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Christopher J. Schulte photo
  • Hamline University School of Law, J.D., 1993,

    cum laude, Silver Gavel Honor Society – Recipient, American Jurisprudence Awards in Civil Procedure and Alternative Dispute Resolution; Hamline Law Review, Articles Editor (1992-1993), Associate (1991-1992), published student writer

  • University of Minnesota, College of Forestry, B.S. Forestry, 1987
  • Minnesota State Bar, 1993
  • U.S. District Courts, Northern District of Illinois, 2002
  • U.S. Supreme Court, 1997
  • United States Court of Appeals, Seventh Circuit, 1996
  • U.S. District Courts, District of Minnesota, 1994
  • United States Court of Appeals, Eighth Circuit, 1994

International Trademark Association (INTA)
2012 – 2017: Harmonization of Trademark Law & Practice Committee member,  Free Trade Areas Subcommittee
2010-2012: Chair of U.S. Subcommittee of Legislation and Regulation Committee
2008-2010: Legislation and Regulation Committee, Europe and Central Asia Subcommittee member
2008-2009: Annual Meeting 2009 Project Team, Workshops Subcommittee
2006-2008: Chair of Trademark Office Practices Committee, Classification Subcommittee
2004-2006: Trademark Office Practices Committee member, Classification Subcommittee
2002-2004: Meetings Committee member, Annual Meeting 2004 Project Team, U.S. Topics Sub-committee

Pharmaceutical Trade Marks Group (PTMG), Associate Member

European Communities Trademark Association (ECTA), Associate Member, Geographical Indications Committee Member

Chartered Institute of Trademark Attorneys (U.K.), Overseas Member

American Bar Association
Chair, 2019-2020 Intellectual Property Law Section, Trademarks Division, Legislation Committee
Vice Chair, 2018-2019 Intellectual Property Law Section, Trademarks Division, Legislation Committee
Chair, 2003-2004, Torts and Insurance Practice Section, Intellectual Property Committee

Minnesota State Bar Association
Chair, 2003-2004 Computer Law Section
Chair, 2003 Computer Law Institute
Co-Chair, 2001-2003 Contracts Committee Board Member

German American Chamber of Commerce, Minnesota Chapter

American Intellectual Property Law Association (AIPLA)

Minnesota Intellectual Property Law Association (MIPLA)
Copyright Committee

Hennepin County Bar Association

Named to World Trademark Review’s WTR 1000, 2014-2020
Best Lawyers in America by The Best Lawyers in America, 2013-2024
Best Lawyers in Minnesota 2013 by Minnesota Monthly
Selected for inclusion in Minnesota Super Lawyers, 2003-2010
Top 40 IP Lawyer
International Who’s Who of Trademark Lawyers
AV peer review rating by Martindale-Hubbell

Presentations

“Distinctiveness in Globally Filed Trademarks,” ABA IP Fall Institute, October 1, 2020.

“IP Issues for Small Businesses,” 2018 Colorado Business Law Institute in Denver, Colorado, September 13, 2018.

“Headaches in U.S. enforcement efforts,” CITMA Spring Conference in London, England, March 22, 2018.

“Cost Effective Global Trademark Roll Out and Portfolio Management Strategies,” 2016 Midwest IP Institute, Minneapolis, Minnesota, September 22, 2016.

“Constructing Persuasive and Admissible Trademark Surveys,” ABA Intellectual Property Law Spring Conference, Bethesda, Maryland, April 8, 2016.

“Viewing Specsavers Through the Lens of the American Mutilation Doctrine,” ITMA Spring Conference in London, England, March 20, 2015.

“The Many Faces of Trademark Use: What to know about Borderline use,” INTA Leadership Meeting 2014 in Phoenix, Arizona, November 14, 2014.

“Understanding the Trademark Examiner’s Perspective — Tips for the Private Practitioner,” presented with Scott Oslick as a webcast to the Maryland State Bar Association, Intellectual Property Section, March 2, 2011.

“Your Other Nagging Advertising Law & Strategy Questions . . . And Their Answers,” panel discussion at the Minnesota State Bar Association Advertising Law and Strategy CLE, March 11, 2011.

“Typical Issues Affecting Madrid Applicants Before the USPTO,” AIPPI Czech National Group, Prague, Czech Republic, March 29, 2011.

“What Every Business Lawyer Needs to Know About Intellectual Property,”presented as webcast for Minnesota CLE’s Business Law Series, October 29, 2009.

“Dilution — the U.S. Perspective,” presented to the Institute of Trademark Attorneys (ITMA) Autumn Conference, Lisbon, Portugal, September 25, 2009.

“Protecting Packaging and Product Design” Workshop moderator and speaker at International Trademark Association 2009 Annual Meeting in Seattle, Washington, May 18, 2009.

“The Importance of Accurate Declarations of Use and Intent to Use Applications in the U.S.,” presented to the Institute of Trademark Attorneys (ITMA) Administrators Conference, London, England, U.K., March 25, 2009.

“Global Perspectives on Trade Dress Protection: Best Practices for Protecting Product Shapes and Designs – US, Canadian, European & Latin American Perspectives on Methods and Limits of Trade Dress Protection: The US Perspective” presented at American Intellectual Property Law association 32nd Mid-Winter Institute, Miami, Florida, January 30, 2009.

“Domain Names, Keyword Advertising and More: An Update on How to Protect Your Trademarks on the Internet,” presented at Computer and Technology Law Institute CLE, Minneapolis, MN, October 24, 2008.

“U.S. Trademark Law Update, Fraud, Keywords and More,” presented to the Institute of Trademark Attorneys (ITMA) Evening Meeting, London, England, U.K., June 24, 2008.

“Section 44 of the Lanham Act and Foreign Based Filings,” presented to Minnesota Paralegal Association IP Sectional, Minneapolis, MN, March 18, 2008.

“Using the European Community Design System to Supplement Trademark Protection in Europe,” presented with Katie Cameron of R.G.C. Jenkins & Co., London, England, at 2007 Midwest Intellectual Property Institute, Minneapolis, MN, September 28, 2007.

“Trademark Basics” presented with Andrew Ehard as webcast for 2007 Midwest Intellectual Property Institute, September 26, 2007.

“Practical Advice on Ad Clearance under the Trademark and Copyright Laws,” presented at Advertising Law & Strategy in 2007 CLE, Minneapolis, MN, May 18, 2007.

“Trademarks 101” presented to a meeting of the Pre-Paid Legal Organization, Minneapolis, MN, April 2006.

“Issues Clients Face When Cutting and Pasting Content from eZines, On-line Newspapers and Email Bulletins” presented at the Copyright Committee meeting of the Minnesota Intellectual Property Law Association, March 29, 2006.

“Intellectual Property and the Arts” presented at Hatchfest 2005 Film Festival in Bozeman, Montana, October 7-8, 2005.

“Trademark Issues Related to Importing into the United States and the European Union” presented with Alfons Bauer of Munich, Germany, at the U.S. Embassy in Zagreb, Croatia and the American Chamber of Commerce in Croatia (AmCham), September 8-9, 2005.

“What Every Attorney and Their Business Clients Need to Know about Emerging Copyright Issues,” presented at Hennepin County Bar Association, June 15, 2005.

“Advertising Law Crash Course,” presented at Minnesota CLE, April 6, 2005.

“Trademark Law Update,” presented with Acting USPTO Trademark Commissioner Lynn Beresford at 2004 Midwest Intellectual Property Institute, Minneapolis, Minnesota, October 7, 2004.

“American Experts’ First Experiences with the Madrid Protocol,” presented to Federal Republic of Germany’s Bundespatentgericht (National Patent and Trademark Court), Munich, Germany, September 30, 2004.

Moderator, “Advanced Tips from the TTAB” and “Internet Policing and Enforcement Strategies,” panel discussions at International Trademark Association 2004 Annual Meeting in Atlanta, Georgia, May 4 and 5, 2004.

“Who Owns What? Strategies for Handling Critical Intellectual Property Issues,” presented at Minnesota State Bar Association 2004 Advertising Law and Strategy CLE, Minneapolis, Minnesota, March 18, 2004.

“Internet Brand Protection: Current Monitoring and Enforcement Strategies,” presented to Spitz Gaul Golda firm, Munich, Germany, May 9, 2003.

“Internet Brand Protection: Current Monitoring and Enforcement Strategies, A Case Study by Christopher Schulte,” presented at State Bar of Wisconsin CLE Program: “ Intellectual Property Law in the 21st Century,” Milwaukee, Wisconsin, March 28, 2003.

“The Fascinating World of Trademarks,” by Christopher J. Schulte, presented to Fireman’s Fund Insurance Company General Counsel Office, Novato, California, February 27, 2003.

“Update on New Domain Name Extensions and Cybersquatters,” by Christopher J. Schulte, presented at the Minnesota State Bar Association Annual Convention, St. Paul, Minnesota, June 21, 2001.

“Protecting Your Brand Online,” by Christopher J. Schulte, presented to the Financial Communicator’s Network, University of St. Thomas, Minneapolis, Minnesota, May 2, 2001.

“Protecting Your Assets: A Guide to Trade Secret, Copyright, Trademark and Noncompete Protection,” October 1998 Seminar presented by Meagher & Geer Employment Services Practice Group, Minneapolis, Minnesota.

“The Domain Name Gold Rush,” by Christopher J. Schulte, delivered at the Minnesota State Bar Association 2000 Computer Law Institute, Minneapolis, Minnesota, October 10, 2000.

“Intellectual Property Infringement Exposure for Corporate Directors and Officers on the Internet,” by Christopher J. Schulte, delivered to The St. Paul Companies, St. Paul, Minnesota, July 13, 2000.

“The New Anticybersquatting Law and Uniform Dispute Resolution Policy for Domain Names — Justice at Last for Trademark Owners or Yet Another Bad-faith Claim to Plead in Trademark Litigation?” by Christopher J. Schulte, delivered at the American Bar Association Annual Meeting in New York, Torts and Insurance Practice Section Program, July 9, 2000.

“Advanced Issues in Legal Technology for the Minnesota Paralegal,” by Christopher J. Schulte, delivered to the Institute for Paralegal Education in Minnetonka, Minnesota, February 16, 2000.

Publications

Meet Madrid’s Most Refused (What’s behind the high rate of rejection of UK Madrid users filing overseas?), 465 CITMA Review 22 (July/August 2021).

Morality refusal grounds are gone from the United States but are alive and well in China, World Trademark Review, Guest Analysis, March 18, 2021.

Born in the USA? (Why the rules have changed for overseas trademark applications), 456 CITMA Review 12 (March/April 2020)

Lessons to take from the NFL’s aggressive enforcement strategy, by Christopher J. Schulte, Minnesota Lawyer (February 2, 2018) (minnlawyer.com/2018/02/02/lessons-to-take-from-the-nfls-aggressive-enforcement-strategy/).

Lean and Mean—Are You Effectively Managing Your Global IP Practice? INTA Roundtable, Presenter, March 26, 2015.

Take Care with Overseas Branding, by Christopher J. Schulte, Vol. 10, No. 2 Today’s General Counsel 26 (April/May 2013).

Trademarks in the Middle East, Opportunity Amidst Conflict, by Jeroen Lallemand, Charles Sha’Ban and Christopher J. Schulte, Special Report by Thomson Reuters (December 2012)

Managing Risks in Overseas Clearance and Filing, Trademark News from Thomson CompuMark (October 2011)

Five Reminders for Filing Trademarks in the U.S., 1 The Oath, The Middle East Law Journal for Corporates 38 (September 2011)

Protecting Brands Overseas, Even During Recession, by Christopher J. Schulte, Vol. 9, No. 4 Upsize Magazine 10 (August – September 2010)

Five Reminders for Filing Trademarks in the U.S., 379 ITMA Review 24 (October 2010)

The Bose Wave Mark: Honest Mistakes No Longer Considered Fraud in U.S., by Christopher J. Schulte and Scott M. Oslick, 369 ITMA Review 29 (October 2009)

Prioritizing resources and organization for Intellectual Property Act of 2008, by Chris Schulte and Heather Kliebenstein, 361 ITMA Review  22 (December 2008)

ITMA International Meeting, April 2008, Conference Report, by Christopher J. Schulte, 355 ITMA Review 6 (May 2008)

US Trade Mark Law Update: Fraud, Keyword and More, by Christopher J. Schulte, 359 ITMA Review 18 (Oct. 2008)

U.S. Federal Courts Disagree on Liability for Keyword Advertising, by Christopher J. Schulte, 351 ITMA Review 15 (December 2007)

Protecting Brands Overseas, by Christopher J. Schulte, IP Law360 (September 25, 2007)

U.S. “Famous Mark” Doctrine in Doubt as Federal Court Decisions Lack Consistency, by Christopher J. Schulte, 348 ITMA Review 22 (September, 2007)

Protecting Brands Overseas — Economic Globalization and Trademarks, by Christopher J. Schulte, Intellectual Property Today 10 (August 2007)

Protecting brands overseas: Consider translation, legal issues, by Christopher J. Schulte, Minneapolis/St. Paul Business Journal, Volume 24, No. 51, Page 14. (May 25, 2007)

ITMA London International Meeting, Spring 2007: an American perspective, by Christopher J. Schulte, 345 ITMA Review 7 (May 2007)

Ninth Edition of the Nice Classification System A Brief Overview, by Christopher J. Schulte, Rachael Ward, Jeffrey Parker & Co., London and Miriam Hackmey, Luzzatto & Luzzatto, Tel Aviv, INTA Bulletin Vol. 62, No. 7 (April 1, 2007)

Industry Standards, by Christopher J. Schulte and Andrew S. Ehard, Private Label Magazine (January/February 2007)

Care Required When Stating Use of Mark in U.S., by Christopher J. Schulte, 336 ITMA Review 27 (July/August 2006)

USPTO Proposes Changes to Opposition Practice to Align with U.S. Federal Court Practice, by Christopher J. Schulte, 333 ITMA Review 16 (April 2006)

BULLSHIT Still Vulgar in U.S., by Christopher J. Schulte, 333 ITMA Review 18 (April 2006)

Trademark Issues to Consider when Importing into the United States, by Christopher J. Schulte, News & Views, Magazine of the American Chamber of Commerce in Croatia, 23 (June 2005)

What Every Advertiser Should Know About Trademark Law, by Christopher J. Schulte, Upsize Magazine (December 2004)

Six Months After The U.S. Joins the Madrid Protocol – Basics of International Trademark Protection and Effect on U.S. Trademark Practice, by Christopher J. Schulte and Alfons Bauer of Spitz Gaul Golda, Munich, Germany, The IPC Legal Browser, Vol. 4, No. 2 (Spring 2004)

Trademark Clearance Strategies Under the Madrid Protocol in the U.S., by Christopher J. Schulte and Alfons Bauer of Spitz Gaul Golda, Munich, Germany, Computer Law News, Vol. 20, No. 2 (MSBA Computer Law Section Newsletter Spring 2004)

New Domain Name Extensions ‘.biz’ and ‘.info’ – More Work for Trademark Owners,by Christopher J. Schulte, Nameprotect.com Feature News Article (October 5, 2001)

.biz and .info: more work for trademark owners, by Christopher J. Schulte, Minnesota Lawyer, Special Section on Technology, S-6 (September 2001)

The New Anticybersquatting Law and Uniform Dispute Resolution Policy for Domain Names, by Christopher J. Schulte, 36 Tort and Insurance Law Journal 101 (Fall 2000)

Abracadabra — Internet Advertising Just Federalized the Nation’s Service Mark Law! by Christopher J. Schulte, 22 Hamline Law Review 563 (Winter 1999)

Year 2000 Impact on Software and Licensing Agreements, by Christopher J. Schulte, Keeping Current, Special Edition, Vol.I, No.I, (Winter 1998)

Obtaining Information from Web Site Users–Valid Marketing Tool or Invasion of Privacy? by Christopher J. Schulte and Heidi A. Kabat (1998)

Is Your Business Name Safe? A Primer on Service Mark Protection and Conservation, by Christopher J. Schulte (1998)

Developing a Copyright Compliance Policy for Your Company, by Christopher J. Schulte, Corporate Counsel News (Fall 1998)

Quoted

“How to File a Trademark,” Inc.com (February 15, 2010) (commenting on trademark clearance and filing process).

Mentioned in Q&A with Gray Plant’s Laura Hein, IP Law 360 (November 6,2007)

“Merchant & Gould trademark lawyers excel at marketing” Minneapolis/St. Paul Business Journal (September 8, 2006) (feature on the Merchant & Gould Trademark Group and their marketing techniques).

“Wal-Mart Case Highlights Trademark Regime Differences” IPLaw 360 (May 16, 2006)(explaining difference between U.S. trademark registration scheme and other countries in context of “Smiley face” trademark case).

“High Court Dodges Commercial Issues in Declining Falwell Case , ” E-Commerce Times (April 19, 2006)(commenting on how clients can manage gripe sites on-line).

“Good Fences: Even Companies Without ‘Special Sauce’ Can Protect Their Brand,” Upsize Magazine (April 2006) (commenting on methods for stopping online trademark infringement).

“Firm helps businesses ensure they aren’t misrepresented online,” Wisconsin State Journal (May 11, 2005) (quoted on using surveillance software to identify on-line trademark infringements).

“Download Actions Too Harsh” St. Paul Pioneer Press (June 29, 2004)(quoted on litigation strategy of Recording Industry Association of America to stop downloads ).

“Making Partner: Treating Your Attorney Less Like A Vendor And More Like A Business Partner Can Pay Off For Both Of You,” Twin Cities Business Monthly, 96 (Dec. 2001).

“Here Today, Here Tomorrow, Law Firms Are Doing What It Takes To Service Clients In Our Global Economy,” Minnesota Business, 46 (July 2001)(quoted on Internet’s impact on law firms).

“Safety Helmet, Small Firms Need to Protect Their Big Ideas,” Twin Cities Business Monthly, 136 (May 2001)(quoted on strategic partnering to leverage intellectual capital).

“Dress for Court,” Minnesota Technology (Sept.-Oct. 1998) (quoted on trade dress trademark issues).