An experienced trademark lawyer, Deborah Wilcox is the Cleveland office coordinator for the firm's Intellectual Property, Technology and Media Practice. She has been rated as preeminent in her field with the highest ethical standard by Martindale-Hubbell, an authoritative resource on the legal profession. Deborah manages complex copyright, trademark and e-commerce litigation, from contractual software disputes to cybersquatting to the ex parte seizures of infringing character and sports merchandise. She is also experienced in copyright, trademark and Internet domain name selection, registration and licensing, both in the U.S. and internationally. As Internet and mobile technologies continue to develop, Deborah regularly counsels clients regarding search engine optimization, online auction sites, blogs and social media sites, as well as direct marketing to consumers such as via emails and text messaging. She also frequently addresses matters under the Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA).
Deborah has traveled extensively in Southeast Asia and has appeared in a Korean television broadcast concerning international protection of intellectual property rights of United States companies. Based on years of experience in the area, she speaks regularly on protecting rights in the People's Republic of China and other countries known for both manufacturing legitimate products and for counterfeiting.
Deborah counsels clients on intellectual property and advertising matters in merchandising and entertainment areas such as toys and online worlds, clothing and shoes, cartoons, sports, music, television and radio, restaurants, household goods and appliances and power tools. She manages intellectual property rights and disputes for authors and artists, educational institutions and clients in diverse industrial and e-commerce areas from aerospace to zinc. She also manages IP issues for insurance and business services clients.
Deborah teaches annual Continuing Legal Education courses on registration and enforcement of intellectual property rights. She is on the Advisory Board of The Licensing Journal and has written "IP Online" columns for Wisconsin Technology News.
Deborah has served as an adjunct professor at Case Western Reserve University Law School, teaching Trademarks, and has served on the Advisory Board for the University of Florida Fredric G. Levin College of Law. She is a member of, and has chaired, various copyright and trademark committees for the American, Ohio and Cleveland Metropolitan Bar Associations, the Cleveland Intellectual Property Law Association (President, 2012-13), the International Trademark Association and the International AntiCounterfeiting Coalition (currently serving on the Legislative Committee and Internet Task Force), and is a member of the Advisory Group for the United States District Court, Northern District of Ohio.
Ms. Wilcox serves as a trustee of The Cleveland Association of Phi Beta Kappa and is a Board member and Secretary for the Ingenuity Festival of Art & Technology. The Ingenuity Festival is an annual celebration of art and technology, designed for audiences of any age and experience, staged in Downtown Cleveland.