Catherine M.C. Farrelly

Catherine M.C. Farrelly, formerly Catherine M. Clayton, is a partner and Chair of the Trademark & Brand Management Group and is also a member of the firm’s Litigation Group.

Ms. Farrelly is an internationally recognized leader in the field of trademark law who advises some of the world’s leading brands on intellectual property matters. She helps her clients plan strategies, manage trademark portfolios, and protect trademarks and other IP in the US and world markets. She represents well-known companies in a variety of industries, including entertainment, finance, sports, cosmetics, toys, beverages, publishing and real estate.

Ms. Farrelly has focused on trademark and copyright law for 20 years, and regularly provides clients with strategic advice regarding the availability, validity and enforceability of trademarks. She also has significant experience preventing the unauthorized use of trademarks and copyrights through litigation, arbitration and negotiation.

In addition to representing clients in federal court and before the Trademark Trial and Appeal Board, Ms. Farrelly helps clients establish, maintain and grow domestic and international trademark portfolios. She negotiates and structures trademark and copyright licenses and assignments; regularly shuts down on-line auctions of infringing goods and false advertising on social media platforms; and resolves domain name disputes through negotiation, federal court litigation, and arbitration under the Uniform Domain Name Dispute Resolution Policy.

Named one of the “World’s Leading Trademark Professionals” by World Trademark Review, Ms. Farrelly is recognized by Chambers USA America’s Leading Lawyers for Business, Best Lawyers in America, and Super Lawyers magazine for her intellectual property work. She also has been identified as a top IP lawyer by BTI and is named to the Irish Legal 100, which honors distinguished legal professionals of Irish heritage.

Ms. Farrelly is an Advisory Board Member for the University of Pennsylvania Law School, Detkin Intellectual Property and Technology Legal Clinic, a member of the International Trademark Association (“INTA”) and its Trademark Office Practices Committee, MARQUES, where she is a member of the Brands and Marketing Team, the Copyright Society, the New York Intellectual Property Law Association, and the New York State Bar Association. She writes and speaks frequently on hot topics in intellectual property law, and has been published in the New York Law Journal, among other publications. Ms. Farrelly is admitted to practice in New York, the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York, the United States District Court for the Eastern District of New York, and the United States Supreme Court.

Prior to joining Frankfurt Kurnit, Ms. Farrelly was a partner with Gibbons P.C. and was associated with Paul, Hastings, Janofsky & Walker LLP and Pennie & Edmonds LLP. She has lived in the U.S., England, France, the Netherlands, the Bahamas and Saudi Arabia.