Melissa Cross is a Partner with FH+H. Ms. Cross practices in the Intellectual Property + Licensing group, focusing on trademark law and branding.
Prior to joining FH+H, Ms. Cross was an attorney with Arnold & Porter’s Intellectual Property and Technology group both in New York City and Washington, D.C., where she represented many high-profile clients from a wide variety of industries, including digital media, software, sports, food and beverage, insurance, political and charitable organizations, clothing and jewelry designers, and more.
Ms. Cross then went on to form Cross Intellectual Property Law, where she offered strategic counseling in identifying and protecting valuable intellectual property assets and maximizing their value through development, licensing, commercial distribution, and protection to promote and maintain brand recognition.
At FH+H, Ms. Cross advises clients on a wide variety of intellectual property matters, including promotional and licensing agreements; e-commerce, reseller, and distribution agreements; trademark and copyright clearance and prosecution; counseling and enforcement related to trademark, unfair competition, false advertising, rights of publicity, and copyright disputes; protection of IP related to employees, licenses, and other third parties; technology licensing and development; and trademark and copyright portfolio auditing and management.
Her practice includes filing with the United States Patent and Trademark Office to register trademarks in the U.S. and abroad, as well as trademark enforcement to protect valuable marks against infringers and defend clients against infringement claims. In her trademark and copyright enforcement practice, Ms. Cross prioritizes the delicate balance between protecting her clients’ valuable intellectual property rights while preserving their public reputations and consumer relationships.
Ms. Cross is a member of the International Trademark Association (INTA) and the Copyright Society of the U.S.
Prior to becoming an attorney, Ms. Cross was a career zookeeper in Boston, MA, Miami, FL, and York, ME, where she served as the education and media liaison to the zoo and regularly appeared on many local television and radio programs promoting issues surrounding education and conservation.