Christine C. Washington, Esq. LL.M. (IP)
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Famous brand portfolio, copyright catalog and asset compliance representations include KRAFT, MARLBORO, CITIBANK, VEVO, MILLER, VIRGINIA SLIMS, AOL, GE WESTINGHOUSE, PRESTONE PRODUCTS, & US-OPEN TENNIS.
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A graduate of Howard University School of Business with a concentration in Marketing, Christine received the Juris Doctorate Degree in 1992 at Duke University School of Law and, while working in the Commercial Clients & Endorsements Department of the William Morris Agency (NY), she completed requirements for the Master of Laws (LL.M.) Degree in Intellectual Property at New York University School of Law where she served as a graduate-student editor of NYU's Journal of International Law & Politics. The focus of her legal scholarship at NYU was the comparative study of trademark and copyright laws in the United States and the European Union.
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Christine began her practical legal career as an Intellectual Property associate at a large New York Metro firm, Cummings & Lockwood, where she protected international brand portfolios on every continent and where she negotiated merchandise, manufacturing, sponsorship, distribution and endorsement transactions involving the U.S. Olympic Committee, Marilyn Monroe, Cadbury, Chesebrough-Ponds, AT&T, Delta Airlines, Winnie-the-Pooh, James Bond (007), Babar, McKids, Prestone Products, FILA USA, US Open Tennis, USPGA, Starter Sportswear/NBA Properties, GE Westinghouse - TLC/Discovery Channel, and American Frozen Foods brands.
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Upon joining the in-house staff at Zomba Music Group (Jive Records, currently, an affiliate of SonyBMG) as Director of Business Affairs, she resolved copyright disputes and negotiated endorsement/sponsorship and traditional media/entertainment industry agreements involving Britney Spears, the Backstreet Boys, Too Short, KRS One, Yolanda Adams and the films Menace II Society, A Low Down Dirty Shame, The Wood and The Wild Thorn-buries.
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As a member of the in-house Trademark Department at PMI-Kraft, Christine collaborated with marketing professionals to expand and protect international, domestic, online and traditional branding efforts for the Kraft, Marlboro, Miller, Virginia Slims, and Illy Coffee brands including Marlboro's sponsorship of NASCAR events.
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Christine currently provides counsel to clients in the consumer products and media industries on all aspects of brand asset protection and development (including trademark registration, brand enforcement, franchise/collective brand certification, licensing, sponsorship, advertising, corporate alliances, merchandise distribution, and regulatory compliance). In addition to client representation, she has provided corporate brand compliance oversight - notably, in the context of CitiBank's Retail Design & Compliance division where she oversaw the development and enforcement of quality control standards for the acquisition of customer-facing brand assets such as the unique combination of lighting, textiles, facades, and signage that comprise Citi's signature trade decor in the retail banking-financial services industry.
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A frequent blogger and writer on the subject of trademark protection, Christine released the first volume in a series of pocket-to-desk guides entitled Lock-It Brand Protection & Leveraging Strategies for Creatives, Techies & Entrepreneurs in 2017 and she regularly contributes to legal publications and reference books such as the National Bar Association Magazine, Bloomberg - IP Law Reporter, and Clark-Boardman's Trademark Law Practice Forms. She is a member of INTA, BESLA, NARAS, the American & New York Bar Association Forums on Intellectual Property as well as local chapters of the Howard, Duke and NYU alumni associations.