I am a pioneer in the world of brand protection and licensing in the college sports and entertainment industry. I maximize value for brand owners from their IP rights, and take great pride in providing unparalleled legal and business counsel.
I knew when I was young that my career would relate to the sports industry. During the Bear Bryant era, I was in the broadcast booth with my father as he called Alabama football and basketball games, and then as a Boy Scout I sold snacks in the stands at Alabama games. Throughout high school, college, and law school, I worked at the local TV station as a sports video photographer.
The sports business was my passion. It was natural that my career would continue in the collegiate arena.
While currently at Greenspoon Marder LLP, I was an original member of the Collegiate Licensing Company (CLC), and their first attorney. During the inception of collegiate trademark licensing, I guided collegiate clients in establishing precedents to protect their trademark rights. It was vital that each school control the use of its identifying marks. And the revenue resulting from the sale of items bearing their marks needed to go back to the institutions, not into the pockets of infringers.
CLC saw unprecedented growth and expansion during my 30-year tenure, which began with representing a handful of schools, and ultimately over 200 schools, bowls, NCAA, CFP, and other properties, including PGA Tour, NASCAR, and Churchill Downs. As our business grew (culminating in sale to IMG, later merging with Learfield), my legal position expanded to include business and senior management responsibilities.
The digital era has added significant complexity to the IP field, and collegiate institutions and licensees need more support than ever. My focus at Greenspoon Marder is to provide services for collegiate institutions and other brand owners so that they remain at the cutting edge of brand protection and licensing and to licensees seeking to navigate the market.
In addition to my legal practice, I serve as an adjunct professor at Georgia Tech, where I teach Sports Law and Public Policy.