Your trademark is more than a name or a logo. It’s the reputation you’ve earned, the customers who recognize you, and the market position you’ve worked to establish. When someone else uses what’s yours — or when you’re building something new and want to do it right from the start — you need an attorney who treats trademark work like the serious legal matter it is.
Jonathan Francis is a registered patent attorney and Chicago IP lawyer who helps businesses and entrepreneurs register, protect, and enforce their trademarks before the United States Patent and Trademark Office and in federal court. Whether you’re a startup launching your first brand or an established business facing an infringement problem, he brings a litigator’s instincts to every trademark matter.
Trademark Registration
Registering your trademark with the USPTO is one of the most cost-effective steps you can take to protect your business. A federal registration gives you nationwide priority, the right to use the ® symbol, a presumption of ownership in court, and a powerful tool for stopping infringers and counterfeiters.
Jonathan handles the full registration process, including:
• Trademark clearance searches before you invest in a brand
• Preparing and filing applications with the USPTO
• Responding to USPTO Office Actions, including likelihood of confusion refusals
• Navigating the opposition and cancellation process
• Maintaining and renewing registered trademarks
As a registered patent attorney with a science and technology background, Jonathan is particularly well-suited to help biotech, pharmaceutical, and technology companies manage complex trademark portfolios alongside their patent and IP strategy.
Trademark Infringement Defense
If you’ve received a cease-and-desist letter or been sued for trademark infringement, time is of the essence. Jonathan evaluates your exposure, identifies available defenses, and develops a strategy — whether that means negotiating a resolution or defending you in litigation.
Common defenses in trademark infringement matters include:
• Challenging whether the plaintiff’s mark is actually valid and protectable
• Likelihood of confusion analysis — often more favorable than plaintiffs suggest
• Fair use, including descriptive and nominative fair use
• Priority — demonstrating that your use predates the plaintiff’s rights
• Challenging the scope of the plaintiff’s claimed rights
Trademark Enforcement
If someone is using your trademark without authorization — a competitor, a counterfeiter, or an online seller — you have options. Jonathan helps trademark owners send effective cease-and-desist letters, file infringement actions in federal court, and pursue relief through the USPTO’s Trademark Trial and Appeal Board (TTAB).
Copyright & Creative Rights
Jonathan’s practice grew out of Chicago’s creative community — comedians, writers, performers, and producers who needed a lawyer who understood fair use, parody, and the real-world legal questions facing working artists. That background informs his trademark and IP work today. If your business sits at the intersection of creative rights and commercial interests, Jonathan understands that territory.
Schedule a Consultation
Trademark questions are time-sensitive. Whether you’re launching a brand, responding to a dispute, or enforcing your rights, early legal advice makes a difference.
Jonathan Francis | Law Office of Jonathan Francis
Monadnock Building | 53 W. Jackson Blvd., Suite 1126 | Chicago, IL 60604
(312) 210-0308
Serving businesses and entrepreneurs based in Chicago, Illinois and beyond.