Cindy A. Villanueva

Ms. Villanueva focuses her practice on domestic and international trademark prosecution and federal trademark litigation. She advises clients on trademark clearance, portfolio development and management, and protection strategies, and represents clients in trademark infringement and other brand-related disputes in federal court and before the Trademark Trial and Appeal Board (TTAB). She also represents clients in copyright, domain-name, and other intellectual-property disputes.

Her practice also includes copyright protection and enforcement, intellectual property licensing, and clearance of advertising, marketing, and promotional materials, including right-of-publicity issues. She drafts and negotiates licenses, assignments, rights-of-publicity agreements, nondisclosure agreements, and work-for-hire agreements.

• Advises clients on the development and launch of new brands and product lines, including domestic and international brand protection, work-for-hire agreements, and intellectual property clearance of marketing materials
• Represents hotel, casino, restaurant, and bar owners and operators in clearing, securing, licensing, and enforcing trademark rights associated with property and business names
• Successfully obtained the transfer of dozens of domain names, including through proceedings under the Uniform Domain Name Dispute Resolution Policy (UDRP)
• Successfully represented a major snack products company in a precedential TTAB decision, obtaining a ruling sustaining the client’s opposition based on likelihood of confusion
• Served as counsel of record in a successful TTAB opposition following a full trial on behalf of a leading tobacco company
• Helped successfully oppose and cancel multiple infringing marks in multi-year TTAB litigation on behalf of a client

• Presenter, “Masterclass: Trade Secrets: An Underused Weapon in the Brand Protection Arsenal,” Brand Strategy Summit USA, WTR Live, October 2026
• Co-Presenter, “Top Trends in Trade Dress: Down with the Dupes!,” 12th Annual CLE in the Garden, State Bar of Arizona, March 2026
• Co-Presenter, “Globinar Six Things to Know About Intellectual Property When You Are Expanding Overseas,” Global Chamber, April 2022
• Co-Author, “Jury Pools Drowning in Unfairness,” Arizona Attorney Magazine, Volume 58, Number 5, January 2022
• Presenter, “Recent Developments in Intellectual Property Litigation,” The Federal Bar Association Phoenix Chapter, May 2021
• Co-Author, “What You Need To Know: Intellectual Property and Non-Fungible Tokens,” Dickinson Wright Client Alert, May 2021
• Panelist, “The Future of IP Law,” 24th Annual National Latina/o Law Student Virtual Conference and Moot Court Competition, March 2021
• Presenter, “How to Protect Your Intellectual Property on Social Media and E-commerce Platforms”, Arizona Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, August 2020
• Co-Author, “When Will I Be Famous?: Protecting Well-Known Foreign Marks in the United States”, World Trademark Review Issue 83, April 2020
• Presenter, “Hot Topics for Tribes in Intellectual Property for Tribes Enforcement:Executing Takedowns of Unauthorized Goods on Amazon, eBay and Facebook” Western Indian Gaming Conference, February 13, 2020
• Presenter “Protecting Tribal Intellectual Property: Trademarks, Copyrights and Licensing” State Bar of Arizona CLE, September 26, 2018
• Presenter, “Hot Topics in Intellectual Property for Tribes: Navajo v. Urban Outfitters,” Western Indian Gaming Conference, February 6-8, 2018
• Presenter, “The Year in Review in Copyright Law 2015-2016,” Kraemer Copyright Conference in Colorado Springs, CO, June 6-7th, 2016
• Speaker, “IP issues that small businesses may encounter,” NAWBO University, March 2, 2016
• Co-Author, “The Computer Fraud and Abuse Act: ‘Authorization’ in Flux and the Ninth Circuit Dilemma,” The Bureau of National Affairs, March 6, 2012