701 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW Suite 200, Washington, DC USA 20004
Peter Willsey focuses his practice on both trademark litigation, protection, enforcement, and non-contentious trademark clearance and prosecution. He has represented major companies in trademark, copyright, and false advertising cases in federal courts and before the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office, and has handled numerous worldwide trademark portfolios for his clients.
Peter serves clients primarily in the life sciences, pharmaceutical, medical device, health information systems, Internet technology/communications, and medical technology industries. He advises on the selection of company and product names, the development of comprehensive trademark and branding strategies, and formulating strategic approaches for the licensing and enforcement of intellectual property rights. Peter has a strong understanding of the FDA approval process for drugs and medical devices by virtue of his work with clients in this industry. He has represented clients in other industries including Internet services and wireless communications, sports and entertainment, retail, and food and beverage.
Prior to joining the firm, Peter was a partner and the Global Chair of the Trademark, Copyright, and Advertising Practice Group at a national law firm in its Washington D.C. office. Previously, he spent almost twenty years as a partner in the Washington, D.C. office of an international law firm, including chair of its trademark practice for ten of those years.
Peter has been repeatedly listed in Chambers USA: America’s Leading Lawyers for Business, recommended by Legal 500 US, and recognized by Super Lawyers magazine in the District of Columbia for Trademark and Copyright. He was also listed in the 2026 edition of World Trademark Review 1000 – The World's Leading Trademark Professionals.
Experience
*Lead partner defending a well-known multinational corporation and technology company in a lawsuit in federal court in Arizona, in which the plaintiffs sought to cancel the client’s trademark registrations for its famous brand mark on the ground that the mark had become generic (prevailed on summary judgment).
*Lead partner defending a nationwide broadcasting company against claims brought in federal court in Texas that the brand used for a major annual entertainment convention infringed the plaintiff’s trademark rights (prevailed after a two-week jury trial).
*Lead partner representing plaintiff, an international alcoholic beverage company, against an international conglomerate based on the infringement of a trademark used for a highly successful and well-known wine (favorable settlement obtained shortly before trial, which was set to take place in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California, with the result that the defendant renamed its competing product).
*Lead partner representing plaintiff, a language learning software company, in a trade dress infringement case against a competitor in federal court in Seattle, Washington (favorable settlement reached shortly before trial, resulting in defendant rebranding its products).
*Lead partner representing famous NBA all-star athlete in action before U.S. Patent and Trademark Office to cancel several trademark registrations blocking client’s applications (settled, with the result that client now owns the blocking registrations).
*Lead partner in successful defense of famous American movie star and British rock musician against claims that the lyrics of a song infringed certain alleged copyrights, in case brought in the U.S. District Court for the Western District of New York.
*Lead partner in defense of a global social media platform against trademark infringement claims based on the name of a product feature (case settled favorably on the first day of trial in federal court in Chicago, with the result that client was able to continue using the name at issue).
*Experience gained by attorney prior to joining Kilpatrick
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News Releases
News Releases
Advertising Counseling & Disputes
Brand Licensing & Related Transactions
Clearance & Portfolio Management
University of Richmond School of Law J.D. (1993)
University of Virginia B.A., Economics (1988)
District of Columbia (2010)
Virginia (1993)
University of Virginia School of Law, Trademark and Unfair Competition Teacher (one semester)
Georgetown University Law School, Trademarks and Unfair Competition Teacher (five semesters)
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