OGC-NIH Branch Trademark Group: About Us
Mission
OGC's NIH Branch Trademark Group provides legal counsel and professional management of trademarks, including domestic and international registration, search, docketing and licensing for NIH and other HHS OPDIVS.
Objective
Our objective is to provide NIH and other HHS OPDIVS with experienced legal trademark counsel and prosecution expertise from a single office, and to address all of the client's trademark needs, from program inception to trademark registration, maintenance, and licensing. Our office is a "one-stop" shop for NIH and the Department's trademark and branding requirements. We are also an important resource for programs that are developing trademark and branding policies.
About Our Group
In October 2008, the NIH Branch of the HHS Office of the General Counsel ("OGC") assumed responsibility for providing trademark services to HHS OPDIVS. In support of this effort, an experienced group of professionals was assembled to create a trademark "group." Our group comprises two experienced trademark attorneys and a trademark paralegal. To effectively manage the portfolio of active trademarks owned by HHS we use state of the art docketing and billing software. We also maintain a contract with an outside trademark law firm to help with exceptional matters that might from time-to-time arise and with some international trademark matters.
Services We Offer
- Advice on trademark selection
- Searches of state-of-the-art trademark databases
- Trademark registration
- Counseling about how to effectively use and maintain a trademark
- International trademark procurement and prosecution
- Brand management and counseling
- Domestic and international trademark licensing
- Pre-litigation counseling and dispute resolution
