Foley & Lardner LLP

Miriam Claire Beezy

Partner

Miriam Claire Beezy is a partner with Foley & Lardner LLP and a member and former chair of the Trademark, Copyright & Advertising Practice, as well as a member of the IP Litigation and International Practices, and the Sports; Hospitality, Resort & Golf and Life Sciences Industry Teams. Ms. Beezy was co-founder and former co-chair of Foley’s Entertainment & Media Industry Team.

Her intellectual property experience includes developing and managing global company IP portfolios and policies; trademark and copyright clearance and protection, prosecution and transactions; domain name registration; overcoming third-party obstacles; advertising, merchandising and brand management counseling; intellectual property due diligence; strategic planning; educating executives/personnel; licensing; USPTO and domain name proceedings, including opposition, cancellation and UDRP and similar proceedings to enforce trademarks and copyrights; and global transactions, disputes and enforcement.

Ms. Beezy has an extensive background in the entertainment industry and life sciences. She was a partner, founded and chaired the Intellectual Property and Technology Department at Greenberg Glusker in Los Angeles, where she developed and handled the IP work for clients, such as Roseanne Barr, Robert DeNiro’s company Tribeca, Jane Seymour, and Wayne Gretzky. She cultivated a prominent entertainment industry client list that included the popular Australian children’s musical entertainment group, "The Wiggles"; a leading U.S. newspaper columnist, Phillips-Van Buren (a/k/a "Dear Abby"); actress Kelly LeBrock; artist Charles Bragg; Pathe Productions, the largest independent production company in France; a producer of well-known television shows and his production company; and technology, gaming and promotions companies that serve the entertainment industry. Ms. Beezy also developed and handled trademark, copyright and licensing work for a major aircraft company.

Prior to being a partner at Greenberg Glusker, she was a partner, founded and chaired the Trademark Department at Mitchell, Silberberg & Knupp LLP. At Mitchell, she protected the Rolling Stones and the famous series of tongue logos, as well as the intellectual property rights of Muhammad Ali and other entertainers and groups such as Brandy, Pearl Jam, Ozomatli and Korn. She also represented The Wiggles and protected their famous characters. In addition, she represented studios and the principals of Broadcom in IP due diligence concerning potential acquisitions of sports teams.

Ms. Beezy served as chief trademark counsel of The Walt Disney Company, where she managed the company’s worldwide trademark portfolio, including obtaining, licensing and enforcing Disney’s trademark rights around the world. She supervised the wide variety of intellectual property issues relating to Disney’s consumer products, motion pictures, television, musicals, video, theme parks, sports teams, restaurants, cruise lines, apparel, toys, collectibles and retail stores. She handled the intellectual property issues associated with Disney’s purchase of the baseball team now known as the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim. Also, Ms. Beezy was selected to serve on a committee to rewrite MPAA title registry and dispute rules.

In addition to her entertainment industry experience, Ms. Beezy has a biotechnology background and special knowledge and experience in the biotechnology and pharmaceutical industry. Her background includes pharmaceutical company worldwide branding strategy development, marketing planning and promotion for large worldwide branding programs. She also has extensive experience representing companies in the fabric, Internet and e-commerce, computer networks, computer software and hardware, merchandise, consumer products, food, apparel, jewelry and retail industries. She has protected the intellectual property of many start-ups, and was selected as a candidate by the International Trademark Association to serve on the original board of directors of ICANN, the organization that develops rules and policies for Internet domain names.

Ms. Beezy has been Peer Review Rated as AV® Preeminent™, the highest performance rating in Martindale-Hubbell's peer review rating system. Based on her AV® Preeminent™ ranking, she was included in the American Lawyer Magazine 2012 “Women Leaders in the Law.” She has been listed as a leading practitioner in the 2011 World Trademark Review 1000 and awarded the prestigious California Lawyer of the Year Award in 2007 by the California Lawyer, the state bar's publication. She was selected for inclusion in the 2004, 2006, 2007, 2012 and 2013 California Super Lawyer® lists. Ms. Beezy is listed within the top 10 trademark lawyers by NameProtect Trademark Insider, Q3, 2003 and is listed in the current edition of Who’s Who in American Law (2005-2006) and Who’s Who of American Women (2006-2007).

In 2006, Ms. Beezy received the WIN Award, from the Women's Image Network, honoring outstanding film, television and advertising artists, executives and individuals whose superior achievement inspires others to excel in their respective fields.

Ms. Beezy’s additional representations and experience include:

  • Developing a successful copyright enforcement program for a leading producer of fabric designs and lead counsel in obtaining a seven-figure settlement
  • Successfully developing and enforcing multimillion dollar national licensing programs
  • Significant and successful representations in the entertainment industry regarding clearance, global product launches, developing and enforcing branding programs for entertainment and consumer products properties
  • Significant representations of major pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies in global product launches, worldwide branding programs, developing policies and strategies on trademark usage, domain names, Internet and Web site issues
  • IP counsel to Legacy Interactive, Inc., well-known producer of interactive games for popular television shows
  • Representing an international food company and serving as lead counsel in a federal court trademark infringement action to recover trademark rights fraudulently obtained by a competitor
  • Representing a major North Carolina textile company in a multimillion dollar acquisition and licensing of an apparel manufacturer’s trademarks
  • Numerous victories on behalf of clients in recovering domain names from cybersquatters and enforcement of copyrights and trademarks over the Internet
  • Developing, managing and enforcing the global trademark portfolio for a major footwear company
  • Successfully defending a watch manufacturer in trademark infringement action and obtained dismissal
  • Successfully representing an international conglomerate in obtaining preliminary injunctions against trademark infringers
  • Successfully representing a major U.S. furniture manufacturer in proceedings before the USPTO’s Trademark Trial and Appeal Board
  • Representation of prominent media and production companies in trademark and copyright matters and proceedings
  • Representing worldwide promotions company in trademark and copyright matters for premium and promotions programs in the entertainment, food and consumer products industries
  • Successfully recovering domain names for well-known actors, actresses and celebrities
  • Successfully developing merchandising programs for entertainers and sports figures
  • Representing buyer of well-known coffee brand in its successful multi-million dollar acquisition, managing global trademark portfolio and enforcing rights
  • Developing and managing brands and trademark portfolios for major real estate developments and resorts
  • Handling worldwide clearance and acquisition of IP and rights of publicity of living and deceased actresses for Pathe Productions

Ms. Beezy serves on the executive board of directors of the Biederman Institute of Entertainment and Media Law at Southwestern Law School. She is also adjunct faculty at Southwestern Law School, where she is a professor of trademark law.

Ms. Beezy is a master of the Intellectual Property Inns of Court, a member of the Los Angeles Copyright Society, the Beverly Hills Bar Association, where she was the chair of the Patent, Trademark and Copyright Section, served as the Intellectual Property Liaison to Legislation Committee and was a member of the Barristers Board of Governors. She is a member of the Los Angeles County Bar Association, IP Section; the State Bar of California, IP Section; California Women Lawyers; Licensing Executives Society; the International Trademark Association (member: Industry Advisory Council, 1997-2000; External Affairs Committee and Treaty Promotion Subcommittee, 2000-2002, Information Resources Committee, 2004-2007), the Los Angeles Intellectual Property Law Association, and the Los Angeles World Affairs Counsel.

Publications:

  • "The Privatisation of Gambling Activities in the U.S.," co-author, World Online Gambling Law Report, January 2010
  • "Trade Secrets — Book Review," California Lawyer, January 2010
  • Cover and feature article: "Good Marksmanship: New Technologies Require the Implementation of Creative Trademark Protection Strategies," Los Angeles Lawyer, December 2006
  • "Pharmaceutical Rollouts: Going Global, Early Coordination Pays Off," Counsel to Counsel, November 2005
  • "Co-Branding: A Popular Form of Strategic Alliance," IP Value: Building and Enforcing Intellectual Property Value, 2005
  • "From an Engineer’s Perspective," Medical Design Technology, December 2004
  • "Caveat Emptor or ‘Let the Buyer Beware’ Applying Diligent Investor Principles to Trademark and Copyright Issues in Mergers and Acquisitions," Martindale.com, November 2004; IPFrontline IP & Tech Magazine
  • "Trade Secrets," co-author, Los Angeles Daily Journal, May 24, 2004
  • "Incorrect Use of Marks Can Become Costly for Owners," co-author, Los Angeles Daily Journal, May 5, 2003
  • "Co-Branding, Done Correctly, Makes Great Marketing," co-author, Los Angeles Daily Journal, January 27, 2003

Presentations:

  • "Intellectual Property Issues and Topics for Business Lawyers," Guest Lecturer, USC Law School, April 2013
  • “Mastering Copyright, Trademark & Patent Law,” Speaker, The Rossdale Group Telephonic CLE Seminar, February 2013
  • "Character and Product Merchandising After Betty Boop, The Wizard of Oz, Gone with the Wind and Louboutin Red (Fleisher Studios v. A.V.E.L.A. cases; Warner Bros v. A.V.E.L.A. et al and Louboutin v. YSL)," Moderator, INTA 2012 Annual Meeting, to be presented May 9, 2012
  • “Copyright, Trademark, & Trade Secrets,” Speaker, The Rossdale Group CLE Seminar, March 8, 2012
  • "Cutting-Edge Issues in Copyright Law," Speaker, The Rossdale Group Telephonic CLE Seminar, October 5, 2011
  • "TRIPS and the Enforcement of Soft IP - Trademarks and Copyrights," Speaker, The Center for Law and Intellectual Property Conference, April 2011
  • "Counseling, Drafting & Negotiation Co-branding Agreements," Speaker, National Constitution Center Webinar, March 2011
  • "Developing Legally Compliant Integrated Promotions Utilizing Reality Television as a More Cost-Effective Platform to Showcase Your Product," Panel Speaker, American Conference Institute’s 24th National Advanced Forum on Advertising Law, January 2011
  • "Technology and the Law Department," Panel Speaker, Fourth Annual In-house Counsel Conference hosted by the Association of Corporate Counsel, January 2008
  • "Combating Counterfeit IP: Theft, Drugs and Rock & Roll," audio conference hosted by National Constitution Center Conferences, January 2007
  • "Growing Threat to Consumer Safety," Panel Moderator, Anti-Counterfeiting and Brand Protection Conference hosted by Legal IQ, October 2006
  • "Building the Treasure Chest: How to Establish and Maximize IP Portfolios for Evolving New Media Companies," Panel Moderator, Convergence – Now: New Media, Entertainment Technology & the Law Seminar, October 2006
  • "Protecting Your Enduring Material: When and How to Copyright Your Creations," Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education, San Francisco, 2006
  • "Brand Management," Moderator, California State Bar Intellectual Property Institute, Napa Valley, California, November 2005
  • "Trademark Litigation," Host, International Trademark Association Roundtable, Los Angeles, 2005
  • "The U.S. Supreme Court Decision in Grokster and its Impact," Panelist, Copyright After MGM v. Grokster, Copyright Office Program, New York City, July 2005
  • "Getting your Brand Name Approved by the Regulatory Authorities," Building Better Brands, A New Branding Paradigm: Building Shareholder Value Through Quality, Safety, and Price, MedAd News Pharmaceutical Marketing Partnerships Institute, Philadelphia, 2005
  • "Combating Counterfeiting and Practice: Strategies to Protect Your Business and Intellectual Property Interests in the U.S., China (and other Asian countries), Europe, and Latin America," State Bar of California, International Law Section, Los Angeles, 2005
  • "Advertising Law," Lorman Seminars, 2005
  • "Building an Intellectual Property Law Practice," Beverly Hills Bar Association, 2005
  • "Trademarks and Copyrights in Mergers and Acquisitions," Tokyo, 2004
  • "Trademark Issues in Business Transactions," International Trademark Association Roundtable, Los Angeles, 2004
  • "Trademark Searching and Protection Under the Madrid Protocol," International Trademark Association Roundtable, Oakley, Inc., Orange County, CA, 2004
  • "When Funny Isn’t Funny Anymore: The Parody Defense to Copyright & Trademark Infringement Claims," co-speaker, CLE program to legal department of Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios, 2004
  • "Branding and Trademarks," Intellectual Property Issues in Business Transactions, Practicing Law Institute, 2004
  • "Protecting Trademark & Copyright Rights in the Travel Industry," Western Association of Convention & Visitors Bureaus’ Annual Meeting, Vancouver, 2003
  • "USPTO Electronic Filing Procedures," International Trademark Association Roundtable, Los Angeles, 2001
  • "Make Sure the Buzz Doesn’t Bite: Trademark Protection for Brand Names," Software Information Industry Association, Spring Symposium, 1999
  • "Music, Entertainment and Sport Industries," International Trademark Association, Annual Meeting, Seattle, 1999
  • "U.S. and International Trademark Law," Intellectual Property and Technology, MBA Program, University of LaVerne, 1999
  • "Trademark and Copyright Protection in the Entertainment and Sport Industries," Wisconsin State Bar Convention, 1999
  • "Developing Company Policies and Publications Regarding Appropriate Trademark Use," International Trademark Association, Corporate Counsel Roundtable, The Walt Disney Company, Burbank, CA, 1998
  • "Protecting Your Trademarks in the Snack Food Industry," Snaxpo, Snack Food Industry Annual Convention, Anaheim, 1998
  • "Character Merchandising," International Trademark Association Annual Meetings, San Francisco, 1996; San Antonio, 1997
  • "International Trademark Enforcement," International Trademark Law Annual Conferences, CLE International, Los Angeles, 1996, 1997

Ms. Beezy obtained her law degree in 1986 from Southwestern University School of Law in Los Angeles. She attended Rice University and earned her bachelor’s degree from the University of California at Los Angeles.

She is admitted to practice in the U.S. District Courts for the Central District of California, Eastern District of California, Southern District of California, Northern District of Florida, District of Nevada, Northern District of Texas, and the Southern District of New York.

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