Jed Ferdinand

Jed Ferdinand

Senior Managing Partner |  JFerdinand@FIPLawGroup.com

Jed Ferdinand, the firm’s founder, is a leading authority in IP commercialization and protection in the fashion, consumer products and technology industries.  Jed’s work on IP asset sales and financing, licensing, valuation and entrepreneurship form the core of his legal practice, his work as a consultant and expert witness, and his role as an Adjunct Professor at Fordham Law School in New York.  Jed has also been involved in cryptocurrency and blockchain projects since 2017, and in the past year has worked on significant projects involving NFTs, the Metaverse and Web3. Jed presently serves on the Advisory Boards of two blockchain companies, The Data Economics Company and Popularium, Inc., and he is Board Secretary for Titan Space Technologies Corporation, a leading AI space technology company

Professional Background

Jed began his career as a litigation attorney in New York with Chadbourne & Parke. He also worked at leading international firms Brobeck Phleger & Harrison and Graham & James. Most recently he was a partner with Grimes & Battersby, LLP, an intellectual property boutique located in Fairfield County, Connecticut.

Transactional Practice

Jed handles IP asset sales, company M&A transactions and IP financing transactions in the fashion, consumer products, entertainment and technology industries.  A representative sample of Jed’s transactions from the past few years include:

  • Lead counsel Titan Space Technologies Corporation for $10 mm seed round financing led by True Ventures.

  • Lead counsel for seller Tailored Brands in the sale and license-back of the “Joseph Abboud” trademarks for apparel and accessories to WHP Global for $ 115 million in 2020.

  • Lead counsel for buyer of United Premier Soccer League, the fastest-growing amateur soccer league in the United States, in 2020.

  • Lead counsel for buyer of “JT Racing USA” IP rights, a leading motocross brand, in 2019.

  • IP counsel for seller Camuto Group for sale of company IP and assets to Authentic Brands Group and DSW in 2018.

  • Lead counsel for owner of Daphne’s, Slaters 50/50, Gigi’s, Paxti Pizza and Marie Callendars for IP financing and investment transactions from 2016-2020.

Jed has negotiated hundreds of license agreements and has worked on some of the most successful licensing and merchandising programs of the past decade for celebrities, famous brands and some of the largest companies in the world that have resulted in billions of dollars of retail sales worldwide. His clients have included Pepsi, John Deere, Iconix Brand Group, Entertainment One Group, Nitro Circus, Lands’ End, Jessica Simpson, Sylvester Stallone, Nina Agdal, Dwight Howard, Archie Comics, Kleinfeld Bridal and Vince Camuto, and counterparties to deals have included Serena Williams, Vera Wang, Rachel Roy, Nicole Miller, Bettheny Frankel, Disney, Marvel Comics, Warner Brothers, Microsoft, Amazon, Tesla, MLB and NFL, among many others. 

A longtime cryptocurrency investor, Jed has been involved in crypto and blockchain deals for several years. Jed has worked on deals with the Ethereum Foundation and other blockchain platforms on behalf of clients. In the past year, Jed has handled NFT licensing deals for content owners with leading NFT Platforms; is working with several companies looking to build out Metaverse platforms; and represents several game studios that will launch NFT/Web3 games later this year that allow players to turn their passion for gaming into assets.

IP Litigation

Jed has litigated hundreds of intellectual property cases in federal trial and appellate courts throughout the United States, in the US PTO Trademark Trial and Appeal Board and before arbitration panels. During his career, Jed has handled high-profile cases for fashion companies, consumer products manufacturers, brand owners, media companies and celebrities, including PepsiCo, John Deere, Hearst Magazines, Camuto Group, Blue Buffalo Pet Foods, Archie Comics, Authentic Brands Group, Iconix Brand Group, Fashion Nova, Capgemini, MGA Entertainment, Vital Proteins, Oprah Winfrey and Jessica Simpson.

Representative cases include:

  • Obtaining summary judgment on behalf of Oprah Winfrey’s magazine, “O The Oprah Magazine,” against claims of trademark infringement brought by a German publication. Brockmeyer v. Hearst Corp. and Harpo Print, 2003 U.S. Dist. Lexis 3394 (S.D.N.Y. March 7, 2003).

  • Successfully defending celebrity Jessica Simpson in a case brought by her former jeans manufacturer seeking $100 million in damages arising out of an alleged breach of license agreement. Tarrant Apparel Group v. Jessica Simpson, et al., Index No. 601199/06 (N.Y.S. Supreme Court 2007).

  • Obtaining summary judgment for Archie Comics in a copyright ownership and infringement action brought by one of the company’s former artists and writers in a dispute over the “Sonic the Hedgehog” property. Narrative Ark Entertainment v. Archie Comic Publications, Inc., 2019 WL 5157400 (S.D.N.Y. 2019).

  • Obtaining summary judgment for a Pepsi-subsidiary in a trade dress and design patent action involving competing sports bottle designs; affirmed by the Ninth Circuit. Talking Rain Beverage Company, Inc. v. South Beach Beverage Company, Inc., 349 F.3d 601 (9th Cir. 2003)

  • Securing a jury trial victory and recovering $ 1.7 million in damages for toy inventors who alleged theft of their idea by a leading toy company. Reiling & Design Innovation v. Fisher-Price, Inc., 2006 WL 1719592 (D. Conn. 2006).

  • Securing a trial victory for Pepsi-subsidiary in a trademark case against an alcohol manufacturer before the U.S. PTO, Trademark Trial and Appeal Board. South Beach. Beverage Company, Inc. v. SoBe Sparkling Wine, Opp. 91/141, 457 (TTAB 2005).

Company Formation

Jed regularly assists founders with forming new entities and with strategic planning and counseling across all legal, business and financial platforms.

IP Protection and Prosecution

Jed also counsels clients regarding the acquisition and exploitation of intellectual property rights, with a particular emphasis on trademark and brand protection. The firm currently manages the worldwide trademark and copyright filing programs of several major consumer products companies in more than 100 countries and handles more than 3,000 trademarks worldwide.

IP Valuation

Jed also regularly acts as a consultant for intellectual property asset valuation for a wide variety of corporate, financing, matrimonial, estate and tax matters, and has served as an expert witness in litigation involving contested brand and publicity rights asset valuations.  His clients for valuation work have included a litany of some of the most popular rock bands and recording artists of all time, including REM, The Grateful Dead, Chuck Berry, Chris Cornell, Kid Rock, Ric Ocasek and Leonard Cohen, and contested proceedings involving Hulk Hogan and Timbaland.   

 Professional Affiliations

Jed has been an Adjunct Professor at Fordham Law School in New York teaching subjects on intellectual property transactions since 2018.

Jed has written and lectured extensively on a wide variety of intellectual property and licensing topics. He has been a moderator and featured speaker at numerous conferences and trade shows for more than fifteen years, including the annual Licensing Show in Las Vegas and the American International Toy Fair in New York. He is also a member of the faculty of Licensing International’s Certificate of Licensing Studies Program for licensing professionals.  

Jed is a member of the Advisory Board of two IP publications – The Licensing Journal and IP Litigator and has published articles in leading trade publications.  He is often quoted in industry trade publications such as Women’s Wear Daily, Apparel News, Law360 and IP Watchdog for matters related to IP and licensing.  

Jed is admitted to practice before the following courts:

  • State of New York

  • State of Connecticut

  • District of Columbia

  • U.S. District Courts for the Southern and Eastern Districts of New York, the District of Connecticut, the District of Colorado and the U.S. Court of Federal Claims

  • U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second, Fourth, Ninth and Federal Circuit

Language: Spanish (profiency)