Douglas (Chip) Rettew is frequently touted as one of the nation’s top trademark lawyers, having established himself as a litigator who knows how to efficiently and effectively try cases that go the distance—before judges and juries alike.
Doug has first-chair jury and bench trial and appellate experience. In addition to his trial work, he has argued appeals before the U.S. Courts of Appeals for the Federal, Second, Fourth, Eighth, and Eleventh Circuits. He also litigates before the Trademark Trial and Appeal Board. Doug has significant experience in obtaining (and defeating) temporary restraining orders and preliminary injunctions, including those involving counterfeiting and ex parte seizures. He has testified before the United States Senate Judiciary Subcommittee on Intellectual Property; was an adjunct professor at GW Law School; served on the firm’s compensation, management, and technology committees, and as leader of the trademark, copyright, and advertising group. Doug is currently co-chair of the firm’s litigation and trial section.
Doug has been recognized by multiple industry organizations and award programs for his excellence in trademark litigation. Managing Intellectual Property named him Litigator of the Year for the DC Metro area in 2023; World Trademark Review (WTR) has consistently ranked Doug in its WTR 1000 and as a WTR Global Leader, praising him for his exceptional success rate, strategic leadership in high-profile brand disputes, and unmatched trial skills; Law360 named him Intellectual Property MVP of the Year in 2019; and he has been recognized by The American Lawyer Litigation Daily as Litigator of the Week on multiple occasions. Clients describe Doug as a trusted advocate, noting, “When it’s time to go into battle, we want him on our side.” World Trademark Review has called Doug “[o]ne of the best litigators in the country with an unbelievable success rate,” “a go-to litigation lead for world-famous consumer brands.”
- Year joined firm: 1995
- Represented Under Armour in litigation against Armorina, Inc. over its unauthorized use of its ARMORINA name and mark for women’s athleisure apparel and accessories. After a four-day trial in the District of Maryland, a jury ruled in Under Armour’s favor on all counts, finding that Under Armour’s UNDER ARMOUR mark is famous and Armorina’s use of ARMORINA constitutes trademark infringement, unfair competition, and trademark dilution.
- After a full trial before the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia, obtained a ruling that the parties’ VAGISIL and VAGISAN marks conflict and that “VAGISIL is a famous mark that has attained substantial commercial strength.” Argued before the Fourth Circuit, who affirmed the ruling.
- Secured a victory on summary judgment for Dean Guitars and the Estate of Dimebag Darrell Abbott in a hotly contested copyright infringement and unfair competition case of first impression, with multiple Lanham Act, invasion-of-privacy, and state-law claims. The case involved one of the world’s most popular heavy metal guitarists, Darrell Abbott of the band Pantera, and a lightning bolt graphic on his “Dean from Hell” guitar, which for decades has been an inseparable part of Abbott’s persona and likeness. Argued before the Eleventh Circuit, who affirmed the ruling.
- Served as counsel for ABBYY in its high-stakes litigation against Nuance Communications involving patent and Lanham Act claims. Nuance sought more than $260 million in damages, but following a two-week jury trial in the Northern District of California, Finnegan secured a complete defense victory, obtaining a verdict of non-infringement that was subsequently upheld on appeal.
- Following a full trial, secured a ruling finding Gateway’s cow-spots trademark strong and famous and the defendant’s black-and-white spotted computer monitor wraps infringing Gateway’s trade dress rights. Successfully argued the appeal before the Eighth Circuit, which affirmed the ruling.
- Appellate
- Intellectual Property
- Banking
- Consumer goods and services
- Financial services
- Food and beverage
- Healthcare
- Media
- Pharmaceutical and life science
- Other
- J.D. - George Washington University Law School (1995)
- B.A., Political Science - University of Michigan (1992)
- International Trademark Association (Publication Committee, 2014-2015)
- American Intellectual Property Law Association
- Federal Circuit Bar Association
- District of Columbia (1997)
- Maryland (1995)
- New Jersey (1995)
- U.S. District Court, D. Colorado (1999)
- U.S. District Court, D. Maryland (2012)
- U.S. District Court, W.D. Michigan (2004)
- U.S. District Court, E.D. Wisconsin (2006)
- U.S. Court of Appeals, First Circuit (2002)
- U.S. Court of Appeals, Second Circuit (2023)
- U.S. Court of Appeals, Fourth Circuit (2002)
- U.S. Court of Appeals, Seventh Circuit (2006)
- U.S. Court of Appeals, Eighth Circuit (2003)
- U.S. Court of Appeals, Ninth Circuit (2008)
- U.S. Court of Appeals, Federal Circuit (1998)