Steven. P Mandell

EXPERIENCE:
Mr. Mandell is a founding partner of Mandell Menkes.  A graduate of the Georgetown University Law Center, he has more than 25 years of experience in counseling clients in complex commercial matters.  Mr. Mandell has a broad range of experience in various areas of commercial law including intellectual property, information technology, media and advertising, class action and insurance law.

In his intellectual property practice, Mr. Mandell has represented clients in matters involving copyrights, trademarks, patents and trade secrets.  With respect to matters involving copyright law, Mr. Mandell has represented, among others, software companies, authors and book publishers, record companies, video game developers and advertising agencies in the defense and prosecution of copyright infringement actions.

Mr. Mandell has counseled both traditional brick and mortar businesses and companies conducting online operations on all types of trademark issues including general trademark selection strategy as well as more specific trademark clearance, prosecution and licensing issues.  He has also represented clients in trademark litigation including the prosecution and defense of infringement and dilution proceedings.

In patent litigation, he has represented clients in a variety of industries including the healthcare, pharmaceutical, manufacturing, consumer products, software, and high-tech industries.

In the area of information technology Mr. Mandell has represented some of the world’s largest software development and consulting companies in disputes involving complex software licensing agreements including actions involving enterprise software system failures, the alleged infringement of copyrights in licensed software and misappropriation of trade secrets.

Mr. Mandell also has represented the television and radio broadcast media, print media, book and video game publishers, film producers and other publishers in the defense of claims of defamation, invasion of privacy and associated torts and in other matters involving the First Amendment.

Mr. Mandell is AV rated by the Martindale-Hubbell Law Directory and has been recognized by a number of peer review organizations including Super Lawyers, Best Lawyers in America, and Leading American Attorneys .  He is a past Central Division Co-Chair for the American Bar Association’s Forum On Communications Law and is the firm’s member liaison to The International Trademark Association and The Media Law Resource Center. He is a member of the Litigation Section, the Intellectual Property Lawyers Section and the Tort and Insurance Practice Section of the American Bar Association where he serves as Vice-Chairman of the Media Law and Defamation Torts Committee.  An accomplished writer and lecturer, Mr. Mandell has taught legal writing and advocacy at the Georgetown University Law Center.  He also has appeared on a number of radio programs and has spoken at many forums on a variety of topics involving intellectual property, information technology and media law litigation.

Mr. Mandell is admitted to practice before the Eastern District of Wisconsin, United States Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit, the United States Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit, the United States District Court for the Northern District of Illinois, the United States District Court for the Central District of Illinois and all Illinois courts.  He has appeared pro hac vice in numerous courts around the country. He is not a licensee of the State Bar of California.

Articles, Lectures and Activities:
“Wisconsin Court of Appeals Snuffs Out Firefigher’s Defamation Suit,” MLRC Law Letter (December 2016). “Ex-Firefighter’s Defamation Claim Extinguished,” MLRC Media Law Letter (July 2015), “Update: Illinois Appellate Court Affirms Dismissal of Professor’s Libel and Privacy Claims,” MLRC Media Law Letter (April 2015), Panelist and presented “Fair Use and the Spotlight” at the 2015 Professional Liability Underwriting Societies Professional Risk Symposium held in Atlanta, Georgia on April 28, 2015. “Recent Developments in Media, Privacy, and Defamation Law“, Tort Trial & Insurance Practice Law Journal, Winter 2015. Co-Author/Lecturer, “Drafting Software Licenses A Litigator’s Viewpoint”, PLI Seminar, Chicago, Il., November, 2014; “The Line Between Commercial and Non-Commercial Speech: Checkbook Required?”, The John Marshall Law School Annual Intellectual Property Law Conference, 2013; Member, Planning Committee – Illinois Institute for Continuing Legal Education, “News Media and the Law” 2008; Co-Author/Lecturer, “Drafting Software Licenses for Litigation”, PLI Understanding the Intellectual Property License, Chicago, Il., October, 2007; Co-Author, “Drafting Software Licenses for Litigation”, PLI Understanding the Intellectual Property License, Chicago, Il., August, 2007; Co-Author, “Drafting Software Licenses for Litigation”, PLI Understanding the Intellectual Property License, Chicago, Il., October, 2006; Facilitator, “Protecting First Amendment in Challenging Times”, NAA/NAB/MLRC Media Law Conference, Alexandria, Va., September, 2006; Co-Author, “Survey of Illinois Privacy and Related Claims Against the Media”, Media Law Resource Center, New York, NY, 2006-07; Lecturer, “Drafting Software & Trademark Licenses for Litigation”, PLI Understanding the Intellectual Property License, Chicago, Il., October, 2005; Lecturer, “Risk Management Issues Arising Out of the Publication of Controversial Content”, Media And The Law, Kansas City, Mo., April, 2005; Co-Author, “Survey of Illinois Privacy and Related Claims Against the Media”, Media Law Resource Center, New York, NY, 2005-06; Lecturer, “Issues Arising Out of Celebrity Licensing”, PLI Understanding the Intellectual Property License, Chicago, Il., November, 2004; Co-Author, “Survey of Illinois Privacy and Related Claims Against the Media”, Media Law Resource Center, New York, NY, 2004-05; Lecturer, “Issues Arising Out of Celebrity Licensing”, PLI Understanding the Intellectual Property License, Chicago, Il., November, 2003;  Lecturer, “Issues Arising Out of Celebrity Licensing”, PLI Understanding the Intellectual Property License, Chicago, Il., November, 2002; Panelist, “Representing Your Client in Software Performance & System Failure Claims”, PLI Information Technology Litigation, New York, NY, May, 2002; Lecturer, “Issues Arising Out of Celebrity Licensing”, PLI Understanding the Intellectual Property License, Chicago, Il., November, 2001; Vice-Chair, Media Law Defamation Torts Committee, American Bar Association’s Tort & Insurance Practice Section, 2001; Moderator, Recent Developments In Advertising Law, International Trademark Association Annual Meeting, San Francisco, Ca., May, 2001.  Lecturer, “Intellectual Property Risks Associated with Internet Publishing,” Loyola University Medical Center Symposium, Chicago, Il., March, 2001; Co-Chair, Licensing Intellectual Property, American Conference Institute, New York, NY, November 2000; San Francisco, Ca., October 2000.  Lecturer, “Licensing Trademarks: Checklist and Practice Tips,” American Conference Institute, Licensing Intellectual Property, New York, NY, November, 2000; San Francisco, Ca., 2000.  Lecturer, Liability For Online Content – What Are The Risks?, American Conference Institute Online Liability, Chicago, Il., October 2000.  Lecturer, Issues Arising Out Of Celebrity Licensing, PLI Understanding The Intellectual Property License, Chicago, Il., November 2000.  Lecturer, “Pitfalls Associated with Licensing Characters, Celebrities and Other Intellectual Property,” PLI Understanding The Intellectual Property License, Chicago, Il., 1999.  Lecturer, “Celebrity and Character Licensing,” PLI Understanding the Intellectual Property License, Chicago, Il., 1998.  Co-Author: “Defamation Based Solely on Tone of Voice,” Communications Lawyer, Vol. 16, No. 4, Winter 1999.  Co-Lecturer, “The Internet-A Superhighway of Information or Liability,” Risk and Insurance Management Society Annual Conference, Atlanta, Ga., April 1997.  Lecturer, “Jurisdictional Issues Raised By Infringement On the Web-Where Can Infringers Be Sued?,” ABA, Section of Intellectual Property Law Summer Conference, San Diego, Ca., June 1997; “Pitfalls in Licensing,” PLI Understanding The Intellectual Property License, Chicago, Il., November 1997.  Co-Lecturer, “The Risk Of Being Wired And Protecting Your Techno Business,” April 1998.  Lecturer, “Common Pitfalls In Licensing,” ABA, Section of Intellectual Property Law Summer Conference, Williamsburg, Va., June 1998.  Instructor, Legal Research and Writing, Georgetown University Law Center, 1981-1982.