John A. Cullis

John Cullis focuses his practice on intellectual property litigation, counseling and procurement. Over the course of his career, John has been recognized among his peers as a preeminent litigator in the field of intellectual property.

John is an accomplished trial lawyer who has first-chaired trademark, trade dress, trade secret, copyright and unfair competition matters before judges and juries in numerous U.S. federal courts and the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office’s (USPTO) Trademark Trial and Appeal Board. John is known for his ability to develop highly effective case strategies that lead to an early resolution for the client.

John’s trial experience and strategic approach has led to him being sought out and engaged by several major brands to take over highly contentious cases that were destined for trial. In many instances, John was able to develop and execute an effective case strategy that was designed to resolve the case in the most cost-effective manner possible.

In addition, he routinely counsels clients on the clearance, registration, enforcement, licensing, acquisition, and disposition of IP rights. John prides himself on working collaboratively with each client and maintaining the highest level of professionalism in his enforcement efforts, as he recognizes that, as outside counsel, he is an ambassador for some of the world’s most valuable brands.

Beyond IP matters, John leverages his dual Canadian-U.S. law licenses to advise many foreign-based clients on a wide range of U.S. legal issues, including U.S. acquisitions and dispositions, corporate formations, cross-border tax issues, insolvency and restructuring issues, licensing and transactional agreements, commercial real estate matters, and corporate and commercial disputes.