Joan Optican Herman Partner

Joan’s extensive trademark experience spans large international portfolios to small regional portfolios. She counsels clients in the trademark selection and search process, prosecutes trademark applications through registration in both the U.S. and foreign venues, maintains appeals, oppositions and cancellations before the Trademark Trial and Appeal Board and defends her clients’ trademark rights from infringement, from first infringer contact through settlement or litigation.

Her prosecution and defense expertise extends to domain name dispute proceedings before the World Intellectual Property Organization as well as patent counsel, including patentability and noninfringement opinions, prosecution of patents both in the U.S. and in foreign venues, and appeals before the Board of Patent Appeals and Interferences. She is an expert in the chemical and mechanical fields, and also maintains a business counseling practice that covers licenses, assignments, a variety of business agreements, and general counseling. She also maintains large intellectual property portfolios for clients both domestically and internationally, and works with clients to recognize their continually updated needs.