LAWYER PROFILE

Craig Mende

USA 2026

About

Provided by Fross Zelnick Lehrman & Zissu PC

USA

Practice Areas

Trademarks

Copyrights

Licensing Agreements

Litigation

Social Media and Domain Names

Design

Right of Publicity

Right of Privacy

Career

Craig Mende’s unique, broad practice spans trial and appellate litigation, complex transactional work, and client counseling – all relating to different aspects of intellectual property, including copyrights, trademarks, right of publicity, and diverse new media issues.

Perhaps most importantly, Craig provides sought-after counsel to clients seeking answers to new kinds of questions, frequently involving rebranding and innovative uses of social media, including issues with celebrities. He has developed guidelines on proper use of third-party materials on social media, developed a protocol for determining when material needs to be licensed, and advised on innovative TV programming concepts.

Craig has won trial verdicts and summary judgments in federal court that have been affirmed on appeal and handled complex transactions for clients including the owners of a beloved children’s entertainment property. He drafts, negotiates, and advises on trademark and copyright licenses, as well as purchase, distribution, coexistence, music, and website agreements. Craig’s clients represent diverse industries ranging from film, television, and music to hospitality, financial services, apparel, and consumer goods.

Craig is a former member of the firm executive committee. Prior to joining Fross Zelnick, Craig was a litigation associate at Cravath, Swaine & Moore, and an in-house lawyer at a major record company.

Professional Memberships

Copyright Society of the USA

American Bar Association

International Trademark Association (INTA)

International Anti-Counterfeiting Coalition (IACC)

Cravath Alumni Network

Publications

"When Copyright and Trademark Rights Overlap", Overlapping Intellectual Property Rights 2nd Edition, co-author, ed. Neil Wilkof, Shamnad Basheer, and Irene Calboli (Oxford University Press, 2023, 864 pp.)

Ranked Individuals at Fross Zelnick Lehrman & Zissu PC (4)

New York

Unknown

What success is built on

Chambers is the leading data and intelligence partner for the legal sector.

Explore thought leadership