61 firm attorneys were included in the 2026 edition of Best Lawyers: Ones to Watch.

Mintz’s Trademark Practice and Attorneys Recognized in 2025 WTR 1000 Rankings

February 04, 2025

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.

The Best Lawyers in America 2025 Recognizes 184 Mintz Attorneys across 56 Practice Areas

August 15, 2024

187 Mintz attorneys have been recognized by Best Lawyers® in the 2025 edition of The Best Lawyers in America©. Notably, three Mintz attorneys received 2025 “Lawyer of the Year” awards, and 64 firm attorneys were included in the 2025 edition of Best Lawyers: Ones to Watch.

Mintz Attorneys Recognized as 2024 Washington DC Super Lawyers and Rising Stars

April 22, 2024

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.”

One Hundred Twenty Mintz Attorneys Ranked as Leaders by Best Lawyers 2024

August 17, 2023

Mintz is pleased to announce that 120 firm attorneys have been recognized as leaders by Best Lawyers® in the 2024 edition of The Best Lawyers in America©.

Five Mintz Attorneys Recognized as 2023 Washington, DC Super Lawyers

April 24, 2023

WASHINGTON, DC – Mintz is pleased to announce the inclusion of five Members to the 2023 Washington, D.C. Super Lawyers list.

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.

One Hundred Eight Mintz Attorneys Ranked as Leaders by Best Lawyers 2023

August 18, 2022

Best Lawyers® recognized 108 firm attorneys in the 2023 edition of The Best Lawyers in America©. Notably, two Mintz attorneys – Poonam Patidar and Scott M. Stanton – received 2023 “Lawyer of the Year” awards, and 28 firm attorneys were included in the inaugural edition of Best Lawyers: Ones to Watch.

Six Mintz Attorneys Named 2022 Washington, DC Super Lawyers and Rising Stars

April 28, 2022

Mintz, Practitioners Ranked in 2022 World Trademark Review 1000

March 01, 2022

Nine Mintz Attorneys Selected to the 2021 Washington, D.C. Super Lawyers and Rising Stars Lists

April 27, 2021

Mintz, Practitioner Ranked in 2021 World Trademark Review 1000

February 23, 2021

Ten Mintz Attorneys Honored as 2020 Washington, D.C. Super Lawyers and Rising Stars

April 16, 2020

No, Seriously, Don't Try To 'Trademark' Coronavirus

March 19, 2020

Mintz Member Susan Weller was quoted in an article published by Law360 discussing the latest trend of misguided trademark applications surrounding COVID-19 and the considerations by trademark lawyers.

Thirteen Mintz Attorneys Named Washington, D.C. Super Lawyers and Rising Stars

April 23, 2019

Ban On 'Scandalous' TMs Is Probably Dead For Good

September 18, 2018

Susan Weller, who currently manages Mintz’s Trademark & Copyright Practice, provides commentary in this feature article looking at whether or not the U.S. Supreme Court will revive a federal ban on the registration of profane trademarks.

Eleven Mintz Attorneys Named Washington, D.C. Super Lawyers and Rising Stars

April 24, 2018

Mintz is pleased to announce that eight attorneys have been named Washington, D.C. Super Lawyers for 2018 and three others have been named Washington, D.C. Rising Stars. The annual publication identifies lawyers who have attained a high degree of peer recognition and professional achievement.

After NYT Challenge, BuzzFeed Drops 'All The News' Slogan

October 12, 2017

Law360 published an article discussing BuzzFeed’s decision to drop the “all the news” slogan after being threatened with legal action by the New York Times, thus avoiding a trademark fight. Susan Weller, Mintz Washington, DC Member, is one of the sources quoted in the article discussing the case.

Industry Reaction to SCOTUS First Amendment Decision in Matal v. Tam

June 20, 2017

Susan Weller, a Member of Mintz’s Washington, DC office, is featured in an IP Watchdog article on the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision in the Matal v. Tam trademark case. The Supreme Court ruled that the disparagement clause was in violation of the First Amendment.

Even Before Slants, Offensive TM Ban Always An Awkward Fit

June 20, 2017

Mintz Member Susan Weller is featured in this Law360 article on the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision to rule in favor of the rock band “The Slants”. The court decided the disparagement clause of the Lanham Act was in direct violation of the First Amendment.

Twelve Mintz Attorneys Named 2017 Washington, D.C. Super Lawyers and Rising Stars

April 24, 2017

Eight Mintz attorneys have been named Washington, D.C. Super Lawyers for 2017 and four have been named Washington, D.C. Rising Stars. The list will be published in a special advertising supplement in The Washington Post Magazine and in a stand-alone magazine, Washington D.C. Super Lawyers Magazine.

Racial slurs, free speech at issue in 'Slants' trademark case

February 1, 2017

This article discusses Lee v. Tam, a Supreme Court case involving the band The Slants in their attempt to trademark their name, in opposition to the Lanham Act, which denies trademark protection of any work or name that disparaged someone.

US Supreme Court Examines Many Angles in Slants Oral Arguments

January 22, 2017

Susan Neuberger Weller is quoted in this Managing Intellectual Property article addressing Lee v. Tam, a U.S. Supreme Court case involving the band The Slants in their attempt to trademark their name and examining the arguments made and how the court may rule.

Offensive TMs At High Court: Everything You Need To Know

January 17, 2017

Susan Neuberger Weller is among sources quoted in this article discussing a high-profile trademark case involving the Washington Redskins and the band The Slants.

Mintz Attorney Susan Neuberger Weller to Speak at 2016 WIPO Summer School

August 05, 2016

Susan Neuberger Weller, a Member of the Intellectual Property Practice at Mintz, is speaking at the 2016 World Intellectual Property Organization Summer School presented by the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office Global Intellectual Property Academy.

Eleven Mintz Attorneys Named 2016 Washington, D.C. Super Lawyers and Rising Stars

April 25, 2016

Law360 Intellectual Property Editorial Advisory Board

February 29, 2016

Susan Neuberger Weller, Chair of the Trademark Law Practice, is featured in this Law360 article on being named to Law360’s Intellectual Property Editorial Advisory Board.

Twelve Mintz Attorneys Named Washington, D.C. Super Lawyers and Rising Stars

April 17, 2015

Seven Mintz attorneys have been named Washington, D.C. Super Lawyers for 2015 and five have been named Washington, D.C. Rising Stars. The list will be published in a special advertising supplement in Washington Post Magazine and in a stand-alone Washington D.C. Super Lawyers Magazine.

Eleven Mintz Attorneys Named Washington, DC Super Lawyers and Rising Stars

April 25, 2014

Nine Mintz Members Named Washington, D.C. Super Lawyers and Rising Stars

April 29, 2013

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Speaker

Jul

2015

World Intellectual Property Organization Academy Summer School

WIPO and United States Patent & Trademark Office

Alexandria, VA

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Susan Neuberger Weller

Member Emerita

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March 25, 2020 | Blog

March 10, 2020 | Blog

January 8, 2020 | Blog | By Lei Xu, PhD

July 9, 2019 | Blog

July 8, 2019 | Blog | By Alexander Roan, Tim McKeon

June 28, 2019 | Blog

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March 14, 2019 | Blog | By Adam Samansky, Serge Subach

March 5, 2019 | Blog | By Andrew D. Skale

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Susan Neuberger Weller

Member Emerita