Intellectual Property

The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit affirmed a lower court’s decision on behalf of Stradley Ronon client Nutrition Resource Services, Inc. d/b/a JBN – Just Be Natural in a trademark infringement matter.

JBN manufactures and sells energy drinks and powders under various brand names, including “KRANK’D,” which obtained a trademark registration in 2006. A competitor began selling a similar product under the brand name “KRANK3D” and proceeded to market the product to the same consumers as JBN’s product.

Stradley Ronon filed preliminary injunction motion papers and argued the motion at an emergency hearing in February 2024. A Georgia federal court granted the injunction, and a three-judge panel affirmed the lower court’s ruling.

Stradley Ronon represented XPYRIA Investment Advisors, a Pittsburgh-based independent investment adviser, in a merger with Cerity Partners, a financial and wealth advisory firm serving high-net-worth individuals and their families and nonprofit organizations and foundations throughout the United States. The transaction will allow the firms to better serve their Pittsburgh-based clients with a full spectrum of wealth management and financial planning services.

Stradley Ronon represented Denver-based Wealth Legacy Institute, a financial planning and investment management firm, in its merger with Cerity Partners, a financial and wealth advisory firm serving high-net-worth individuals and their families and nonprofit organizations and foundations throughout the United States.

A cross-practice team of Stradley Ronon lawyers represented Mini Melts USA, a producer and distributor of novelty ice cream products headquartered in the Philadelphia area, in the acquisition of a controlling interest by Altamont Capital Partners. Altamont Capital is a Palo Alto, California-based private investment firm with more than $4 billion in assets under management.

Altamont Capital partnered with Mini Melts to provide growth capital and support an expansion of its distribution footprint and manufacturing capabilities. Mini Melts’ CEO and founder will remain in his role and as a major investor alongside Altamont Capital and the company’s existing shareholders.

For more information on the deal, read this Wall Street Journal article. (Subscription required.)

Stradley Ronon represented Fountain Life, an advanced diagnostics and preventative health company, in its acquisition of health data technology company LifeOmic. As a result of the transaction, Fountain Life owns all of LifeOmic’s intellectual property, including the LifeOmic Platform and software, LifeOmic Patient Mobile App, consumer-focused mobile apps and science-backed educational content. The deal supports Fountain Life’s mission of transforming the healthcare system into one that is proactive and data-driven.

For more, read Fountain Life’s announcement.

When Jaunt Air Mobility LLC (Jaunt) requires assistance with intellectual property matters, it turns to Stradley Ronon. Stradley Ronon’s IP attorneys have advanced degrees in aerospace engineering, have experience representing clients in the industry, and have worked closely with Jaunt’s CEO, Kaydon Stanzione, on patent matters for many years. Thus, Stradley Ronon is well-positioned to provide integral advice on key issues involving patents, trademarks, copyrights, trade secrets and other related areas. In addition, Stradley Ronon’s ever-growing knowledge of the aerospace industry, and how it affects Jaunt’s needs and goals, will undoubtedly serve both Stradley Ronon and Jaunt well. Stradley Ronon is proud to assist Jaunt in successfully navigating complex IP issues born from an ever-changing aerospace landscape.

Founded one year ago, Jaunt is a leader in the emerging business sector known as Advanced Air Mobility (AAM). Jaunt is building a world-class compound aircraft, a true combination of a helicopter and fixed-wing aircraft, and has developed a business model that addresses the AAM eco-system. Jaunt’s rapid rise in the global AAM market is due to the strength of Jaunt’s aircraft design, intellectual property portfolio, and experienced senior management. Jaunt was quickly named an Uber Elevate partner. The advanced propulsion design features Jaunt’s patented Reduced rotor Operating Speed Aircraft (ROSA™) technology. The aircraft operates with WhisperFly™ technology at a reduced noise level that is not only lower than fixed-wing aircraft and today’s helicopters but is acceptable to residential communities. The aircraft also offers the highest ride quality utilizing Jaunt’s LevelFly™ technology. Jaunt’s all-electric air vehicle has no combustible liquids, which eliminates fire hazards in the air and on the ground.

When Quadratec, Inc., the world’s largest independent retailer of Jeep®* parts and accessories, requires assistance with intellectual property matters, it turns to Stradley Ronon. Stradley Ronon’s IP attorneys work closely with Quadratec and often visit the company’s West Chester, Pennsylvania, headquarters to provide integral advice on key issues involving patents, trademarks, copyrights, trade secrets, and other related areas. Quadratec and Stradley Ronon continually collaborate to anticipate and resolve many interesting and unique IP concerns, including patent infringement investigations and trademark clearance searches and opinions, as the team manages Quadratec’s expanding worldwide patent and trademark portfolios. In addition, Stradley Ronon’s ever-growing knowledge of the automotive parts and supply industry and how it affects Quadratec’s needs and goals has served both Stradley Ronon and Quadratec well. Stradley Ronon is proud to assist Quadratec in its efforts to successfully navigate complex IP issues born of an ever-changing automotive landscape.

Built on 30 years of excellence, Quadratec is more than just an industry leader in the aftermarket Jeep world. It is a dream-builder, problem-solver, and passionate advocate for all enthusiasts of the legendary Jeep CJ and Wrangler, Cherokee, and Grand Cherokee vehicles. Quadratec delivers the very best parts and accessories, which continue to provide Jeep owners with a sense of security to handle any journey with confidence.

*Jeep is a registered trademark of Fiat Chrysler Automobiles, and Quadratec has no affiliation with FCA. The terms Jeep, Wrangler, Cherokee, and Grand Cherokee are used for identification purposes only.

Stradley Ronon handles all IP law (patents, trademarks, copyrights, trade secrets and related areas) matters for TurnaSure LLC of Langhorne, Pennsylvania. TurnaSure manufactures a simple washer-type load cell known as a direct tension indicator (DTI) or a load-indicating washer. TurnaSure’s legacy company invented this brilliant concept of bolting technology. When this washer device is compressed while tightening a bolt or stud, the required clamp load is indicated in the fasteners and induced in the bolted joints. TurnaSure was the world’s first company to devote all its energies to developing and supplying this unique fastener. DTIs are used to achieve required tension loads on bolts in countless applications, such as structural steel buildings and bridges, studs used in the petrochemical industry, anchor bolts and SAE cap screws for automotive applications. TurnaSure’s recent improvements to the DTI include a DTI with offset protuberances and indentations (protected by U.S. Patent No. 9,863,457) and a DTI that shows an elastomer on the circumference once the structural bolt has been tightened to achieve its correct tension (protected by a pending patent application and sold under the trademark ViewTite).

Stradley Ronon’s IP attorneys work with TurnaSure representatives to address any and all IP issues that arise for the company, among which are patent infringement investigations, IP litigation, assistance with insurance coverage supporting such litigation, commercial contracts with suppliers and joint development collaborators, and licenses with others in the fastener industry. Perhaps the most important support Stradley Ronon provides to the company, however, is strategic counseling and management directed to TurnaSure’s global patent and trademark portfolios. Stradley Ronon’s ever-growing knowledge of TurnaSure’s needs and goals, and of the fastener industry in which the company thrives, has served both Stradley Ronon and TurnaSure well.

As part of its function as outside intellectual property counsel, Stradley Ronon assisted Martin Guitar in defining the intellectual property used in the documentary, “Ballad of the Dreadnaught,” in order to ensure that Martin Guitar owned the copyright to the completed documentary. Agreements were secured so that Martin Guitar obtained photograph and video releases, licenses, and permissions from the artists, their estates, and companies that owned the intellectual property. “Ballad of the Dreadnought” will be screened at Martin Guitar’s Special Factory/Museum Tour on September 12.

C.F MARTIN & CO. has been creating the finest instruments in the world since 1833. It continues to innovate, introducing techniques and features that have become industry standards including X-bracing, the 14-fret guitar and the Dreadnought™ model’s size and sound. One of the world's leading acoustic instrument makers, Martin guitars are hand-made by skilled craftsmen and women who use a combination of new design and techniques along with those introduced by the company founder.

Stradley represents family owned mushroom business To-Jo Mushrooms in preparing and filing trademark applications. Based in Avondale, Pennsylvania, To-Jo is a fourth-generation mushroom farm.

The firm also represents the Mushroom Council, an industry trade association, in all of its intellectual property matters. The Mushroom Council is composed of fresh market producers or importers who average more than 500,000 pounds of mushrooms produced or imported annually.

Stradley Ronon represented AmerisourceBergen, a Fortune 12 publicly traded pharmaceutical company, in the sale of its wholly owned subsidiary, World Courier Ground Inc., to a subsidiary of TFI International, a publicly traded Canadian company. World Courier Ground Inc. was the U.S. ground transportation division of AmerisourceBergen.

AmerisourceBergen is one of the largest global pharmaceutical sourcing and distribution services companies, helping both healthcare providers and pharmaceutical and biotech manufacturers improve patient access to products and enhance patient care. With over $140 billion in annual revenue, AmerisourceBergen is headquartered in Valley Forge, PA, and employs approximately 19,000 people.

As part of its function as outside intellectual property counsel, Stradley Ronon represented Martin Guitar for purposes of an exhibition license agreement with Musical Instrument Museum (MIM). MIM is a non-profit museum located in Phoenix, Arizona, and displays more than 6,500 instruments and associated objects collected from about 200 of the world’s countries and territories, including certain of Martin’s instruments. MIM’s latest special exhibition, titled “Dragons And Vines: Inlaid Guitar Masterpieces,” is scheduled to run from November 5, 2016 through September 4, 2017. The agreement allows MIM to make and sell a variety of products, to publish an exhibition catalog, and to distribute advertising or promotional materials that include images of the Martin guitars (and related trademarks) on display in the exhibition.

C.F MARTIN & CO. has been creating the finest instruments in the world since 1833. It continues to innovate, introducing techniques and features that have become industry standards including X-bracing, the 14-fret guitar and the Dreadnought™ model’s size and sound. One of the world's leading acoustic instrument makers, Martin guitars are hand-made by skilled craftsmen and women who use a combination of new design and techniques along with those introduced by the company founder.

Stradley Ronon’s IP Team is handling intellectual property issues, including managing and enforcing the company’s trademark portfolio, for The Cow and the Curd, a mobile food vendor based in Philadelphia. 

Since 2013, The Cow and the Curd has operated special-events trucks that target the growing craft beer market selling their nationally recognized beer battered Wisconsin cheese curds. A Wisconsin culinary staple, cheese curds are one of the world’s most craved regional foods, however they have been relatively unknown in cities without cheese factories, until now. Chosen as one of the top four fried foods in the country by NBC's First Look and most recently ranked as the 5th most popular food truck in America, The Cow and the Curd is one of only a few trucks to have reached national success and recognition.

Stradley represents Viso, Inc. in preparing and filing trademark applications. Viso, Inc. is an electrical components and equipment company based in Toronto, Canada, that designs and produces lighting fixtures for commercial and residential buildings worldwide.

Stradley Ronon’s Investment Management Group represented O'Shares Investments, a division of Montreal-based O’Leary Funds Management LP, in the launch of O’Shares FTSE US Quality Dividend ETF (OUSA: NYSE Arca), their sponsored O’Shares ETF through FQF Trust. The team also assisted the client with negotiating index licenses with FTSE and other intellectual property issues. O’Leary Funds, founded by ABC “Shark Tank” investor and CNBC contributor Kevin O'Leary and Connor O'Brien in 2008, has grown to more than $900 million in assets under management, including the Canadian O'Leary Funds.

Stradley Ronon’s intellectual property team manages the worldwide patent and trademark portfolios for Prezacor Inc., a manager and distributor of a patent-pending, chemical- and drug-free skin patch known as the Energeze^® patch. The patch harnesses the body’s own electromagnetic fields to relieve pain and is designed to adhere to the skin surface, providing days’ worth of pain relief, without odor, oily residue or side effects. The Energeze^® patch absorbs the body’s own energy, and reflects the energy back into the body to quiet the pain-causing nerves and create a soothing sensation.

Recently, Stradley Ronon helped to secure patent protection for the Energeze^® patch in the United States, Canada and Australia, and expects to secure patent protection in Europe later this year.

Headquartered in Nazareth, Pa., Martin Guitar has been creating some of the finest instruments in the world for more than180 years. Martin guitars have been used by luminaries such as Elvis Presley, Johnny Cash, Bob Dylan, Eric Clapton and Willie Nelson. In fact, the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office has recognized the fame of Martin’s trademarks.

Among the many interesting and unique IP issues that have arisen around the world are a dispute over the theft of the company’s signature trademark in China, enforcement of marks globally and on the Internet, contracts with musicians and licenses with others in the music industry. Stradley Ronon understands the importance of the Martin brand and trademarks, and provides strategic counseling and management directed to Martin’s global trademark portfolio.

With more than 20,000 employees and operations in over 50 countries around the world, Air Products supplies a unique portfolio of atmospheric gases, process and specialty gases, performance materials, equipment and services – and is the world’s largest hydrogen supplier. It serves customers in dozens of major international industries including food and beverage, health and personal care, energy, transportation and semiconductors.

Stradley Ronon’s intellectual property group has managed multiple patent portfolios for Air Products for 15 years.