Buchalter

Firm overview:

With over 500 lawyers, one of the largest law firms in the USA, full-service firm Buchalter has been expanding its IP practice, integrating new attorneys with expertise across a variety of rights including trademarks. As well as a number of hires this year, in 2024 the firm opened an office in Atlanta with a group of new additions to the IP Practice Group.

Strengthening its team has allowed Buchalter to offer boutique-like IP depth within its large firm resources. The Atlanta office added to the existing 13 offices across the country in California plus Arizona, Colorado, Illinois, Oregon, Texas, Utah and Washington.

The firm combines its hospitality and franchise groups with its IP capabilities, allowing the team to deliver holistic brand protection strategies for restaurant chains, hotels, and franchise systems. Buchalter is authorised to serve as an agent in the Trademark Clearinghouse (TMCH), assisting clients with recording their marks in the TMCH to ensure protection before and during the launch of new generic Top Level Domains (gTLDs).

Further indicating its capabilities in more recent aspects of brand-related legal matters, a Buchalter attorney was among the first to file a US trademark application for an NFT and has since gained substantial experience in trademark and IP protection for NFTs.

Team overview:

Buchalter has a team with diverse skills and backgrounds, including a former US Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) examining attorney.

Based in LA, shareholder Farah Bhatti chairs the Internet, E-Commerce and Social Media Practice Group. Bhatti is well-versed in all aspects of trademark prosecution, with an emphasis on the worldwide selection and enforcement of trademarks. Her expertise covers complex and novel areas of trademark law, and she is a go-to attorney for high-stakes trademark matters at the firm.

On the opposite coast in Atlanta, office managing shareholder and administrative chair of the IP Practice Group Amanda Hyland is also known for handling high-profile trademark litigation and is widely recognised for her practice.

New additions this year include Noel Cook, who joined the IP group as a shareholder in May 2025 and focuses his practice on trademark and copyright enforcement, litigation, counselling, prosecution, and licensing. Cook formerly co-chaired the IP Practice Group at Hanson Bridgett.

The team also welcomed shareholder Jonathon Talcott, who joined from Ballard Spahr and specialises in high-stakes litigation in all areas of IP, and bilingual litigator James Abe, also a shareholder, whose litigation experience includes patent, trademark, copyright and trade secret disputes.

Key matters:

• Badgley Mischka: Trademark portfolio management

Philip Nulud has advised luxury fashion brand Badgley Mischka for almost a decade. The work has included negotiating, drafting, redlining, amending, advising on, and enforcing its many license agreements in many categories around the world.

It also includes trademark prosecution and strategy in the US and worldwide as the client’s portfolio spans hundreds of trademarks around the world.

Nulud also represented the company in its acquisition by ACI Licensing and Established Brands, handling the IP work involved in the transaction.

• Sonate d/b/a Vegadelphia Foods v Dunkin’ Brands and Beyond Meat

The team is representing Beyond Meat in a high-profile trademark infringement action brought by Vegadelphia concerning the ‘Great Taste Plant-Based’ messaging used by Beyond Meat and Dunkin’ Donuts in their joint venture to offer plant-based Beyond Meat products in Dunkin’ Donuts breakfast sandwiches.

Buchalter’s team is Amanda Hyland (partner), Willmore “Bill” Holbrow (partner), Matthew Seror (partner), Kelly Mullally (counsel), Austin Vining (associate) and Cory Mull (associate).

• Maileg v Levlovs and Open Harbors Open Hearts

Hyland and Vining represent Maileg, a Danish toy company that is internationally known for its luxury toys, the most famous of which being plush mice sold in matchbox packaging. Maileg filed suit in Florida against a company allegedly manufacturing and selling knockoff toys, including claims that the matchbox packaging infringes Maileg’s trade dress rights. The case presents academically challenging questions regarding toy packaging and trade dress.

Clients:

AG Jeans (Adriano Goldschmied), Badgley Mischka, CALPAK (California Pak), Cuties (Sun Pacific Shippers), Johnnie-O, Tillys (World of Jeans & Tops DBA Tillys), Saga