Chuck Saunders Email & Phone Number

Bonita Springs, Fl, Us

United States

Provided comprehensive analysis of prospective borrowers’/sellers’ brand and trademark assets in capital-raising projects worth $1 billion across several industries. Evaluated prospective borrowers’/sellers’ businesses, brands, trademarks and domain names focused on quality of IP coverage, future opportunities, risks and disposition strategies. Provided strategic advice internally on Aon’s products, process and tools (including AI tools), and trained and developed Aon team members. *Role eliminated due to RIF.Selected Achievements* Evaluated brands and trademarks for debt financing transactions exceeding $1 billion, leading to securing tens to hundreds of millions of dollars per borrower via insured collateral-protected loans, generating significant revenues for Aon.* Enabled consulting clients to achieve highest IP valuations in equity-based capital raises and dispositions including brand and trademark assets.

Wilmington, De

Charged with dual role: Led 21-member global trademark practice team’s delivery of expert legal services and rebuilt trademark practice infrastructure from ground up for biopharmaceutical business exceeding $37 billion in revenues. Provided legal counsel regarding trademark selection and clearance, registration, enforcement and defense for many blockbuster products. Partnered with internal stakeholders and directed outside counsel to achieve legal risk management, compliance, safeguarding of company and its assets while driving toward business goals.Selected Achievements* Successfully transformed trademark organization and operations resulting in millions of dollars of annual cost-savings, higher quality substantive legal results and team-member development:Delivered strategic trademark portfolio review, reducing from 36,000 assets to 15,000 while bolstering protection levels, elevating practice standards, reducing risks and launching new products.Rebuilt trademark organization aligning resources to business goals, reducing from 21 FTEs to 4, while developing high-performance culture and improved employee engagement.Designed, negotiated and executed outside counsel strategy, leveraging technology and operating practices to streamline trademark prosecution, renewals and portfolio management.* Successfully litigated to protect Nexium brand, one of the best-selling pharmaceutical products of all time. This case involved protecting the color purple as trade dress/trademark in multiple actions with multiple parties across two U.S. district courts and resulted in safeguarding valuable IP assets, and preserving patient safety and commercial brand value. * Negotiated and administered complex trademark and trade dress provisions of Over the Counter (OTC) licensing agreements, including for Prilosec and Nexium blockbuster products. Nexium deal resulted in $250M upfront payment.

Philadelphia Metropolitan Area

Contentious and non-contentious trademark, copyright, trade secret and unfair competition practice. Successfully resolved litigation in federal district and Pennsylvania state courts, domain name disputes before the World Intellectual Property Organization and trademark opposition proceedings before the U.S. Trademark Trial and Appeal Board. Represented a business in its successful asset sale to Viacom.

Camden, New Jersey

Led global trademark, patent, copyright and trade secret practice for iconic food and beverage company encompassing multinational team of 8 IP attorneys and paralegals and 100+ outside counsel. Provided strategic legal advice on a broad and diverse range of IP matters. Provided generalist legal support to customer sales team and the beverage business. Selected Iconic Brands: Campbell’s soups, Pepperidge Farm baked goods, Godiva chocolates, V8 beverages, Pace Mexican sauces, Prego sauces, and Franco-American pasta productsSelected Achievements* Successfully litigated enforcement of Campbell’s trademark rights, including the precedent-setting case Nabisco, Inc. v. PF Brands, Inc., 191 F.3d 208 (2d Cir. 1999) which protected the famous Goldfish brand cracker product trade dress.* Played key role drafting, negotiating and executing intellectual property transactional agreements, including the successful $1 billion Euro acquisition of 900+ trademarks protecting many international food brands from Unilever

Washington D.C.

Selected for development from legal assistant to attorney while attending law school at night. Engaged in comprehensive U.S. and international trademark, copyright, and unfair competition work. Enforced and defended client trademarks in U.S. District Court, U.S. Trademark Trial and Appeal Board and foreign National Trademark Office proceedings. Successfully oversaw extensive trademark portfolios, encompassing availability opinions, registration efforts, and worldwide enforcement. Negotiated licenses, distribution agreements, and confidentiality terms; provided guidance on diverse trademark and copyright concerns.

Washington D.C.

Contentious and non-contentious trademark and copyright practice.

Washington, D.C.

Juris Doctor (J.D.), Cum Laude

Bachelor'S Degree, Political Science