Merchant & Gould, an intellectual property and litigation law firm, announced that it has been named as one of the top trademark law firms in the United States in a recent Trademark Insider® report. This is the third consecutive year the firm has topped the list . The ranking appears in Name Protect's Trademark Insider®, First Quarter 2006, a publication that tracks trademark filing activity with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office.

This year's report identifies Merchant & Gould as the third top filer in the United States, with 275 trademarks in the first quarter of 2006. Christopher Schulte, a partner at the firm, was ranked eleventh in the list of top 50 trademark attorneys.

"Merchant & Gould has been consistently recognized for its trademark and copyright prosecution," said Randy King, CEO and managing director, Merchant & Gould. "Our attorneys include former examining attorneys from the United States Patent and Trademark Office who collectively have examined more than 15,000 federal trademark applications. This experience prosecuting and proactively managing trademark portfolios enables us to help our clients maintain the value of their trademarks and brands."

Firms are ranked in the list based on the total number of new trademark applications filed with the United States Patent and Trademark Office during the applicable time period.