Jonathan S. Jennings

Jonathan represents plaintiffs and defendants in a wide variety of disputes involving trademark, copyright, trade secret, right of publicity, right of privacy, breach of contract, unfair competition and false advertising claims. He also advises companies on franchising, data privacy, and advertising issues.

As an Adjunct Professor at UIC John Marshall Law School, he teaches a course on right of publicity and privacy law, while at Northwestern University Pritzker School of Law, he taught the course on trademarks and unfair competition law. He also serves as Pro Bono General Counsel for the Chicago Bar Association.

A trained mediator, he was selected by the District Court for the Northern District of Illinois to be on its list of Lanham Act Neutrals for its trademark mediation program, and by the International Trademark Association for its panel of trademark mediators.

Jonathan also helps companies and individuals with brand development, technology issues and projects, audits, clearance, and worldwide registration issues; franchise and due diligence issues; licensing and assignment transactions; and with clearing advertising, promotional and marketing claims and contests. He also evaluates and counsels companies on claims in the food, beverage and pharmaceutical fields in light of FDA, FTC and consumer protection laws and regulations.

Recently, the World Trademark Review (WTR) recognized Jonathan as a Global Leader in private practice. Additional honors include: 2020-2023 World Trademark Review (WTR) 1000 Gold Bands in Illinois for “enforcement and litigation” and “prosecution and strategy” and the Silver Band nationally for “enforcement and litigation;” 2012-2023 Illinois “Super Lawyer” in Intellectual Property Litigation; 2022 AV-rated Preeminent Lawyer; and a 2022 Illinois “Leading Lawyer” in Advertising & Media law, Computer & Technology law, Copyright & Trademark law, Intellectual Property law, and Trade Secrets/Unfair Competition law.

After over 1000 interviews and surveys with industry clients and peers, Managing Intellectual Property Magazine selected Jonathan as a 2022 “IP Star”. Jonathan was also selected to be a Life Fellow of the American Bar Foundation, an honor limited to one percent of the licensed U.S. lawyers.

Litigation and Transactional Experience

He has represented companies, such as Bayer, PepsiCo and Eli Lilly and Company, in over sixty successful gray market federal court civil actions. He also has brought many successful anti-counterfeiting suits, which sometimes included leading seizure raids with law enforcement officials against the manufacturers of counterfeit goods. His ability to think through complex problems efficiently has earned him a reputation for finding successful solutions for clients.

In a notable case, Jonathan filed a summary judgment motion on behalf of a large telecommunications company prior to commencing a potentially lengthy trademark trial. The resulting judgment not only permanently stopped an Internet service provider from infringing the client’s mark, but also resulted in an award of attorneys’ fees and costs that he assisted the client in collecting.

He advises multinational companies on a wide variety of complex agreements pertaining to IP rights, including in one case the intellectual property issues in a $2.6 billion deal. He frequently works on trademark agreements (licensing, assignments, co-existence, co-branding, etc.) spanning many countries and the Internet, as well as on agreements relating to copyrighted materials, including software development and technology issues. His litigation experience enhances his negotiating skills.

Impact on Intellectual Property Policy

Jonathan also has made his mark on the law by drafting and testifying in favor of the Illinois Right of Publicity Act, organizing a meeting of trade and bar associations and government officials where he worked with them to revise the U.S. Patent & Trademark Office’s Rules of Practice, preparing testimony on the Trademark Dilution Revision Act, and advancing the goals of brand owners in meetings with U.S. Customs and Treasury Officials.

Author and Adjunct Professor

Jonathan has co-authored a one-volume treatise entitled “Trademarks and Unfair Competition: Critical Issues in the Law” that was published by Law Journal Press of New York, the Illinois chapter of the International Trademark Association’s U.S. State Trademark and Unfair Competition Law, as well as a chapter on “Domain Names and Trademarks On the Internet” for The Intellectual Property Handbook: A Practical Guide for Franchise, Business and IP Counsel. He is a regular contributor to the Pharmaceutical Trade Marks Group’s (PTMG’s) publication entitled Law, Lore & Practice.

Noted Authority

The Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit has cited to him as an authority on anti-cybersquatting disputes, and he has been quoted in leading publications on a variety of intellectual property law issues such as The American Lawyer, The National Law Journal, the Chicago Tribune, espn.com, Sportsillustrated.com and Law Lore & Practice. He has been recognized for his legal accomplishments and service to bar associations.

Pro Bono

Finally, Jonathan also enjoys taking on pro bono matters for artists, The Chicago Bar Association, and not-for-profit charitable and service organizations. He serves on the Board of the Public Interest Law Initiative (PILI), and a INTA Pro Bono Spotlight Article highlighted his contributions in this area.