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Susan Neuberger Weller

Member Emerita

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

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Counterfeit goods seem to be everywhere, and efforts to police their ubiquitous existence often seem futile. However, a recent decision involving counterfeit Coach products should inspire those who host vendors of counterfeit products to rethink their business strategy.
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Right on the heels of our surname blog comes a New York Times article on a long-running trademark litigation over rights to the Borghese surname. The Borgheses hail from an Italian noble family and their using the family history for marketing purposes is what prompted a lawsuit which goes to trial this summer in New York.
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Christian Louboutin filed suit last week in Federal District Court in New York against Charles Jourdan Fashion Footwear and unnamed companies and John and Jane Does for trademark counterfeiting and infringement and other related claims based upon the Defendants’ sales of women’s shoes bearing red soles.
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There are many “myths” that float about in the general public about what can and cannot function as a trademark. For example, people often tell me that they “know” that “common words” can never be protected as trademarks.
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On May 8, a long time manufacturer of ceremonial paddles marketed to fraternities and sororities filed a petition for certiorari with the US Supreme Court seeking relief from an injunction barring him from using Greek organizations’ trademarks in his advertising.
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Those of us in a certain age bracket will remember Mutual of Omaha’s “Wild Kingdom” television program that first began in 1963. The Emmy Award-winning show’s first run ended in 1986, and the show went into production again in 2002 for broadcast on the Animal Planet network.
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Trademark owners have a duty to police their mark.  This applies to all types of marks – brand names, slogans, color, product shapes, or even a smell. The cost of dropping the ball on this duty can range from a bar on future enforcement of your rights against a particular company to a complete loss of all trademark rights.
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Rapper Dr. Dre and the company he co-founded, Beats Electronics, LLC, are on the offensive at the US Trademark Trial and Appeal Board challenging a multitude of third-party applications for marks which consist of or contain the word “Beat”.
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Ever since the US Supreme Court in MedImmune, Inc. v. Genetech, Inc., 549 U.S. 118, 127 S, Ct, 764, 166 L. Ed.604 (2007)  threw out the "reasonable apprehension" test as defining the grounds for bringing a declaratory judgment action, courts have considered a wide variety of factual circumstances in deciding which meet the Court's redefinition of "controversy."
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FTC Revises "Green Guides"

November 21, 2012 | Blog

On October 1, 2012, the Federal Trade Commission issued its revised Guides for the Use of Environmental Marketing Claims, known as the "Green Guides." The purpose of the Guides is to help marketers avoid making environmental marketing claims that may be perceived as deceptive or unfair under Section 5 of the FTC Act.
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News & Press

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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.

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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. 

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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.

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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.”

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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©.

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

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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.

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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.

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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.
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.
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.
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.
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. 
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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.
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.
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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.
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.
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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.
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.
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.
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.
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Events & Speaking

Speaker
Jul
23
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