An experienced counselor and litigator, Eugene provides strategic advice to his clients in both transactional and litigation matters. He acts as outside general counsel to many of his clients, and specialized intellectual property and litigation counsel to others. Eugene is a trusted advisor and vigorous advocate for his clients, helping them build and protect their businesses and brands, and to structure favorable deals and agreements.
Eugene’s clients include apparel companies, craft breweries, computer gaming companies, food and beverage companies, technology companies, and many others. He brings a diverse background to his work, having worked at large and small firms, as in-house counsel at a technology company, and at a nonprofit public interest firm.
Intellectual Property Development, Protection and Litigation
For more than fifteen years, Eugene has advised companies in the selection, registration and maintenance of their trademarks and copyrights both domestically and abroad. He has filed or managed thousands of trademark and copyright applications and registrations worldwide. He advises companies with large, well-established international trademark portfolios, as well as newer companies that are just developing their brands.
Eugene also represents clients in related areas such as advertising and marketing issues, social media issues, software licensing, website terms of use, privacy policies, DMCA policies and compliance, and trademark licenses and co-existence agreements. Eugene is also an experienced IP litigator, having litigated numerous IP cases and disputes in federal and state courts. His experience includes disputes involving trademarks, trade dress, copyrights, domain names, anti-counterfeiting, patent, trade secrets, and false advertising issues.
Craft Beer Law and Alcohol Beverage Law
Eugene leads the Craft Breweries & Brew Pubs practice at Wendel Rosen, advising craft breweries and others in the alcohol beverage industry. He serves as outside general counsel to many of his clients, advising them on a wide range of issues from entity formation, trademarks and copyrights, distribution and other contracts, employment issues, alcohol beverage (ABC) and labeling regulations, as well as marketing and advertising issues.
Eugene frequently speaks at beer conferences and has been quoted in Brewbound, All About Beer, The Daily Journal, and other media outlets. He ‘tweets’ on legal and business issues facing craft breweries as @beerattorney.
Business and Employment Advice and Litigation
Eugene is also an experienced business and employment law attorney. He has represented companies in a wide range of business and commercial matters, including antitrust issues, broker-dealer disputes, class action cases, investment fraud, bid disputes, real estate disputes, unfair competition matters, California Business & Professions Code §17200 claims, and Commerce Clause issues involving state and federal beverage laws and regulations. In the employment law field, he has advised and represented clients in matters involving non-compete agreements, misappropriation of trade secrets, employment discrimination, independent contractor versus employee status, and wage and hour laws. In addition to representing clients in court, he has represented clients in employment disputes before administrative agencies such as the California Labor Commissioner and New York Stock Exchange (arbitration).