January 1, 2009
Laura Crozier
(302) 636-5400 x65526
CSC Press Releases
Report also notes that while trademark filings in 2008 fell for the first time in four years as a result of the economic downturn, brand owners still filed for the second highest number of trademarks in over a decade.
Corporation Service Company, a leading provider of trademark research and watching, brand monitoring, and domain name management, released the 2008 CSC® Trademark Insider® Annual Report. A quarterly publication on the trademark industry, the report provides a ranking of leading trademark practitioners, insight into overall trademark filing activity, and analysis of overall industry trends.
The 7th annual CSC® Trademark Insider® Award recipients were announced in this year-end report. These awards are presented to the top 25 U.S. trademark law firms and individual attorneys. This year's list of award recipients includes some veterans along with some new faces. Greenberg Traurig remains in the number one national law firm spot for the third year in a row, with Fross Zelnick Lehrman & Zissu, K & L Gates, DLA Piper Rudnick, and Merchant & Gould rounding out the top 5 national law firms.
Lawrence E. Abelman of Abelman Frayne & Schwab leads up the top 5 individual attorney award recipients, followed by Xavier Morales, Christopher J. Day, Arturo Perez-Guerrero, and John Alumit of Patel & Alumit.
The report also provides the rankings for the Top 100 company filers. Topping the list of corporate filers was Mattel, Inc., followed by Walt Disney Company, PepsiCo, Nintendo Co., Ltd., and Johnson & Johnson.
"Being named one of the top trademark practitioners is an impressive accomplishment. We congratulate all those that achieved ranking on this year's list, particularly those that won a prestigious CSC® Trademark Insider® Award." said Bruce Winn, CEO of Corporation Service Company.
The 2008 CSC® Trademark Insider® Annual Report also identified trends in the trademark industry. 2008 began strong, with the first quarter posting the second highest quarterly filing volume since 2000. The second and third quarters showed signs of slowed growth, with the fourth quarter feeling the full effect of the recession.
Last year marked the first time in four years that the total number of trademark filings decreased over the prior year. Even with a weakened economy, however, the industry held its own. The 289,430 trademark filings in 2008 is only 5% behind the 304,407 filings in 2007. It also represents the second highest number of trademark applications filed in a calendar year since CSC began tracking the data in 1997.
"Many sectors of the economy receded significantly during the second half of 2008, but the trademark filing activity only marginally softened. This indicates that while companies pull back on their expenses they continue to protect their brands" commented Jim Stoltzfus, Vice President of Corporation Service Company.
Mr. Stoltzfus also noted that "in these economic times, top trademark practitioners continue to rely on CSC as their trusted service provider. Our services are ideally suited for brand owners and their attorneys who are looking to for a cost-effective and comprehensive approach to managing and protecting their brands."
About CSC
Corporation Service Company®(CSC®), a privately held business and legal services organization, provides matter management, corporate compliance, and trustee services for companies and law firms worldwide; digital brand services for top global brands; and due diligence and transactional services for the world's largest financial institutions. Founded in 1899, CSC has more than 2,000 employees throughout North America, Europe, and the Asia-Pacific region. Learn more at www.cscglobal.com