Mark Tratos is the founding and Co-Managing Shareholder of the firm's Las Vegas office, home to one of the largest groups of intellectual property attorneys in Nevada. Previously, he was the co-founder of the law firm of Quirk & Tratos.
Mark focuses his practice on a variety of intellectual property and litigation matters. His representations include numerous resort, hotel and casino entities in federal court litigation involving trademark, copyrights, domain names, rights of publicity and privacy law for known casino brands. He currently represents many of the largest resorts in the world on brand development and protection strategies, enforcement and infringement litigation.
Mark has represented numerous artists and performers including the estates of Orson Welles, Anthony Quinn, performers Teller, Val Valentino, The Masked Magician, and visual artists Ronnie Cutrone, Deny Dent and Tim Bavington.
In keeping with the firm's commitment to community involvement, Mark has been a member of the adjunct faculty of the University of Nevada, Las Vegas for more than 25 years. He currently teaches entertainment law, rights of publicity and privacy law, and the law of cyberspace at UNLV's William S. Boyd School of Law; the business of entertainment at UNLV's Hotel college; and entertainment and fine arts law at the College of Fine and Performing Arts. He serves on the Board of Trustees of the National Judicial College and is the Chairman of the Board of Visitors for Lewis & Clark Law School, and Second Vice Chair of the Board of Trustees of Lewis & Clark College.
Areas of Concentration
· Copyrights
· Litigation
· Trademarks
· Entertainment
· Art law
· Internet
· Rights of publicity and privacy law
· Licensing and content protection
Significant Representations
· Represented the 50,000 members of the National Hotel & Motel Association in collective bargaining negotiations with ASCAP and BMI.
· Represented New York-New York Hotel & Casino in federal court litigation with the New York Stock Exchange on trademark infringement, unfair competition and dissolution claims.
· Defended Monarch Casinos common law rights of its Atlantis trademark for casino services against federal registered trademark.
· Represented Stratosphere Hotel in patent infringement litigation involving patents on player tracking systems.
· Represented numerous casino entities in federal court litigation against online casinos that have infringed upon trademark and domain names for unknown casino brands.
· Represented nine of the twelve largest resorts in the world on brand development and protection strategies, enforcement and infringement litigation.
· Represented Wynn Resorts and Steve Wynn in defeating copyright infringement claim regarding the design of the Wynn buildings.
· Represented night clubs, Studio 54 and XS, in brand litigation and entertainment matters.
· Domain name enforcement for Bellagio, Mirage, Treasure Island, MGM Grand, Wynn, Encore, New York New York, Golden Nugget and Steve Wynn.
· Represented the Grand Canyon Skywalk developer in litigation against the Hualapai Indian Tribe.
Professional & Community Involvement
· Chairman of the Board of Visitors, Lewis & Clark Law School in Portland, OR
· Member, American Bar Association
· Member, Clark County, American and Federal Bar Associations
· Member, Nevada Intellectual Property Law Society
· Member, Nevada Trial Lawyers Association
· Member, State Bar of California
· Member, State Bar of Nevada
· Trustee, National Judicial College
· Vice Chairman, Board of Trustees, Lewis & Clark College
· Former General Counsel and Board Member, Nevada Institute of Contemporary Art
· Past Chairman of the Board of Directors, Entertainment Development Corporation
· Past President and General Counsel, The Lied Discovery Children's Museum
· Vice Chairman of the Board of Visitors, National Judicial College, Reno, NV, 2006
· Adjunct Faculty, University of Nevada at Las Vegas, Boyd School of Law
- Cyber Law, Entertainment Law, Right of Publicity and Privacy Law, 2001
- Art Law II, 1991
- Entertainment Law, 1991
- Art Law, 1985
- Entertainment Law: Representing the Artist & Entertainer, 1980
· Instructor, Legal Research & Writing, Lewis and Clark College, 1978-1979
· Staff Member, Environmental Law, Lewis & Clark Law Review, 1978-1979
Awards & Recognition
· Recognized, Best Lawyers, "Lawyer of the Year," Intellectual Property Law and IP Litigation, 2012
· Named, U.S. News - Best Lawyers "Law Firm of the Year," Entertainment Law - Music, 2011-2012
· Listed, The Best Lawyers in America, 2002-2012
- Copyright Law
- Intellectual Property Litigation
- Trademark Law
· Listed, Nevada Business magazine "Southern Nevada Legal Elite," 2010
· Listed, Super Lawyers magazine, Nevada Super Lawyers, 2007-2009
· Recipient, "Industry Leader of the Year," Department of Tourism, College of Hotel Administration, University of Nevada, Las Vegas, 2001
· Named, "Industry Leader of the Year," UNLV Department of Tourism and Conventions, 2001
· Named, "Southern Nevada's Most Influential Men," In Business Las Vegas, November, 2001
· Listed, The Nevada Business Journal "Top Intellectual Property and Entertainment Lawyer in the State of Nevada," 1999
· Rated, AV® Preeminent™ 5.0 out of 5
Articles, Publications, & Lectures
Articles
· Author, "Rights of Publicity Licensing," Advanced Licensing Agreements, Practicing Law Institute, 2012
· Author, "The Collision of New Technologies, Social Networks and the Rights of Privacy and Publicity," Communiqué, May 2010
· Co-Author, "Dead Celebrity Wars," ABA Entertainment & Sports Lawyer, Volume 25, Number 2, 2007
· Author, "Entertainment on the Internet: The Evolution of Entertainment Production, Distribution, Ownership and Control in the Digital Age," New York Bar Association Entertainment Law Treatise, 2004
· Author, "Internet Gaming Law," Fourth Annual Internet Institute, Practicing Law Institute, 2001
· Author, "New Intellectual Property Consideration in Licensing Pre-Existing Works for Use in Audiovisual and Multimedia on the Internet," ABA Forum on the Entertainment and Sports Industries, 2001
· Author, "Gaming on the Internet," Stanford Journal of Law, Business and Finance, 1997
· Author, "Intellectual Property Considerations in Licensing Pre-Existing Work for Use In Multimedia," The Multi Media Law Reporter, 1995
· Author, "Rights of Publicity: Laws Vary From State to State," 1996
Books
· Author, Internet Law 2002 Doing Business on the Web, The Rutter Group
· Co-Author, Nevada Chapter, State Trademark Law Handbook, United States Trademark Association, 1986-2008
Lectures
· Speaker, "Advanced Licensing Agreements for Database License Agreements," Practising Law Institute, 2003-Present
· Speaker, "The Evolution of Entertainment on the Internet," Practising Law Institute, 2005-2008
· Speaker, "Celebrity & The Ownership of a Television Persona," Practising Law Institute Seminar, Counseling Clients in the Entertainment Industry, 1999