Laura Ganoza offers exceptional value to clients through her unique combination of litigation and IP experience. Her practice is centered around helping business clients navigate a wide range of intellectual property litigation matters, including trademark, copyright, and patent infringement matters. She also counsels clients on complex commercial litigation matters, including, but not limited to, cross-border disputes, trade secret, and non-compete actions.
Throughout her legal career, Laura has successfully managed a variety of jury trials and bench trials in both state and federal courts. From breach of contract claims, to intricate trade secret allegations, to complicated false advertising cases and technology-heavy patent infringement trials, Laura’s ability to convey a clear and compelling story has resulted in a winning record and success for her clients, no matter the subject matter. Laura is as comfortable and persuasive explaining a contract term as she is breaking down invention and patent claims.
In addition to enforcing and litigating her clients’ valuable IP rights, Laura manages trademark and copyright portfolios for a wide range of clients, including those in the fashion industry and other creatives. Laura helps clients obtain, maintain, and protect their intellectual property rights both domestically and internationally. She clears trademarks and copyrights, prepares, and prosecutes trademark and copyright applications, and provides strategic advice and counseling for clients with IP portfolios, both large and small.
Laura serves as the co-chair of Foley’s Fashion Apparel & Beauty industry (Foley FAB). She is a founding member of Foley’s Digital Assets, Web3, and NFTs team (DAWN), and is active in several key sectors, including Innovative Technology, Manufacturing, and Environmental, Social & Governance (ESG).
Passionate about diversity, equity and inclusion, Laura founded and chairs Foley’s Women of Color Affinity Group, which connects and fosters collaboration among a diverse group of women throughout all offices of the firm.
Fashion, Apparel & Beauty Industry Experience
Laura’s practice flourishes at the intersection of technology, innovation, and fashion law. As co-chair of Foley’s Fashion, Apparel & Beauty industry team, she serves as a trusted advisor to a variety of national and international clients across the industry. From emerging companies to established global brands, Laura has the sophisticated industry experience and market insight to help her clients navigate through legal challenges and evolving innovation while maintaining and protecting their most valuable assets.
She is a former Regional Director of the South Florida Chapter of The Fashion Group International, a global trade organization in the fashion, beauty, accessories, and interior design industries. Laura is a thought leader within the industry and has been featured in publications like Landslide, a publication of the Intellectual Property Section of the ABA, and Apparel magazine, among others. She routinely presents seminars on fashion related topics, including the annual Fashion Law – Year in Review, which takes place each year in January. She has presented at Miami Fashion Week and SwimShow, the leading trade show in swimwear industry, among a number of other fashion-industry focused events.
During her near three-decade-long legal career, Laura Ganoza has handled a variety of jury trials and bench trials in both state and federal courts. From breach of contract claims to intricate trade secret allegations, to complicated false advertising cases and technology-heavy patent infringement trials, Laura’s ability to tell a clear and compelling story has resulted in a winning record and success for her clients, no matter the subject matter. Laura is as comfortable and persuasive when explaining a contract term as she is breaking down inventions and patent claims. As an example, her most recent trial win includes a complete victory for client Roland Corporation, an innovator in electronic musical instruments, against its rival, inMusic Brands, Inc., in a patent infringement lawsuit involving 21 patent claims from four patents on electronic drum and cymbal technology. After a trial that spanned more than three weeks, a jury in federal court in the Southern District of Florida found all of Roland’s asserted patents valid and infringed and awarded Roland every penny it sought in damages.
Representative Experience
- Represented innovative musical instrument company Roland Corporation in obtaining a $4.6 Million judgment against a significant competitor after a multi-week jury trial. The jury found all asserted patent claims infringed and not invalid. The case received significant press coverage.
- Represented luxury jewelry designer in various copyright disputes with copycat brands.
- Represented couture designer in copyright and Lanham Act claims against various defendants and obtained favorable settlement including permanent injunction against infringers.
- Represented luxury jewelry designer in dispute with sales representative who was demanding significant sums in unearned commissions and holding products hostage pending payment worth hundreds of thousands of dollars.
- Representing Perry Ellis in the management of their global trademark portfolio.
- Represented a shoe retailer in a post-acquisition ownership dispute involving one of the trademarks that should have been transferred to the client during the acquisition. The client successfully obtained an assignment of the subject trademark as part of the resolution.
- Represented Spanish jewelry company TOUS in a counterfeiting and trademark infringement lawsuit.
- Represented major on-line retailer in defense of trademark infringement and patent infringement claims involving an array of jeans; motion to transfer for lack of proper venue granted.
- Represented Luxottica Retail North America, Inc and Oakley Inc. in connection with a trademark infringement lawsuit filed by musical artist/rapper Pitbull.
- Represented Belk, Inc in defense of a trademark infringement lawsuit brought by Aspen Licensing International, Inc.
- Represented Ron Jon Surf Shop as the plaintiff in a trademark infringement lawsuit in connection with the Ron Jon Shield Logo.
- Global trademark and enforcement counsel to Eberjey.
- Represented athletic wear brand Lucky in Love in co-branding agreement with K-Swiss.
- Represented PUMA International Sports Marketing B.V. in connection with negotiating a sponsorship and license agreement with a soccer association in Latin America.
- Counseling various companies in negotiating influencer/endorsement agreements or licensing agreements with celebrities.
Awards and Recognition
- Selected by her peers for inclusion in The Best Lawyers in America©, in the field of Commercial Litigation (2023-2024).
- Selected by Who’s Who Legal (WWL)’s independent research, as being among the highest-ranked Lawyers in WWL: IP 2024.
- Recognized as a leader in the field of trademark law by World Trademark Review in its “WTR 1000 – The World’s Leading Trademark Professionals” directory since 2021.
- Named to BTI Consulting Group’s coveted Client Service All-Star Team in 2017
- This honor is bestowed upon individual attorneys who deliver outstanding client service, according to corporate counsel interviewed at large organizations with $1 billion or more in revenue.
- Peer Review Rated as AV Preeminent®, the highest performance rating in Martindale-Hubbell® Peer Review Ratings™
- Named by The South Florida Legal Guide as “Top Up & Comer” in 2008 – 2012 and a “Top Lawyer” in 2013 – 2016
- Recognized in Florida Trend’s Prestigious Legal Elite in 2018
Affiliations
- Former regional director of the South Florida Chapter of The Fashion Group International, a global trade organization in the fashion, beauty, accessories, and home décor industries
- Very active in the International Trademark Association (INTA) — she was co-chair of the INTA Leadership Meetings in both 2020 and 2021
- Currently a member of multiple committees, including the INTA Programming Advisory Council
- Member, Dade County Bar Association
- Member, Florida Bar Association
- Member, New York Bar Association
- Member, The International Trademark Association
Presentations and Publications
- Contributor and Co-Host, “Fashion industry leaders discuss authenticity, growth and the future of retail,” Utah Business, Fashion Roundtable (November 21, 2024)
- Co-authored, “From Gamers to the Runway: Brand Protection for Digital Fashion,” published in the March/April 2022 issue of Landslide, a publication of the Intellectual Property Section of the ABA
- Author of “Fashion Branding: What’s in a Name,”published in Apparel magazine
- Routinely presents seminars on fashion-related topics, including the annual “Fashion Law – Year in Review,” which takes place each year in January
- Presented at Miami Fashion Week and SwimShow, the leading trade show in swimwear industry, among a number of other fashion-industry focused events
Languages
- Spanish
Foley Joins Utah Business to Host Fashion Roundtable
Laura Ganoza Elected to International Trademark Association Board of Directors
Laura Ganoza and Jeffrey Greene on Luxury Goods Resale Market - 'Balance effective advertising with legal constraints'
20th Annual IP Conference
Foley’s IP Litigation Win Receives Shout Out in AmLaw Litigation Daily, Highlighted Across Legal Press
