Meredith M.Wilkes

Partner

Cleveland + 1.216.586.7231

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Meredith Wilkes co-leads the Firm's global Trademarks, Unfair Competition & Copyrights group. Praised by clients as "highly skilled and utterly trustworthy," she is a lead trial lawyer that has focused on high-stakes trademark, trade dress, trade secret, false advertising, and design patent litigation leading matters for global brands in federal and state courts throughout the United States for more than 20 years. In addition to trying Lanham Act cases, she counsels clients on brand selection and clearance strategies worldwide from searching to filing to enforcement. Meredith's practice encompasses a broad spectrum of goods and services from health and wellness to cosmetics to consumer goods to apparel and luxury brands.

Meredith represents clients on their most important matters from the preliminary injunction stage through trial. Novel, trade dress, counterfeiting, and internet-related infringement activity are among the types of cases she typically tries. Meredith has obtained relief on behalf of global brand owners such as Abercrombie & Fitch, Deckers Outdoor Corporation, Chevron, IBM, Wendy's, The Sherwin-Williams Company, and Victoria's Secret Stores Brand Management. Other representative brand owners for whom she provides intellectual property advice include: Procter & Gamble, Coty, American Greetings, Newell Brands, AutoNation, ICANN, Minted,The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum, and McCain Foods Limited.

Committed to the practice area, Meredith is a frequent speaker on brand issues, is a contributor to The Lexis Practice Advisor in the area of anti-counterfeiting, and serves on the INTA Trademark Practices Committee and the IOC Trademark Law Committee. She chairs the Firm's Women in IP initiative.

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Experience

  • McCain successfully defends patented French fry processing technology against IPR petition brought by competitor J.R. SimplotJones Day successfully represented McCain Foods Limited in defending an inter partes review (IPR) petition filed by competitor J.R. Simplot Company against U.S. Patent No. 6,821,540, which relates to French fry processing technology.
  • McCain battles Simplot in IP litigation over utility patents, design patents, and trade dress for frozen potato productsIn this competitor case, Jones Day is enforcing McCain Foods Limited's patent rights relating to McCain's French fry processing technology and potato product designs against Simplot, one of McCain's chief rivals.
  • Calgon Carbon acquired by Kuraray for $1.3 billionJones Day advised Calgon Carbon Corporation (NYSE:CCC) in its $1.3 billion all-cash acquisition by Kuraray Co., Ltd. (TSE:3405).
  • Monster acquires JobrJones Day advised Monster Worldwide, Inc. in its acquisition of Jobr, a mobile job discovery app.
  • Compass Minerals defends use of SURE PAWS trademark against claims of infringementCompass Minerals International, Inc. has hired Jones Day to defend its rights to use its SURE PAWS trademark against claims of infringement by competitor Gaia Enterprises Inc.
  • Alcoa defends claims of copyright infringement brought by newsletter organizationJones Day was retained to advise Alcoa, Inc. on its defense to allegations of copyright infringement brought by Metal Bulletin Holdings arising out of alleged unauthorized redistribution of weekly newsletters to which Alcoa subscribed.
  • IBM secures dismissal of all claims in trademark litigationJones Day successfully represented International Business Machines Corporation (IBM) in a trademark infringement litigation filed against IBM in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Ohio.
  • eos Products and Kind Group get private label knockoff producer to surrender following pretrial rulings on trade dress and design patent issuesOn the eve of a two-week jury trial, the seller of the popular egg-shaped eos™ lip balm represented by Jones Day, eos Products LLC and its parent Kind Group LLC, obtained a settlement in which a private label manufacturer has agreed to stop offering knockoff egg-shaped lip balm.
  • ICANN prevails in Ninth Circuit appeal of landmark ruling dismissing TLD monopolization claimOn July 31, 2015, the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals affirmed the landmark decision by a federal district court in the Central District of California to dismiss with prejudice name.space's monopolization claim against Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers ("ICANN"), a long-time Jones Day client.
  • Abbott purchases option to acquire Cephea Valve TechnologiesJones Day advised Abbott Laboratories in the providing of capital and securing of an option to purchase Cephea Valve Technologies, a private company developing a catheter-based mitral valve replacement therapy.
  • Victoria's Secret secures trade dress and trademark injunctionJones Day client Victoria's Secret secured injunctive relief against Bob's Stores LLC after suing the retailer for trademark and trade dress infringement in connection with its popular PINK line of clothing.
  • Victoria's Secret obtains permanent injunction for PINK trademarkJones Day represented Victoria's Secret in obtaining permanent injunctive relief against retailer for trademark infringement of its PINK trademark.
  • Lesso America defends use of LESSO trademarkChina Lesso Group Holdings Limited/Lesso America retained Jones Day to defend it against claims of trademark infringement brought by Lasco Fittings in the United States District Court for the Central District of California.
  • Wendy's secures permanent injunction against UDF over FROSTY trademarkJones Day secured a permanent injunction for Wendy's International, Inc. ("Wendy's") against United Dairy Farmers ("UDF") prohibiting UDF's use of the FROSTY trademark.
  • UHC sues United HealthGroup over UHC trademarkJones Day represents University HealthSystem Consortium ("UHC") in its suit brought against United HealthGroup in the United States District Court for the Northern District of Illinois rising out of United HealthGroup's confusingly similar use of UHC's trademark UHC. 
  • Check Inc. raises capital in Series D financing roundJones Day represented Check Inc. (f.k.a. PageOnce, Inc.), a California-based mobile payments company, in connection with its issuance of $25.3 million of Series D Convertible Preferred Stock in a private placement to Menlo Ventures, Morgenthaler Ventures, and Pitango Venture Capital, Four Rivers Partners, and individual investors.
  • Victoria's Secret takes action against counterfeit salesJones Day represented Victoria's Secret Stores Brand Management in a suit against R&R Goldman d/b/a Discovery Clothing to cease the sale of counterfeit clothing bearing the company's PINK marks and trade dress.
  • Saputo acquires dairy and non-dairy extended shelf-life producer Morningstar Foods from Dean Foods Company for $1.45 billionJones Day advised Saputo, Inc. in its acquisition of Morningstar Foods, LLC, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Dean Foods Company, for $1.45 billion.
  • Harsco obtains domain name, permanent injunction, and award of statutory damages, attorneys' fees and costs against cyberpirateJones Day represented Harsco Corporation and Harsco Technologies LLC in an action for cyberpiracy, trademark infringement, unfair competition, false designation of origin, and related state law claims, all stemming from defendants' unauthorized use of its HARSCO mark.
  • Evenflo sells its feeding business to Kimberly-Clark de MéxicoJones Day advised Evenflo Company, Inc., a manufacturer of baby and child care products, in connection with Evenflo's sale of its worldwide feeding business to Kimberly-Clark de México, S.A.B. de C.V., a subsidiary of Kimberly-Clark Corporation and a leading global health and hygiene company, and related amendment to its credit agreement to facilitate the sale.
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    November 6, 2019 Firm Hosted

    Jones Day’s 2019 Speaker Series: IP Roundup 2019

    November 2019 Alerts

    NCAA Paves Way for College Athletes to Receive Benefits for Name, Image, and Likeness Rights

    September 2019 Jones Day Publications

    Women in IP: Reviewing a "Scandalous Matter" at the Supreme Court

    July 2019 Jones Day Publications

    Jones Day's Women in IP Initiative

    June 2019 Alerts

    Supreme Court Holds Immoral and Scandalous Trademarks Are Registrable

    June 2019 Jones Day Publications

    Supreme Court Holds Immoral and Scandalous Trademarks Are Registrable

    May 2019 Alerts

    "Rejection" of a Trademark License in Bankruptcy Is a Breach, Not a Rescission

    March 2019 Jones Day Publications

    Jones Day Talks Intellectual Property: Women in IP – The Supreme Court’s "Copyright Day"

    March 2019 Alerts

    No Longer Paid in Full: "Full Costs" Covers Only Taxable Costs in Copyright Cases

    March 2019 Alerts

    Registration Required: Supreme Court Resolves Circuit Split Over Requirements for Copyright Action
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    Additional Publications

    • Summer 2017
      Standing Still: Denial of Certiorari in Belmora LLC v. Bayer Consumer Care AG Leaves Question on Standing for Foreign Plaintiff’s Unfair Competition Claims, New Matter, Vol. 42 No. 2
    • September 2013
      Litigating the First Amendment Defense in the Video Game Context, INTA Bulletin, Vol. 68, No. 17
    • May 2009
      Get the Green Light for Green Brands, Managing Intellectual Property

    Speaking Engagements

    • June 6, 2019
      Women in IP Speaker Series: A View From the Top—Bridging the Generational Divide: The ABCs of Gen X, Y, and Z
    • March 21, 2019
      Women in IP Speaker Series: Everything You Wanted To Know About Recent Trademark Challenges, But Were Afraid To Ask
    • February 6, 2019
      Product Trade Dress After Converse
    • December 6, 2018
      Women in IP - Women in the Courtroom
    • November 28, 2018
      The Ethics of Social Media (Practicing Law Institute)
    • November 27, 2018
      Patent and Trademark Primer Jones Day CLE Academy
    • November 27, 2018
      Jones Day CLE Academy
    • May 10, 2018
      Trademark Infringement--Demonstrating Irreparable Harm to Obtain an Injunction (Strafford Publishing)
    • April 26, 2018
      Jones Day's 2018 Speaker Series: IP Roundup - Strategic Enforcement Considerations
    • March 14, 2018
      Women in IP Speaker Series: Where Should You Go - Or Not Go - From Here?
    • October 19, 2017
      Women in IP Speaker Series: A View From The Top—Perspective of Women Leaders
    • August 24, 2017
      Jones Day Women in IP Speaker Series: Women in the Courtroom
    • July 6, 2017
      Navigating Venue and Jurisdiction in Trademark Cases, Stratford Publishing
    • November 16, 2016
      IP Roundup
    • October 20, 2016
      Women in IP Speaker Series: Bringing it to the Board
    • October 23, 2014
      Social Media, Chapter Two, INTA Roundtable Presentation
    • August 21, 2014
      2014 Speaker Series: Pirates, Steelers, and Other Branding Concerns
    • March 27, 2014
      Trademark Litigation A-Z, INTA Roundtable Presentation
    • December 3, 2013
      Games, Applications, and Social Media: Blurred Lines for Brand Owners, Jones Day CLE Academy
    • November 20, 2013
      2013 Speaker Series: Whose Content Is It Anyway? IP Issues in Social Media
    • October 17, 2013
      Whose Content is It Anyway, IP Issues in Social Media
    • July 18, 2013
      Trademark Licensing - Beyond the Periphery, INTA Roundtable Presentation
    • May 8, 2013
      Best Practices to Ensure Your Marketing Efforts Invite Sales, Not Lawsuits
    • May 8, 2013
      Where the Lanham Act and the Patent Act Collide: Trade Dress and Design Patents, INTA Meeting
    • January 31, 2013
      Trademarks, Social Media, Apps and Games, Jones Day University
    • November 29, 2012
      A Big Year for Brands, JD CLE Academy
    • August 2, 2012
      Keywords in Advertising, a US and European Perspective
    • June 7, 2012
      Jones Day Chicago 2012 MCLE University
    • May 30, 2012
      Where the Lanham Act and the Patent Act Collide: Trade Dress and Design Patents
    • March 8, 2012
      Beyond the BRIC, Worldwide Prosecution Considerations
    • November 1, 2011
      Are You Confused by that Use on the Internet? Trademarks as Keywords Continued, Columbus Bar Association
    • May 5, 2011
      But All of My Friends Are Doing It, Trademarks and Social Media, Ohio State Bar Convention
    • April 14, 2011
      Handling Complex Prosecution Matters
    • December 9, 2010
      .what? ICANN's generic top level domain program, Cleveland Metropolitan Bar Association
    • December 11, 2006
      Trademarks: Fame, Fortune and All That Goes With It, Jones Day Intellectual Property Practice Meeting
    • March 17, 2006
      Trademark Issues on the Internet, Jones Day Litigation Group Continuing Legal Education
    • December 5, 2005
      Things That Suck About the “Use” of Your Trademark on the Internet, A Look at Fair Use & Parody, Cleveland Bar Association
    • December 9, 2004
      Trademark Issues in Cyberspace, Cleveland Bar Association
    • May 2004
      Trademark Issues in Cyberspace, Jones Day Continuing Legal Education
    • December 2002
      Cyberpiracy and Personal Jurisdiction, Jones Day Continuing Legal Education
    • December 2001
      The AntiCybersquatting Protection Act, Rochester Institute of Intellectual Property
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