Thomas M. "Tom" Williams

About Thomas

Tom’s practice focuses on trademark infringement and false advertising litigation. He has successfully represented some of the world’s most famous brands in federal courts and in the USPTO Trademark Trial and Appeal Board. His career-long focus on Lanham Act matters gives Tom the unique ability to execute efficient and effective strategies to achieve his clients’ objectives. Practicing for more than 25 years, Tom is an internationally recognized partner in BFKN’s Intellectual Property Group. Tom litigates trademark, false advertising, and trade secrets disputes on behalf of a number of the world's largest and most sophisticated brands. Tom represents his clients before federal district and appellate courts, and in proceedings before the Trademark Trial and Appeal Board (TTAB) of the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office. He has litigated multiple TTAB oppositions and cancellation actions through final decisions on the merits. Tom is well-versed in all aspects of Lanham Act litigation, including survey design and damages calculations. He has worked with many of the top consumer survey and economic damages experts in the field. In addition, Tom represents clients in trademark prosecution and counseling matters, and manages global trademark portfolios for clients in multiple industries. Tom uses his trademark prosecution skills to quickly assess trademark claims and defenses in adversarial matters, including trademark litigation and TTAB inter partes cases. He also represents brand owners in domain name disputes under the Uniform Domain-Name Dispute-Resolution Policy (UDRP), the Uniform Rapid Suspension (URS) System, and the Anti-cybersquatting Consumer Protection Act (ACPA). Tom is a member of the International Trademark Association (INTA). He has earned recognition in the World Trademark Review 1000: The World's Leading Trademark Professionals multiple times, where he has been called a ”meticulous litigator“ and has been noted for his successful representation of clients in courts and administrative proceedings. A field-leader, Tom frequently writes and speaks about trademark and unfair competition law and practice. He is well-versed in competitor false advertising disputes under the Lanham Act and has used his extensive knowledge of the field to author the annually updated Lexis-Nexis publication, ”False Advertising and the Lanham Act.“ Tom’s thorough and up-to-date book has been favorably reviewed by various sources, regarded as comprehensive, insightful, and a ‘must read.’ INTA’s The Trademark Reporter called it, ”A helpful tool to practitioners, both in-house and in private practice.“

Practice Areas

Civil Litigation Insights

Lawyer for Suing a Company: Costs, Process & What to Expect

What a lawyer for suing a company costs, how the lawsuit process works step by step, how long it takes, and how to decide if hiring counsel is worth it.

Education

• University of Wisconsin–Madison, B.A., graduated 1993
• University of Illinois at Urbana–Champaign, J.D., graduated 1996

Bar Admissions

• Illinois, Illinois State Bar Association

Languages