Trademark Team Stewart J

Trademark Team

Stewart J. Bellus Aimee L. Kaplan Debra Hentze

Who are we and what do we do?

The Collard & Roe trademark team comprises Stewart Bellus, Aimee Kaplan and Debra Hentze. Our trademark practice encompasses the full range or services necessary to protect valuable brand names, slogans, logos, domain names, trade dress and related intellectual property. Our services include:

	Creating worldwide filing programs and strategies.
	Searching and clearing new marks.
	Filing and prosecuting applications at the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office and trademark offices around the world.
	Maintaining and renewing registrations.
	Policing the marketplace through the use of watch services.
	Sending cease and desist letters.
	Negotiating favorable settlement agreements.
	Conducting litigation.
	Participating in domain name dispute resolution proceedings.
	Drafting licenses, assignments, and other written agreements.
	Handling intellectual property aspects of mergers and acquisitions.
	Preparing employee handbooks for use by corporate personnel.

We have longstanding relationships with trademark specialists in more than 70 countries and can provide advice on any trademark issue, anywhere in the world, almost immediately. We routinely plan and execute worldwide filing programs for both large and small companies that market products and services overseas. Combined with our own staff’s extensive experience in government and private practice, we are prepared to help you with any trademark or related issue you may encounter.

Why choose the Collard & Roe Trademark Team?

We believe that our numbers speak for themselves. We have handled the prosecution and maintenance of approximately 15,000 trademarks, with our clients ranging from individuals to large international companies. In 2006, our trademark team was ranked #35 among all law firms in the number of trademark registrations issued in the United States. In 2006 alone, over 300 trademarks were registered for our clients. Our practice is focused on trademarks, and for that reason, we can give you the attention and experience that your trademark portfolio deserves. We strive to give all of our clients immediate attention--you can expect to receive quick and comprehensive service when you choose the Collard & Roe trademark team.

But what do these numbers mean? First, our firm files a new trademark application and receives a new registration for one of our clients almost daily. In addition, these numbers reflect the confidence our clients have in our ability and experience.

However, even in our large volume practice, our tightly organized trademark team gives you the expertise as well as the personal and hands-on attention that you desire. Unlike some law firms, every lawyer at Collard & Roe is available to speak with clients and is always available for questions. We are one of the only firms that will file applications or take other action the same day that we are asked to undertake the work. We report promptly to our clients on all trademark matters. We have an up-to-date computerized record keeping system that allows us to generate schedules of marks owned by our clients, with each list broken down by country or other categories. In addition, we have an experienced and stable support staff whose familiarity with our clients and our files enhances our ability to efficiently and expertly handle matters.

With its focus on trademark prosecution, the Collard & Roe trademark team is an unparalleled combination of efficiency and expertise in the trademark field, providing personal attention to every client.

Who are the team members?

Stewart J. Bellus

Stewart Bellus is well-known in the trademark field and the senior trademark attorney at Collard & Roe, P.C. He has more than twenty years of experience and his practice encompasses all aspects of domestic and foreign trademark law including clearance, prosecution, policing, counseling, licensing and litigation, as well as the filing and prosecution of opposition and cancellation actions. He has represented a wide range of clients including a well-known U.S. bank with registrations in over 60 countries; a leading international seller of artificial nail care products; a leading international marketer of cosmetics; a major German chemical company; a trend-setting Norwegian furniture manufacturer; a major U.S. company specializing in medical education technology; a leading international company specializing in stock indices and analysis; one of the largest Central American food companies in the United States; a major South African airline; a well-known non-profit organization dedicated to animal adoption; and a leading non-profit organization dedicated to business and the arts. Stewart has prosecuted over 3,500 trademark applications before the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office.

Over the past two decades, Stewart has built the relatively small trademark department of an intellectual property firm specializing primarily in patents into one of the most active trademark practices in the United States. In 2006, the Collard & Roe trademark team was ranked #35 of all U.S. law firms in the number of trademark registrations issued. In 2006 alone, over 300 trademarks were registered for Collard & Roe clients. Before joining Collard & Roe, Stewart was an associate at an intellectual property boutique in New York City. Prior to that, he served for five years as an examining attorney at the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office, examining close to 10,000 applications in a wide range of fields and earning the highest ratings possible throughout his tenure. He was also selected for several special details and projects with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office Trademark Trial and Appeal Board, the Office of the Assistant Commissioner for Trademarks, and the Office of the Solicitor, and received a U.S. Department of Commerce Award for superior federal service in leading a team of 100 professionals and staff in researching, organizing, editing and writing form correspondence for the entire trademark examining operation.

Stewart is also active in the trademark and legal community. He has served on the Editorial Board of The Trademark Reporter, the major scholarly publication of the International Trademark Association (INTA) as well as on the INTA Bulletin. He attends both the INTA National Leadership Conference and Annual Meeting each year. He has been an adjunct professor at Touro Law School in New York, a judge at the BMI Moot Court Competition at Cardoza Law School in Manhattan, and a frequent lecturer before the New York State Bar Association, Nassau County Bar Association, and Suffolk County Bar Association, as well as other bar associations, businesses, and school groups. He has published articles in the National Law Journal, New York Bar Journal, Attorney of Nassau County, and other periodicals.

Aimee L. Kaplan

Aimee Kaplan is an associate and her practice encompasses trademark clearance, prosecution, counseling and litigation. She has prosecuted over 200 trademark applications before the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office and numerous copyright applications before the U.S. Copyright Office. She has also handled assignment, change of name, and recordation of other written documentation before the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office and the Canadian Intellectual Property Office for a major German chemical company and a major U.S. financial institution, among other clients. She has worked on litigation matters for a major Norwegian furniture company, and appeals, opposition and cancellation actions before the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office Trademark Trial and Appeal Board for numerous clients.

Aimee writes monthly articles for The Attorney of Nassau, and has also published articles in the Suffolk Lawyer as well as other legal publications. Aimee is a member of the Junior League of Long Island and has participated as a judge for the BMI Moot Court Competition held at Cardoza Law School in Manhattan.

Before joining the Collard & Roe trademark team, Aimee was an associate at a firm in Columbus, Ohio where she specialized in trademark prosecution and counseling and general business matters for clients of all different sizes ranging from large multinational corporations to individuals. In Columbus, Aimee served as the Social Chair of the Columbus Bar Association New Lawyers Committee; Silent Auction Chair of the Executive Babe Golf Event benefitting the American Cancer Society; a member of the Junior League of Columbus; and the founding member of Women’s Happy Hour, a professional women’s networking association, in addition to her other volunteer activities. She was selected as a Barrister Leader by the Columbus Bar Association and later participated in the Barrister Leader Planning Committee.

Debra Hentze

Debra Hentze has been a paralegal specialist in trademark law for over eighteen years, and a member of the Collard & Roe trademark team for over fifteen years. She has extensive experience in trademark clearance, prosecution, and maintenance, both in the U.S. and internationally. Debra currently has responsibility for the maintenance of more than 15,000 trademarks. Debra has completed three 60+ country filing and recordation programs for a major U.S. financial company. She has also handled the recordation of title transfers/corporate changes for 3 major financial company mergers in more than 60 countries. In addition, she handled trademark due diligence and worldwide transfers of title related to a major intimate apparel company’s acquisition of two competitors.

Debra graduated from SUNY Stony Brook with a perfect 4.0 GPA and obtained her paralegal certificate from Adelphi University. She also completed coursework for a specialized certificate in trademark and copyright law from New York University’s School of Continuing Education. Before joining Collard & Roe’s trademark team, Debra worked in the legal department of a major insurance company in New York City. She worked on clearance and prosecution of the company’s trademarks and was responsible for the maintenance of the company’s worldwide portfolio.