Kevin Parks

Overview

Kevin Parks has over thirty-five years’ experience counseling and representing clients in all aspects of trademark and copyright law, including in trial and appellate courts, and administrative proceedings.

Prior to joining Leydig, Mr. Parks founded Soundies, a music licensing firm, and is co-founder of the music rights management agency, Soundtracker.

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Education

• University of Iowa, J.D., with distinction, 1984
• University of Iowa, B.A. in English, 1981

Admissions

• Illinois, 1988
• New York, 1985

Courts

• Illinois Supreme Court
• New York Supreme Court
• U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois
• U.S. Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit
• U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of New York
• U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York

Honors

• Recognized as a top Illinois trademark lawyer by the World Trademark Review 1000 (2011-2018, 2020, 2023)
• Selected by peers as a Leading Lawyer in Intellectual Property Law – Leading Lawyers Network (2011-2017)
• Listed among the Top Lawyers in Illinois in Intellectual Property Law – Chicago Lawyer

Professional Affiliations

• International Trademark Association
• American Bar Association, Intellectual Property Section
• The Copyright Society of the U.S.A.
• Chicago Bar Association
• Intellectual Property Law Association of Chicago (IPLAC)

Articles, Publications & Lectures

• “Copyright laws of the jungle: Suing only fit for homo sapiens,” Chicago Daily Law Bulletin, May 9, 2018
• “Trump’s trademark troubles, Neil Gorsuch and the originalist prism,” Chicago Daily Law Bulletin, May 8, 2017
• Contributing author, U.S. Supreme Court amicus brief submitted by the Intellectual Property Association of Chicago, in Star Athletica, LLC v. Varsity Brands, Inc., July, 2016
• “National treasures threatened by greed,” Chicago Daily Law Bulletin, February 4, 2016
• Copyright Panelist, The John Marshall Law School’s 61st Annual Conference on Developments in Intellectual Property Law, November 3, 2017
• Panelist, “Hot Topics in U.S. Copyright Law,” Intellectual Property Owners Association Annual Meeting, September 2016
• Music & Copyright in America: Toward the Celestial Jukebox (2012 American Bar Association)

Practices

• IP Asset Management and Licensing
• IP Litigation
• Trademarks and Copyrights

Insights

• Kevin Parks Discusses US Supreme Court Decision in Andy Warhol Foundation v. Goldsmith Involving the Copyright Transformative Fair Use Defense
  August 10, 2023
• Leydig Named Top Firm in World Trademark Review 1000
  March 8, 2023
• US Supreme Court Rules that Unknowing Mistakes do not Invalidate a Copyright Registration
  March 9, 2022
• 50th Anniversary of the US Sound Recording Copyright
  February 28, 2022
• Kevin Parks to speak at UIC Law IP Conference.
  November 2, 2021
• Recent Decisions Keep Copyright Fair Use Pendulum Swinging
  April 6, 2021
• Supreme Court Resolves Circuit Splits on Copyright Registration and Recoverable Costs
  April 24, 2019
• Supreme Court to decide extent of allowable cost awards in copyright litigation
  February 22, 2019
• Leydig Ranked as Top Trademark Law Firm by the World Trademark Review
  February 1, 2019
• Kevin Parks to Speak at the John Marshall Law School's 62nd Annual IP Conference on November 2
  November 2, 2018
• Kevin Parks quoted in Forbes article, "14 Years After Napster, It's Taylor Swift's Approach Vs. Bono's"
  January 29, 2015