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Alt Legal Blog

Your source for news, updates and guidance on all things trademarks and intellectual property.

I ♡ Trademarks Conference 2025Beauty Is in the Eye of the IP Holder: Protecting Beauty Brands in the Cosmetics Industry

Alt Legal Team | January 27, 2025
2 min read

At the Alt Legal I ♡ Trademarks Conference, taking place on March 18, 2025, Claire Gibson (Day Pitney) and Michael Wheeler (Coty) will engage in a fireside chat for the session, “Beauty Is in the Eye of the IP Holder: Protecting Beauty Brands in the Cosmetics Industry.”

From the shape of a bottle to the linguistic nuances of product names—where brand identity can be just as crucial as the formula itself—beauty brands face unique hurdles in acquiring, protecting, and monetizing their trademarks. In this session, the presenters will draw on their combined experiences to discuss how cosmetics companies can navigate a crowded marketplace, fend off counterfeits, and collaborate with influencers or other brands without risking trademark dilution. In particular, they will cover:

  • Building a strong brand foundation and managing global clearance challenges
  • Safeguarding product names, packaging, and trade dress against infringement
  • Leveraging licensing and co-branding agreements while maintaining strict quality control
  • Adapting to sustainability trends and harnessing AI tools for brand protection
  • Anticipating future shifts in the cosmetics industry to keep pace with evolving IP demands

Learn more about the Alt Legal I ♡ Trademarks Conference here.

Register for the Alt Legal I ♡ Trademarks Conference here.

Speakers

Claire Gibson, IP Counsel, Day Pitney

Claire is IP Counsel at Day Pitney, Chair of the Trademark Commission of the IP Section of the York State Bar Association and a Board Member of the National Conference of Women’s Bar Associations. Her practice focuses on domestic and international trademark prosecution, enforcement and licensing as well as all aspects of copyright law. Claire began her career in intellectual property law almost two decades ago as a clerk in the Office of the General Counsel at JPMorganChase while completing her undergraduate degree at Columbia University. A Brooklyn Law School alum, she has honed her expertise in the areas of trademark and copyright law while at the legal departments of DreamWorks Classics and NBC Universal. Now as an IP Counsel at Day Pitney’s New York Office, Claire counsels a wide array of industry clients, on establishing, protecting and preserving their intellectual property rights both in the US and abroad.

Michael Wheeler, Assistant General Counsel, Coty (Moderator)

Michael is a graduate of Northwestern University and Seton Hall University School of Law. He has practiced Intellectual Property Law for 15 years, having managed IP portfolios for multiple Fortune 500 companies, including Walmart and Microsoft. Currently, Michael serves as Assistant General Counsel at Coty, Inc., where he handles the global IP portfolio for several luxury and consumer beauty brands, such as Kylie Cosmetics, Calvin Klein and Marc Jacobs perfumes, Covergirl, SKKN by Kim, Sally Hansen, Philosophy, and Rimmel London. Michael has managed federal trademark and copyright litigation involving beauty products, celebrity influencers, software, frozen foods, toys, and a variety of other consumer goods, and has a similar breadth of practice before the Trademark Trial and Appeal Board.

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