Stephen E. FeldmanAttorney

Stephen Feldman, founder of the Feldman Law Group, has been practicing intellectual property law for more than 40 years.  He concentrates on assisting clients with enforcing and defending patents, trademarks and copyrights. Since the Feldman Law Group began over four decades ago, Mr. Feldman has served clients at all stages of the company life cycle, from startup to mature industry player.

Mr. Feldman’s advice is sought after by clients in creative industries ranging from luxury goods to publications. He has extensive experience in the jewelry industry and has represented many of the industry’s largest companies.

Practice Areas

• Prosecution and registration of copyrights, trademarks, and patents
• Federal litigation
• Unfair competition, trade dress, and trade secrets
• Infringement and validity opinions
• Licensing and settlements
• Transactional matters for copyrights, trademarks, and patents

Experience

Mr. Feldman has successfully represented clients in a wide spectrum of industries with a full range of intellectual property matters.

Following law school, Mr. Feldman joined the U.S. Patent and Trademarks Office (USPTO) as a junior examiner. As part of a special training program for future agency leaders, he gained insight into the daily hands-on operation of the USPTO.  Later he served in corporate patent counsel positions at General Electric Corporation and Litton Industries.

Since 1983, Mr. Feldman has practiced intellectual property law at Feldman Law Group, litigating patent, trademark, and copyright matters on behalf of a wide range of clients.   Several cases he has handled have established new precedents in U.S. intellectual property law.

One noteworthy case set a precedent on the establishment of U.S. trademark rights by foreign companies.  Feldman Law Group defended a small chain of Bronx grocery stores against the trademark infringement claims of a large South American corporation. Both companies did business under the name “Exito” (meaning “success” in Spanish).  The South American corporation (known as the “Walmart of South America”) sued the Bronx grocery stores for trademark infringement for their use of the “Exito” name.

Although the South American company had used the Exito name in South America for years and had applied for a U.S. trademark, the trademark was never used in the U.S. Feldman Law Group argued that the South American company had no U.S. trademark rights because of this lack of use and persuaded the federal court to dismiss the federal trademark claims. Feldman Law Group’s client, the Bronx grocery chain, was able to continue doing business with its long-established name. The case set a precedent establishing that foreign companies seeking to protect their trademarks in the U.S. had to show either actual or intended use of the mark.

Representative Cases

• Defended the Exito Bronx grocery chain against trademark infringement and obtained ruling that foreign users cannot enforce rights in United States
• Assisted a group of jewelers in obtaining commercial general liability coverage against copyright infringement claims
• Obtained seizure of Chinese company’s goods at a trade show in Thailand
• Obtained ruling that Trillion diamond trademark was not protectable
• Obtained Court of Appeals ruling that a trademark can be used by a distributor of legitimately trademarked goods (even though the distributor does not own the trademark) to stop a competitor from selling counterfeit goods

Bar and Court Admissions

• New York State Bar, 1963
• U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York, 1975
• U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of New York,
• U.S. Court of Appeals, 2nd Circuit, 1979
• U.S. Third Circuit Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit,
• U.S. Supreme Court, 1979
• U.S. Patent and Trademark Office, 1979

Education

• New York University, J.D., 1963
• Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, B.M.E., 1959

Professional Memberships

• New York State Bar Association
• New York City Bar Association

Lectures - Schools, Trade Associations and Trade Shows

• Mr. Feldman is available for lectures on protecting jewelry and art with copyrights, trademarks and patents.

Request a Free Consultation

Contact Mr. Feldman for a free one-hour consultation about your intellectual property concerns. To schedule a consultation, submit our online contact form or call Feldman Law Group at 212.532.8585.