Venus Griffith Trunnel

VENUS GRIFFITH TRUNNEL became of counsel to Ivie, McNeill & Wyatt in 2008 and handles domestic and international copyright and trademark matters. 

Mrs. Trunnel specializes in the area of domestic and international trademark prosecution and  enforcement, working with individuals, corporations and law firms on a broad range of  copyright and trademark related matters including advising on clearance and adoption of  marks, prosecution of marks, oppositions, infringement and cancellation actions, domain name  issues, and drafting and negotiating various agreements.  

In 2001, Mrs. Trunnel received her LL.M. in Intellectual Property from George Washington  University Law School and her Juris Doctor in 1994 from Southwestern University School of  Law where she received a certificate in International Business Law from the Inns of Court  School of Law in London, England.  She was a recipient of the John J. Schumacher Leadership  Award and the Student Bar Association's Outstanding Service Certification for Community  Service. In addition, she was Community Service Representative for the Black Law Students  Association, was a member of Phi Alpha Delta, and worked as a Research Assistant for the  Intellectual Property Professor researching copyright and trademark law issues. 

Prior experience includes work with Wilson, Elser, Moskowitz, Edelman & Dicker LLP  litigating contract, construction defect, employment discrimination, insurance bad faith and  coverage, and premises liability matters. Mrs. Trunnel also worked as a Trademark Examiner  for the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO).  She is a former White House  Intern, having worked for then Vice President Al Gore's Reinventing Government Project in  1994.  

Mrs. Trunnel has written several papers on trademark related issues, including UDRP An  Alternative to Litigation and eCommerce and Trademarks, and is completing her thesis on  Intellectual Property Barriers to Treating HIV/Aids in Africa. Mrs. Trunnel has a Bachelor  of Arts degree in Communication Arts from Loyola Marymount University, Los Angeles California, and is a member of the International Trademark Association (INTA) and  Intellectual Property Section of the California State Bar. 

Copyright Dispute:   Represented game manufacturer in dispute against a competitor who developed a highly similar golf game resulting in a licensing arrangement and an agreement to change the marketing strategy and overall game packaging.

Copyright and Trademark Infringement:   Successfully resolved a copyright and trademark infringement dispute between apparel company and discount retailer against the unauthorized use of copyright-protected photographers and client's trademarks in violation of the Distribution and Sales Agreement for Salvaged Goods.

Internet/Domain Name Dispute:   Successfully resolved copyright and trademark infringement matters between on-line distributors using client's images and trademarks resulting in a take down of the websites and a change in the infringers' domain names.