Admitted to Practice | Washington, 1997 | | California, 1997 |
| Catherine Maxson focuses on intellectual property law, including the management of domestic and international trademark portfolios, particularly in the areas of art, e-commerce and the Internet. She advises clients on a wide range of IP matters, including the selection, counseling, analysis and enforcement of trademarks and copyrights, and domain name use and selection. Catherine also drafts publishing, trademark and copyright licensing agreements, and represents clients in trademark, copyright, cybersquatting and antitrust litigation. Selected Experience Claude Cassirer Ongoing Action under Foreign Sovereign Immunities Act to recover Pissarro painting looted by Nazis from plaintiff's grandmother in 1939 and now held by the Thyssen-Bornemisza Museum in Madrid. The Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit upheld the lower courts' denial of defendant's motion to dismiss, holding that the FSIA immunity exception for claims involving property taken in violation of international law was not limited to the country that actually seized the property. The Ninth Circuit remanded the case to the lower court for further proceedings. Microsoft Corporation 2008 Represented Microsoft in negotiations relating to providing technology used in putting NBC's 2008 Summer Olympics content on the Internet. Persian Network News (PNN) 2008 Successful defense of satellite television station in a complex copyright infringement lawsuit involving the ownership of three Iranian films. Halogent LLC d/b/a Exposed Skin Care 2007 Trademark, false advertising and copyright infringement dispute over defendant's keying search engine advertisements to searches on plaintiff's PROACTIV trademark, and content of defendant's Web site. Successfully settled. Motion Picture Association of America, Inc., Walt Disney Pictures Corporation, Paramount Pictures Corporation, Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation and Universal City Studios LLP 2005 Represented the Motion Picture Association of America (MPAA) and all of its members (except MGM). Obtained dismissal of a claim by an independent motion picture producer that the MPAA’s Motion Picture Title Registration Bureau violated federal and California antitrust laws and California Business & Professions Code § 17200. Paramount Pictures 2004 Successfully defended Paramount Pictures in trademark, dilution and unfair competition lawsuit based on alleged misuse of Slip 'N Slide yard toy in motion picture and associated advertising and interactive Web site game, establishing precedent for the unauthorized use of trademarked products in entertainment. Sierra Club 2003 Successfully defended Sierra Club against copyright infringement claim relating to use of photograph of Ansel Adams. The federal court barred plaintiff from recovering statutory damages or attorneys' fees, leading to dismissal of the action. Seattle Art Museum 2000 Defended art museum in claim to recover Matisse painting that was allegedly looted during the Holocaust, and assert claim against art gallery that sold painting to museum donor. Several private collections Perform legal services relating to determining whether copyright still exists in artworks and potential owner of any copyright. Additional Qualifications Professional and Community Activities Education J.D., University of Michigan Law School, 1995, cum laude
- Notes Editor, Michigan Law Review
- Book Award for work in Trademarks and Unfair Competition
B.A., History, Duke University, 1992 | |