Leora Herrmann

“I’m passionate about the law as a social institution, an intellectual endeavor, and a calling. Day-to-day, I love the intellectual challenge of tackling thorny issues, solving problems creatively, and developing winning strategies. And, of course, the satisfaction that comes from being of value to my clients and their businesses is enormous.”

--Leora Herrmann, Intellectual Property Law

Winning summary judgment and appeals for a major comic book publisher in two bet-the-ranch copyright ownership litigations, mounting an aggressive trademark enforcement program for a major manufacturer resulting in virtual eradication of imports of counterfeit and infringing goods, criminal prosecutions and large damage awards, and positioning an independent video game developer to successfully renegotiate restrictive terms in its publishing and distribution agreement are just a few examples of how Leora has passionately applied her legal knowledge and experience to serve her clients.

“I speak my clients’ language and cut through red tape. Whether it’s coming up with a winning argument, figuring out what my clients really need in an agreement, or fashioning a strategy for protecting their rights, I cut to the quick of what’s really important. I take my clients' matters to heart and tenaciously persist until I get the results they need and want.”

Serving clients in diverse industries including consumer products, publishing, apparel, cosmetics, music, home furnishing designs, toy and game development, food, computer software and game development, adult entertainment, packaging, and tobacco, Leora handles both transactional and litigation matters involving intellectual property.

From Leora’s Case Files

Licensing Rights of Publicity: In a high pressure, time-sensitive negotiation, I persuaded a major entertainment company to increase its royalty offer to a celebrity estate five-fold and carve out important rights for the estate. At my insistence, their “take-it-or-leave-it” standard license agreement was substantially rewritten. The result: a highly profitable license that serves my client’s long-term interests.

Defending a Renowned Artist: In a widely cited copyright and libel case, I won a summary judgment for a renowned comic-book artist.

Other representative matters include:

• Managing trademark and copyright portfolios for consumer product and design companies.

• Counseling clients on trademark selection for U.S. and international markets and administering foreign trademark filing programs.

• Creating user-friendly model license agreements for character, design and trademark licensing to support profitable implementation of clients’ licensing programs.

Education

• Yale Law School, J.D., 1978
• University of California at Berkeley, B.A., with great distinction, 1975

Bar Admissions & Memberships

• Florida, 2005
• New York, 1979
• Connecticut, 1981

Noteworthy

• The Counterfeit LawBlog: www.counterfeitlawblog.com

Professional Affiliations

• International AntiCounterfeiting Coalition
• International Trademark Association
• Dade County Bar Association
• W Forum, Board of Directors

Presentations & Publications

• Copyright Litigation columnist, The IP Litigator
• “Counterfeit Crackdown,” WorldCity Magazine
• “Countering Counterfeiters,” SmartBusiness Miami, March 2007
• “What’s in a Name? Choosing an Effective Trademark,” Insurance IP Bulletin, June 2006
• Optimizing Anti-Counterfeiting on a Tight Budget, American Conference Institute Anti-Counterfeiting & Brand Integrity Protection Conference, March 2007
• Piracy – It’s A Small World After All, Florida Bar CLE Program, January 2007
• Litigating and Evaluating the Right of Publicity Case, DRI Intellectual Property Litigation and Insurance Seminar, November 2006
• Negotiating a License: Point/Counterpoint, TGIFCon, September 2006
• Licensing in Action: A Live Legal Negotiation, Surtex, May 2006
• Film Merchandising, Santa Fe Film Festival, November 2005
• Working with Local Law Enforcement to Combat Counterfeiting, PIRA Intn’l Brand Protection Seminar, Spring 2004