Partner

Kathryn Eyster

Kathryn often finds herself serving as both the catalyst to get things done and as the glue to hold things together. Whether she is managing a law firm, coordinating soccer team practices or organizing an outing, people know they can trust Kathryn to deliver. She has a gift for distilling complex situations into understandable and achievable tasks and then helping everyone make sure those tasks are completed. Even when dealing with forceful personalities (also known as lawyers), Kathryn is able to provide focus and leadership, together with a good dose of humor, enabling her to effectively accomplish what many regard as the equivalent of herding cats.

Kathryn’s practice involves advising clients on the selection, adoption, use and enforcement of trademarks and service marks, with a particular focus on the unique challenges presented by overlapping legal and regulatory scrutiny of pharmaceutical trademarks. She deals with all aspects of trademark prosecution, maintenance, enforcement and portfolio management. Kathryn regularly advises clients on trademark development, clearance and registration strategies tailored to fit the unique needs of their business objectives and industries. She assists clients in negotiating licenses and other intellectual property-related agreements.

Kathryn also regularly works to resolve intellectual property disputes in a manner that meets her clients’ needs, through direct negotiation, alternative dispute resolution or, when necessary, formal inter partes proceedings, such as trademark opposition proceedings before the United States Trademark Trial and Appeal Board. Her practice also includes resolving domain name disputes as they relate to trademark interests, and addressing copyright registration and enforcement issues.

Kathryn is active in the International Trademark Association (INTA), where she has served on and chaired several subcommittees, including the USPTO Subcommittee and the US Legislation Subcommittee, both of which have kept her active in the dialogue to shape trademark policy.

Kathryn has also served on the Board of Directors and as Past President of the Triangle Intellectual Property Law Association (TIPLA), on the INTA PAC Board and as participating as a member of the Trademark Specialization Committee of the North Carolina State Bar.

Kathryn has been called on to speak to both legal and business audiences by organizations throughout the region. Organizations such as the North Carolina Bar Association Intellectual Property Law Section, Carolinas Patent Trademark & Copyright Law Association, the North Carolina Bar Association Paralegal Section and the North Carolina Bar Association Business Law Section have invited Kathryn to share her insights. She has addressed groups on a wide range of trademark issues, including the Madrid Protocol, international trademark registration strategies, trademark counseling and prosecution tips, dilution, and trademark research and investigation strategies.

Super Lawyers magazine has recognized Kathryn as a “Rising Star” in North Carolina and has most recently identified her as a “Super Lawyer” in the intellectual property field. She has also consistently been included in the WTR 1000 list of the World’s Leading Trademark Professionals published by World Trademark Review.

Kathryn received her Bachelor’s of Science, summa cum laude, from Duke University. She later attended law school at Wake Forest University on the A.J. Fletcher Full Tuition Academic Scholarship, where she participated on the International Moot Court Team and the Wake Forest Law Review. She received her J.D. magna cum laude and completed a federal clerkship for Judge Carlton Tilley in the Middle District of North Carolina before entering into private practice. She is a mother of three and an avid supporter of Duke basketball. During the offseason, Kathryn enjoys reading and sunshine, preferably both at once.