Chris is a partner of the intellectual property firm Merchant & Gould and a trademark lawyer who assists his clients in the U.S. and overseas with trademark issues related to global portfolio management, clearance, registration, and enforcement. He is constantly developing innovative methods for finding trademark infringements in the marketplace and online in order to protect his clients’ brands. Chris is a frequent speaker and writer on trademark issues in the U.S. and Europe and has served as a member of, and chair of subcommittees for, several international trademark organizations such as the International Trademark Association, the Institute of Trademark Attorneys (U.K.), European Communities Trademark Association (Europe), the German Intellectual Property Association and the Pharmaceutical Trademark Group (Europe).More recently Chris has served as a consultant to Trademarks OnPoint offering insights into global trademark clearance and enforcement issues to assist with product development. In particular, he has assisted in developing a first-of-its-kind "Global Distinctiveness Indicator" that offers intelligence on how trademark offices around the world view the registerability of certain marks. This tool should help brandholders avoid global roll-out killers when selecting new marks.Chris has also served as an Adjunct Associate Professor at the University of Minnesota Law School teaching the Trademarks course and serves as a mentor to law students at the University of St. Thomas School of Law.