Melville Owen
mowen@owe.com
Melville Owen is a native of the San Francisco Bay Area. He obtained his law degree from Hastings College of the Law in 1956. Mr. Owen is admitted to practice before all state and federal trial and appellate courts in California, the Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit and the U.S. Supreme Court.
Mr. Owen has developed an international reputation as an expert in trademark law and is registered to practice before the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office. He served on the Trademark Review Commission of the United States Trademark Association. The Commission spent three years developing suggestions for revising the federal trademark law, culminating in passage of the Trademark Revision Act of 1988. Mr. Owen served through 2007 on the Center for Public Resources/International Trademark Association Trademark and Unfair Competition Panel of Neutrals. This national panel of experts is available for Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) matters. In addition to his active trademark and copyright practice, Mr. Owen has lectured and conducted seminars on trademark, copyright and trade secret law for CEB, Practicing Law Institute, Franchising Forum, International Trademark Association, Institute of Trademark Agents (UK) and the California State Bar. He also serves as intellectual property counsel for a variety of civic, charitable and environmental organizations.
In addition to intellectual property related activities, Mr. Owen has served on the Bay Conservation Development Commission, North Central California Coastal Commission, Metropolitan Transportation Commission and the Governor's Earthquake Council.
Mr. Owen makes time to entertain friends and clients aboard the family's classic cruiser, Pat Pending. Launched in 1929, Pat Pending has been in the Owen family since 1940. Over the years, San Francisco Bay has been the venue for many successful negotiations and settlements.
Gregory N. Owen
gowen@owe.com
Gregory N. Owen specializes in the areas of trademark, copyright and unfair competition law, including business counseling, licensing and litigation. He graduated from the University of California, Davis in 1981 and received his law degree from Northwestern School of Law of Lewis & Clark College in 1985.
Mr. Owen was admitted to the California Bar in 1986 and is admitted to practice before all state and federal trial and appellate courts in California and the Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit. Mr. Owen serves on the International Trademark Association Emerging Issues Committee, Trademark Clearance Subcommittee and on the Steering Committee of the Northern District of California Chapter of the Federal Bar Association and is a past president and member of the Board of Directors of the San Francisco Intellectual Property Law Association. Mr. Owen lectures on intellectual property topics relating primarily to trademark clearance, prosecution and litigation.
Outside the law, Mr. Owen has been active in various water sports, including white water rafting, Trans-Pacific and Coastal yacht deliveries, racing R/C scale model sailboats, and entertaining guests and clients aboard Pat Pending. Off the water Mr. Owen enjoys coaching and refereeing youth soccer games and involvement in the activities of his wife and two teenage sons.
Noel M. Cook
ncook@owe.com
Noel M. Cook practices in the areas of trademark, copyright and trade secret law, with an emphasis on litigation. He joined the firm in 1989 after practicing with an Oakland firm specializing in business litigation, including intellectual property matters and complex insurance litigation. Mr. Cook received an A.B. degree cum laude from Kenyon College in Ohio in 1978. He received his J.D. degree in 1985 from the University of Santa Clara, where he was an editor of the Santa Clara Law Review . Prior to entering law school, Mr. Cook was employed with a federal regulatory agency in Washington, D.C.
Mr. Cook is admitted to the State Bar of California and the Bar of the District of Columbia, and is admitted to practice before all state and federal trial and appellate courts in California. Mr. Cook is a member of:
The International Trademark Association (INTA), where he has been a subcommittee chair and member of various committees;
The INTA Distinguished Panel of Neutrals, an international group of trademark experts trained in mediating disputes;
The American Bar Association, IP Law Section (committee member and past subcommittee chair);
The Copyright Society of the U.S.A. (past Trustee and past Chair, Northern California Chapter);
The IP Advisory Council to the University of Akron School of Law.
In addition, Mr. Cook is a frequent speaker on copyright and trademark law.
Outside of work, Mr. Cook plays competitive tennis with a U.S. Tennis Association league team and spends time with his wife and young son.