J. Thomas McCarthy
Encyclopedia
J. Thomas McCarthy is a Senior Professor at the University of San Francisco School of Law, where he been on the faculty for over forty years. He is the Founding Director of the McCarthy Institute for Intellectual Property and Technology Law located at the University of San Francisco. He has practiced, written and taught in the field of trademarks and unfair competition and is a frequent speaker on the subject. He is a member of the California and the U.S. Supreme Court Bars and is admitted to practice before the United States Patent and Trademark Office
.
He holds a degree in electrical engineering
from the University of Detroit. He worked as an engineer for Chrysler
Corp. Missile Division in the early days of the space program on the Redstone missile, which was used to launch the Explorer I
satellite in January 1958. He received a law degree from the University of Michigan Law School
.
He is an of counsel
consultant with the law firm of Morrison & Foerster. He was a member of the A.L.I.
Advisory Committee involved in drafting the 1995 Restatement of the Law
of Unfair Competition
, was a member of the Trademark Review Commission, which drafted the 1989 revisions to the Lanham Act, and has served for several years on the Editorial Board of The Trademark Reporter.
McCarthy was the recipient of: the 2003 President's Award of the International Trademark Association
; the 2000 Pattishall Medal for excellence in teaching trademark law from the Brand Names Education Foundation; the 1997 Ladas Professional Author Award from the Brand Names Education Foundation; the Centennial Award in Trademark Law from the American Intellectual Property Law Association
in 1997; the 1994 Jefferson Medal from the New Jersey Intellectual Property Law Association; the 1979 Rossman Award of the Patent and Trademark Office Society
; and the 1965 Watson Award of the American Intellectual Property Law Association
.
He delivered: the 1999 Niro Lecture at DePaul University College of Law
; the 1997 Tenzer Lecture at Cardozo Law School; the 1995 H.S. Manges Lecture at Columbia University
; and the 1989 Boal Memorial Lecture for the Brand Names Education Foundation. He was the 1994 Biebel & French Distinguished Visiting Scholar in Law & Technology at the University of Dayton
.
McCarthy is the author of the seven volume treatise McCarthy on Trademarks and Unfair Competition (4th edition - updated quarterly), which has been relied upon as authority in over 3000 judicial opinions. Other books include the two-volume treatise The Rights of Publicity and Privacy (2d ed. - updated annually) (also published by West) and McCarthy’s Desk Encyclopedia of Intellectual Property, (with Schechter & Franklyn) published by BNA Press (3rd ed. 2004).
United States Patent and Trademark Office
The United States Patent and Trademark Office is an agency in the United States Department of Commerce that issues patents to inventors and businesses for their inventions, and trademark registration for product and intellectual property identification.The USPTO is based in Alexandria, Virginia,...
.
He holds a degree in electrical engineering
Electrical engineering
Electrical engineering is a field of engineering that generally deals with the study and application of electricity, electronics and electromagnetism. The field first became an identifiable occupation in the late nineteenth century after commercialization of the electric telegraph and electrical...
from the University of Detroit. He worked as an engineer for Chrysler
Chrysler
Chrysler Group LLC is a multinational automaker headquartered in Auburn Hills, Michigan, USA. Chrysler was first organized as the Chrysler Corporation in 1925....
Corp. Missile Division in the early days of the space program on the Redstone missile, which was used to launch the Explorer I
Explorer I
Explorer 1 was the first Earth satellite of the United States, launched as part of its participation in the International Geophysical Year...
satellite in January 1958. He received a law degree from the University of Michigan Law School
University of Michigan Law School
The University of Michigan Law School is the law school of the University of Michigan, in Ann Arbor. Founded in 1859, the school has an enrollment of about 1,200 students, most of whom are seeking Juris Doctor or Master of Laws degrees, although the school also offers a Doctor of Juridical...
.
He is an of counsel
Of counsel
Of counsel is often the title of an attorney who is employed by a law firm or an organization, but is not an associate or a partner. Some firms use titles like "counsel," "special counsel," and "senior counsel" for the same concept...
consultant with the law firm of Morrison & Foerster. He was a member of the A.L.I.
American Law Institute
The American Law Institute was established in 1923 to promote the clarification and simplification of American common law and its adaptation to changing social needs. The ALI drafts, approves, and publishes Restatements of the Law, Principles of the Law, model codes, and other proposals for law...
Advisory Committee involved in drafting the 1995 Restatement of the Law
Restatement of the Law
In American jurisprudence, the Restatements of the Law are a set of treatises on legal subjects that seek to inform judges and lawyers about general principles of common law...
of Unfair Competition
Unfair competition
Unfair competition in a sense means that the competitors compete on unequal terms, because favourable or disadvantageous conditions are applied to some competitors but not to others; or that the actions of some competitors actively harm the position of others with respect to their ability to...
, was a member of the Trademark Review Commission, which drafted the 1989 revisions to the Lanham Act, and has served for several years on the Editorial Board of The Trademark Reporter.
McCarthy was the recipient of: the 2003 President's Award of the International Trademark Association
International Trademark Association
The International Trademark Association is a worldwide not-for-profit association of member companies and firms that supports and advances trademarks and intellectual property as elements of fair and effective global commerce.- History :...
; the 2000 Pattishall Medal for excellence in teaching trademark law from the Brand Names Education Foundation; the 1997 Ladas Professional Author Award from the Brand Names Education Foundation; the Centennial Award in Trademark Law from the American Intellectual Property Law Association
American Intellectual Property Law Association
The American Intellectual Property Law Association is a national bar association that was formed in 1897 to improve intellectual property laws and educate the public about such issues....
in 1997; the 1994 Jefferson Medal from the New Jersey Intellectual Property Law Association; the 1979 Rossman Award of the Patent and Trademark Office Society
Patent and Trademark Office Society
The Patent and Trademark Office Society is an American society of intellectual property professionals established in 1917. The society publishes a monthly journal Patent & Trademark Office Society Journal or Journal of the Patent & Trademark Office Society ....
; and the 1965 Watson Award of the American Intellectual Property Law Association
American Intellectual Property Law Association
The American Intellectual Property Law Association is a national bar association that was formed in 1897 to improve intellectual property laws and educate the public about such issues....
.
He delivered: the 1999 Niro Lecture at DePaul University College of Law
DePaul University College of Law
DePaul University College of Law is a law school located in Chicago, Illinois, USA. Founded in 1897 as the Illinois College of Law, the school became part of DePaul University in 1912 and is one of the academic colleges of DePaul, a Big East Conference university. The College is known for its...
; the 1997 Tenzer Lecture at Cardozo Law School; the 1995 H.S. Manges Lecture at Columbia University
Columbia University
Columbia University in the City of New York is a private, Ivy League university in Manhattan, New York City. Columbia is the oldest institution of higher learning in the state of New York, the fifth oldest in the United States, and one of the country's nine Colonial Colleges founded before the...
; and the 1989 Boal Memorial Lecture for the Brand Names Education Foundation. He was the 1994 Biebel & French Distinguished Visiting Scholar in Law & Technology at the University of Dayton
University of Dayton
The University of Dayton is a private Roman Catholic university operated by the Society of Mary located in Dayton, Ohio...
.
McCarthy is the author of the seven volume treatise McCarthy on Trademarks and Unfair Competition (4th edition - updated quarterly), which has been relied upon as authority in over 3000 judicial opinions. Other books include the two-volume treatise The Rights of Publicity and Privacy (2d ed. - updated annually) (also published by West) and McCarthy’s Desk Encyclopedia of Intellectual Property, (with Schechter & Franklyn) published by BNA Press (3rd ed. 2004).