Andrea Bates is a founder of Bates & Bates, and specializes in the protection and commercialization of intellectual property.

She concentrates her practice on sophisticated worldwide IP management and counseling to strategically position clients patents, brands, and images in the global marketplace. Her goal is to enhance and increase the value of each client’s intellectual property with the goal of increasing the client’s market share. Andrea’s practice includes trademark, patent, copyright, domain name and related intellectual property matters. She serves as intellectual property counsel, with a focus on trademark matters, for significant trademark owners around the world, including Gibson Brands, The Coca-Cola Company and Chemours. She specializes in coordinating worldwide portfolios from a global procurement, maintenance, enforcement and strategic management perspective.

Ms. Bates also has an extensive background in intellectual property litigation and conflict matters. She has been involved with both domestic and international intellectual property disputes dealing with patents, trademark, and trade dress infringement.

Andrea is a former partner of Greenberg Traurig. She also served as Chief IP counsel for Checkfree Corporation and General Counsel for Checkfree Software. Andrea excelled in advising in the development and protection of exploitation of company intellectual property.

Johnathan M. Bates is a partner at B&B, and is the Chair of the Anti-Counterfeit and Anti-Piracy Team. Using tactical and proven IP enforcement strategies, Johnathan assists clients in curbing the mass production, importation, and sale of pirated goods in markets worldwide. He and his team have extensive experience in handling comprehensive infringement cases before civil, criminal, and administrative tribunals. Understanding the value of a strategic IP program, Johnathan works intently to help B&B clients secure and protect their IP portfolios. One of the most hands on strategies John utilizes is working with global Customs authorities and the International Customs Enforcement. By training Customs personnel and other similar trade enforcement authorities to recognize counterfeits, a frontline weapon is developed and maintained as part of a cohesive global strategy for IP enforcement. Some other enforcement authorities that are utilized in this defense strategy are Homeland Security, the FBI, Interpol, ATF, DEA, as well as local law enforcement agencies. The use of such a broad range of agencies provides a multipronged approach in the prevention of the distribution of unlawful goods.

Before joining B&B, Johnathan was the State’s Attorney for Grundy County, Illinois. His breadth of experience from working closely with government and law enforcement officials has proven to be highly beneficial in effectively addressing counterfeit and piracy issues.

Kathryn Cox is a partner at Bates & Bates. She is an experienced patent and trademark attorney, Kate assists clients in leveraging their brands by managing design patents, trademarks, industrial design portfolios, and negotiating strategic alliances. Her breadth of patent and trademark experience includes: prior art and clearance searches; prosecution of domestic and international design patents; industrial designs; trademarks and service marks; domain name registration and monitoring; enforcement; litigation and licensing.

Kate is also an experienced transactional attorney, having drafted and negotiated a diverse range of patent and trademark relevant agreements. These include international and domestic sales, licensing and joint venture agreements, franchise agreements, operating agreements, IP and technology licenses, confidentiality agreements, re seller agreements, acquisition agreements, and outsourcing agreements.

Before joining B&B, Kate worked as an intellectual property attorney at Lane & Waterman in Davenport, Iowa and in the Madison office of Foley & Lardner. She has also worked as a licensing associate for the University of Iowa Research Foundation, where she managed an intellectual property portfolio of approximately 300 cases. Because of her diverse experience, Kate has a unique understanding of the challenges faced by in-house counsel in balancing a company’s business goals with legal risks and compliance.

Danise Lopes is the Head of the Global Trademark Team at Bates & Bates, specializing in trademark law and strategic leadership. With a distinguished career spanning pivotal roles at multinational corporations including The Coca-Cola Company and Jacuzzi Brands, she brings extensive expertise in intellectual property management and a track record of delivering impactful global results.

As former Head of Intellectual Property at The Coca-Cola Company, she crafted robust IP policies and managed operations to fortify the company’s global trademark portfolio. At Jacuzzi Brands, she further refined her skills in navigating complex IP landscapes, ensuring the protection and strategic utilization of intellectual property assets.

Strategic Leadership and Advisory Role: As a trusted advisor to C-suite executives and department heads, Ms Lopes offers strategic counsel informed by deep legal insight and commercial acumen. Her leadership extends to shaping IP strategies that align with corporate goals, driving efficiency, and safeguarding brand integrity in competitive markets.

Team Mentorship and Project Management: Renowned for my leadership prowess, Danise excels in mentoring and training teams to execute high-stakes projects within stringent timelines and budgets exceeding $50M. Her emphasis is fiscal responsibility and operational excellence, ensuring seamless execution and client satisfaction.

Danise has worked both in-house and in private practice in the UK and South Africa. In private practice, she worked with clients such as Mars Inc, Ford and football teams Celtic and Rangers. She was also global Head Of Trademarks at Reckitts [formerly Reckitt Benckiser].

Paula Guibault is a partner at Bates & Bates and is Co-Chair of the Trademark Group. Ms. Guibault brings over 25 years of global trademark experience, assisting clients with trademark strategy, complex IP risk analysis, trademark prosecution as well as IP enforcement and litigation.

Before joining Bates & Bates, Ms. Guibault was Head of Trademarks for The Coca-Cola Company. Having worked with one of the most valuable brands in the world, Ms. Guibault has a keen understanding of complex legal and business issues faced by clients in today’s global economy. Ms. Gubault applies a practical business approach to client matters to ensure that not only are the legal issues addressed, but important business goals are met as well.

Prior to joining The Coca-Cola Company, Paula was Senior Intellectual Property Counsel for the National Football League for 10 years, where she focused on the protection of all trademarks for the NFL and its 32 teams. She also advised on other intellectual property issues. She also handled contract, antitrust, and bankruptcy litigation for the NFL.

Before joining the NFL, she was an associate specializing in intellectual property at various law firms, including Skadden, Arps in New York City.

Jim Patterson is a Partner at Bates & Bates and Co-Chair of the International Patent Group. Mr. Patterson joined Bates & Bates after working with Schlumberger Limited, as Senior Patent Counsel. Understanding that corporations are built on and maintain their position in the marketplace through innovation and monetization is tantamount to success in today’s environment. The complex demands of the global economy and various patent offices require the implementation of a strategic plan for the advancement and maintenance of a viable patent portfolio.

Jim is a multilingual attorney, who brings the experience and tools necessary to safeguard a Client’s investment in research and development anywhere in the world. Mr. Patterson, and his team of experts, understand in depth the commercial implications of patent prosecution law as well as patent litigation. He works to partner with Clients to ensure that the portfolio management and enforcement is not only legally sound but also in concert with the business’ goals and budget.

Mr. Patterson, is proficient in English, Norwegian, and German (oral and written) and also has a conversational understanding of Spanish and Thai.

Kurt Schuettinger is partner in the Atlanta Office. He represents global companies such as The Coca-Cola Company, Gibson Brands, and Chemours. He has successfully tried million-dollar cases before juries in state and federal courts across the country, and performed due diligence for clients on deals worth hundreds of millions of dollars. His practice focuses on:

• • Litigating cases throughout the country involving trademark and trade dress infringement, copyright violations, misappropriation of trade secrets, and patent infringement;

• • Litigating trademark issues before the Trademark Trial and Appeal Board;

• • Litigating domain disputes issues before WIPO and other country specific domain arbitration centers;

• • Managing the international IP portfolios for clients by helping them both monetize and expand their IP portfolios worldwide; and

• Working with local counsel throughout the world daily to help clients secure and expand their IP portfolios.

His Intellectual Property litigation experience includes successfully obtaining dismissal of a $25 million federal trademark infringement lawsuit in the Northern District of Georgia on a motion to dismiss; obtaining a $1.2 million award for his client in a trademark and trade dress infringement case; and obtaining multiple judgments in the Southern District of New York against Grammy award-winning music studios’ copyright violations of an Israeli-based audio software and equipment manufacturer.

Mr. Schuettinger has drafted and filed hundreds of motions and briefs in state, federal, and appellate courts throughout the United States. He argued numerous Motions in State and Federal Courts, and has tried cases in state and federal courts throughout the country.

Before joining Bates & Bates, LLC, Mr. Schuettinger was an Intellectual Property litigation associate at an international law firm in Atlanta. During law school, he gained trial experience by clerking for the Fulton County Solicitor General’s office and clerking for the Standing Chapter 13 Trustee for the Northern District of Georgia. At graduation, he was awarded the prestigious John Marshall Award for Excellence in Appellate Advocacy, given to the top MOOT COURT participant in his graduating class due to his brief writing and oral advocacy skills. In his spare time, he coaches the South Atlanta High School Mock Trial team and participates on Intellectual Property panel discussions, including, most recently, participating as a panelist on the Metro Atlanta Chamber of Congress Intellectual Property Seminar.

Jason Cox is an associate at Bates & Bates. Since joining Bates & Bates in 2010, Jason’s practice has included trademarks, copyrights, patents, domain names and related intellectual property matters. He has worked on trademark matters for international trademark owners, including a global beverage company, E.I. du Pont de Nemours and Company, and Gibson Guitar Corp. These trademark matters include drafting office action responses, drafting and sending cease & desist letters, negotiating positive settlement agreements before and during litigation, trademark searches and clearances, and countless other tasks that are required for the management of a global trademark portfolio.

In addition to the transactional side, Mr. Cox has extensive experience in preparing litigation documents. He was instrumental in preparing litigation documents for successfully obtaining a preliminary injunction in a high-profile trademark infringement case for Gibson Guitar Corp. versus WowWee. In addition to trademark litigation, he has experience preparing claim construction briefs, Daubert motions, motions to strike expert witness testimony, and many additional patent litigation documents.

In 2010, over 80% of the S&P 500’s market value was made up of intangible assets. Bates & Bates (B&B) attorneys have extensive experience in helping clients identify, understand, quantify and maximize the value of those intangible assets. With experts in patents, trademarks, copyrights, trade secrets and finance, the B&B team has designed IP strategies which allow its clients to increase revenues and profits through the monetization of intellectual property.

The B&B team has designed a template where we work cooperatively with our clients to create a high-level strategy. The strategy begins with the evaluation of the current IP portfolio, continues with the development of additional IP, and finishes with the details necessary to extract the maximum value out of the IP. B&B realizes one size does not fit all and that litigation is not always the best way to realize the value of an IP portfolio. We strive to work hand in hand with our clients to achieve the client’s IP monetization goals.

Before joining B&B, Mr. Cox worked in the marketing department of Farmers New World Life, a division of Farmers Insurance, where he trained life insurance agents on financial products. His extensive financial background has given him experience interpreting and conveying complicated issues to clients that must work for them. He has combined his financial knowledge with his intellectual property knowledge to help create and implement IP monetization programs.

Kevin Dawson concentrates his practice on trademark portfolio management, counseling clients on the risks associated with adoption of proposed marks, and evaluating where and if applications for domestic and international registration should be filed. Kevin also facilitates clients’ monetization of intellectual property assets by developing intellectual property portfolio strategies and negotiating licensing and IP sales agreements.

Kevin engages with various global companies whose large portfolios require the use of B&B’s international network of IP attorneys to ensure that those clients’ portfolios are adequately and timely protected. Additionally, Kevin works closely with B&B’s litigation group, assisting in oppositions, discovery, and enforcement matters.

Further to trademark counseling, clearance, and prosecution, Kevin assists artists to obtain copyrights and negotiate recording, licensing, and other agreements.

Before joining B&B, Kevin was an associate at a large law firm in Indianapolis. His clients included software and technology companies, furniture manufacturers, fashion designers, and biotechnology companies ranging in size from startups to well-established large businesses.

Laura Deines is an associate at Bates & Bates’ Atlanta Office. Her practice includes all aspects of intellectual property, but primarily focuses on trademark prosecution, clearance, and global brand management. She is experienced in assisting clients with trademark protection and enforcement strategy, as well as intellectual property risk analysis.

Ms. Deines has worked on trademark matters for many trademark owners, including The Coca-Cola Company, The Chemours Company, Gibson Brands, Inc., Avanos Medical, Inc. and O&M Halyard, Inc.

In addition to her trademark prosecution work and general IP enforcement matters, she also is experienced in drafting cease and desist letters, conducting trademark searches and clearances, drafting responses to Trademark Office Actions, implementing successful online IP protection strategies. She also handles many other tasks required for the management of a global trademark portfolio.

In addition to the transactional side, Mrs. Deines is also an active member of the Bates & Bates Trademark Litigation Team. She is experienced in drafting and preparing litigation documents, organizing and drafting discovery, and managing the collection, organization, and preparation of all electronic and paper evidentiary documentation related to the litigation process. Mrs. Deines is also well versed in domain name portfolio protection and management. Mrs. Deines has extensive experience in recovering domain names before the World Intellectual Property Organization, the National Arbitration Forum, the British Columbia International Commercial Arbitration Centre, and the South African Institute of Intellectual Property Law.

Before joining Bates & Bates, she had had the opportunity to work with a number of leading healthcare organizations, including Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta and St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital. Mrs. Deines has bridged her experience in the healthcare field, as well as her background in the hard sciences, with her legal education to provide a unique and well-rounded perspective to effectively handle all intellectual property matters.

Elizabeth Poland Andujar is an associate attorney at the Atlanta office. As part of the litigation team, Elizabeth focuses her practice on various aspects of intellectual property and commercial litigation including pre-litigation matters, preparing litigation documents, managing discovery, legal research and writing, and other trial-related work. Elizabeth has worked extensively on cases involving various practice areas, including intellectual property law, contract law, and antitrust law before federal courts and the Trademark Trial and Appeal Board. Additionally, Elizabeth has successfully negotiated and drafted several favorable settlement agreements on behalf of clients.

While attending law school at the University of Georgia. Elizabeth served as the Senior Notes Editor to the Journal of International and Comparative Law. In 2020, Elizabeth won the University of Georgia Law School’s Negotiation Competition and joined the school’s Negotiation Team. Elizabeth also served as a legal extern for the Honorable Judge William M. Ray II in the Northern District of Georgia and for the Georgia Lawyers for the Arts. Additionally, Elizabeth served as a legal intern at Bates & Bates where she assisted with trademark litigation matters.

While in law school, Elizabeth earned the Louis B. Sohn Award for Academic Excellence in International Law and two CALI Awards for achieving the highest exam score in her Public International Law and Ethics legal courses. Additionally, Elizabeth earned the “Best Draft” award at the Transactional LawMeet hosted by the University of Missouri at Kansas City where she represented the buyer in a complex stock purchase transaction. She was tasked with drafting an amendment to the stock purchase agreement. Elizabeth graduated from the University of Georgia School of Law in May 2021, cum laude, and began working with Bates & Bates immediately on trademark litigation matters. She is a member of the Georgia bar.

Before working with Bates & Bates, Elizabeth worked with several arts organizations in Atlanta and its surrounding areas. There, she dedicated her career to empowering and supporting artists and musicians in both the creation and distribution of their original works through fundraising, event planning, and community programming.

Rachel Berkowitz is the Trademark Administrator and Managing Paralegal for Bates & Bates, LLC. She assists all Bates & Bates attorneys with the prosecution of domestic and foreign trademark registrations to maintain and manage Bates & Bates clients’ global portfolios through procedures and workflows of trademark applications, assignments, licensing, and customs matters. Her trademark application experience includes the successful communication of appeals with domestic and international examiners for active office actions, cancellations, and oppositions, which includes extensive gathering of supportive evidence in defense cases. She works effectively with applicants and other business personnel to obtain necessary signatures and specimens relative to the Intellectual Property prosecution and defense process.

Mrs. Berkowitz also actively works in both domestic and international trademark litigation. Her experience includes litigation document preparation and production, organization and drafting of discovery, correspondence with clients and opposing counsel, and legal research. She also has extensive exposure in scheduling management and court filings; as well as working with lawyers in preparation for new court cases and ongoing trials in both the district and appeals courts, as well as the United States Patent and Trademark office.

Before joining B&B, Mrs. Berkowitz worked as a supervising paralegal at a large law firm in Atlanta. Her team managed all mediation, hearing and trial dates as well as prepared necessary documents to be presented in court. She also aided in developing the rules and steps for her company’s internal case management systems. Her attention to detail and in-depth understanding of the various court systems has proved useful in working on multiple ongoing cases simultaneously.

As an intellectual property paralegal, Mr. Giese has extensive experience with foreign and domestic patent prosecution, including international PCT applications, as well as filings in many National and Regional Patent Offices.  In addition to assisting with the preparation, filing, and prosecuting of patent applications, Jeffrey is also well versed in coordinating and preparing declaration and assignment documents, documenting information disclosure statements. He was also corresponding with both the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) and the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO)).  Certified through the WIPO Academy for DL301-Patents, Jeffrey has also been trained in modern global patent prosecution and is familiar with priority documents, disclosure requirement deadlines, and the various filing strategies for obtaining patent protection.  Jeffrey is also experienced in the docketing matters of a diverse patent portfolio, which include duties such as maintaining records for prosecution documents, foreign and domestic correspondence, office actions, and annuity payment deadlines.

In addition to patent prosecution, Jeffrey also has extensive experience in the defense and enforcement of trademark rights and protections.   These duties include investigating trademark infringement and misuse, drafting correspondence addressing various issues and degrees of infringement, drafting warranty agreements, maintaining case profiles and infringement histories, extensive online search procedures. They also correspond with E-commerce online websites for the correction and removal or trademark infringement matters.  Jeffrey has also assisted in the filing of trademark applications as well as trademark searches through the USPTO.

Melissa Bates is an Intellectual Property Paralegal at Bates & Bates. Coupled with prosecution matters, Ms. Bates also assists in IP due diligence and enforcement matters. Ms. Bates is well organized, able to prioritize, and ensures that deadlines are met. In addition to the forgoing, she assists in the management of the IP docket and is responsible for assisting attorneys in maintaining computerized and paper records of foreign and domestic trademark and patent portfolios.

With extensive experience in the field of law, Melissa has worked in litigation, anti-counterfeit, patent, trademark and copyright matters. She has also worked for law enforcement agencies. Her breadth of IP experience ensures that deadlines are met, files are properly maintained and a consistent line of communication is kept with foreign counsel.

Lori Butler is a Paralegal for Bates & Bates, LLC. Ms. Butler assists Bates & Bates attorneys with the prosecution of domestic and foreign trademark registrations, United States copyright registration applications, and domestic and international prosecutions. She assists with procedures and workflow of trademark applications, assignments, licensing and customs is important for a global beverage company, a premier musical instrument manufacturer and world-class medical supply company. She works effectively with applicants and business personnel to obtain necessary signatures and specimens relative to the Intellectual Property prosecution and defense process.

Ms. Butler has over 30 years of Legal Assistant experience with 20 years focused on corporate and intellectual property matters, working in one of Atlanta’s largest premier law firms and assisting many high-profile clients. Her attention to detail is now focused on assisting clients of Bates & Bates with trademark matters and general intellectual property issues.

Joanna Steed was the victim of a random shooting in East Lake Atlanta on September 5, 2018.

We will forever grieve the loss of our trusted friend.

If you have any information regarding her murder, please contact Crime Stoppers.