Matthew W. Clanton

Matthew W. Clanton is an associate in the Intellectual Property Group in the firm's Washington, D.C. office. He is also a member of the firm's Entertainment and Media team.

Areas of Practice

Mr. Clanton focuses his practice in the areas of trademark law, copyright law, unfair competition, and related transactions and litigation. He regularly counsels clients with regard to trademark and copyright clearance, adoption, and use, domain name disputes and acquisitions, brand management and development, and intellectual property enforcement. He has represented clients in a wide range of industries, including publishers, motion picture, television and music producers, toy manufacturers, transportation companies, retailers, restaurants, insurance and financial institutions, Internet developers, and nonprofit organizations.

Mr. Clanton has particular expertise in preparing and prosecuting trademark applications before the U.S. Patent & Trademark Office and copyright applications before the U.S. Copyright Office. He also drafts and negotiates a wide range of intellectual property agreements, including licensing, publishing, corporate sponsorship, affinity marketing, web development and content sharing, and film production, distribution and related ancillary licensing agreements.

Prior to joining the firm, Mr. Clanton was Assistant General Counsel to a corporation that published widely circulated magazines, produced films and home video products, conducted an extensive licensing program, sold merchandise via print and online catalog operations, and developed interactive websites and multi-media products.

Education

• J.D., Chicago-Kent College of Law, Illinois Institute of Technology, 1996, with honors
• B.A., State University of New York at Binghamton, 1993

Clerkships

• Judicial intern to the Honorable W. Thomas Rosemond Jr., United States Magistrate Judge in the United States District Court, Northern District of Illinois

Admissions

• District of Columbia
• Illinois

Articles

• Into the Honey Trap?, August 31, 2006
• A Tale of Two Towers, May 8, 2006

• "Beware the US Deposit Requirement," Copyright World, September 2007 (co-authored with E. Komen)
• "Using Charity Names in Sales Campaigns," Sheppard Mullin's IP Blog, September 13, 2006
• "Into the Honey Trap?," Copyright World, August 2006 (co-authored with E. Komen)