Overview
With over 14 years of experience, Jonathan Menkes provides strategic, responsive trademark and brand protection advice for global brands across numerous industries, as well as for professional athletes, actors, and entertainers. He is also the Co-Chair of the firm’s CBD and Legal Cannabis Group.
Jonathan’s practice includes domestic and foreign trademark selection and searches, trademark audits, false advertising review, and alternative enforcement actions such as notice-and-takedown procedures on social media, e-commerce platforms, and hosting websites. His litigation experience includes opposition and cancellation proceedings before the Trademark Trial and Appeal Board (TTAB) and domain-name disputes before WIPO and NAF. Jonathan also has extensive agreement experience, including drafting multinational coexistence and consent agreements, licenses, NIL agreements, influencer agreements, sponsorship agreements, and assignments.
He also has experience with trade dress and copyright filings, as well as FDA labeling and FTC advertising reviews, including for supplements and seafood.
He has represented clients in a broad range of industries, including sports and entertainment, fashion, jewelry and apparel, beauty and wellness (including supplements, nutraceuticals, and nootropics), food and beverage, automotive and action sports, software and technology, fintech and banking, life sciences, and medical devices.
Outside of work, Jonathan remains active in the community by coordinating networking events with the Harvard Business School Association of Orange County (HBSAOC) and coaching his children’s Little League Baseball team.
Education
- Harvard Business School, (PLDA 35)
- Boston College Law School (J.D.), UCLA School of Law (Visiting Student)
- University of California - San Diego (B.A. Philosophy), magna cum laude, Phi Beta Kappa
Recognition
Awards & Honors
- Recognized in the 5th Edition of the Global Top 200 Cannabis Lawyers (2024 – 2025) published by Cannabis Law Report & Cannabis Law Journal
- Named a Southern California Super Lawyer (2025)
- Named in 2024 Southern California Super Lawyers for the distinction honors outstanding lawyers based on peer nominations and independent research
- Recognized as one of Southern California’s “Rising Stars” for his outstanding intellectual property legal work in Super Lawyers magazine (2020 – 2023)
Affiliations
- American Bar Association – Intellectual Property Section
- Orange County Bar Association – Intellectual Property and Technology Law
- Harvard Business School Association of Boston
- Harvard Club of Boston
- Harvard Business School Association of Southern California
- Harvard Club of Southern California
- Harvard Business School Association of Orange County (HBSAOC)
- University of Michigan Alumni of Orange County (UMAOC)
- Harvard Alumni Entrepreneurs (HarvardAE)
News & Insights
Articles
Co-author, “How Brands Can Avoid Risk When Bidding on Competitor Trademarks as Search Keywords,” AdAge, August 2025
Co-author, “The Impact of Cannabis Rescheduling on Trademark Law,” Cannabis Business Executive, May 2024.
Co-author, Green Handcuffs: Current Challenges for CBD Brand Owners in Registering Their Trademarks at the USPTO, The Trademark Lawyer (March 2021)
Co-Author, UNITED STATES: .SUCKS Fails as a Trademark, International Trademark Association Law & Practice Perspectives (February 2021)
Co-Author, Revenge of the Nerds: The Need for Unique Brands, Marijuana Venture (January 2021)
Co-Author, UNITED STATES: PRO ERA vs. NEW ERA Marks, International Trademark Association Law & Practice Perspectives (July 2020)
Knobbe Martens Fashion & Beauty Blog Contributor
- Deckers Kicks off Trade Dress Battle Against Costco and CVS Over UGG Lookalikes, Knobbe Martens (May 2025)
- Stirring the Pot: Recent Trademark Infringement Claims from Major Brands In the Cannabis Field, Knobbe Martens (May 2019)
- A Joint Crackdown from the FTC and FDA on Medical Treatment Claims from CBD Companies, Knobbe Martens (May 2019)
Permanent injunction results in lack of standing, World Trademark Review (October 2016)
Protecting Your Company’s Intellectual Property through an IP Audit: a Guide for Small to Mid-Sized Businesses, E-book through ExecSense (2013)
Willfulness and the Current State of Trademark Damages Law, American Bar Association (ABA) Intellectual Property Litigation Section (April 2012)
Featured Quotes
- Quoted in “‘Trump Too Small’ At The High Court: What You Need To Know,” Law360 (June 2023)
- Quoted in “TTAB Wants To Know How Consumers View Celebrity Slogans,” Law360 (April 2023)
- Quoted in “Lizzo Convinces TTAB To Register ‘100% That Bitch’ TM,” Law360 (February 2023)
- Jonathan Menkes and Mauricio Uribe quoted in “The NFTs Clause: Are Licensors Waking Up To Digital Use?” World IP Review (October 2022)
- Quoted in “USPTO Cuts Time To Respond To TM Office Actions In Half” Law360 (October 2022)
- Quoted in “5 Top NFT Questions Attys Want IP Agencies to Explore” Law360 (August 2022)
- Quoted in “The Biggest Trademark Rulings of 2022: A Midyear Report” Law360 (July 2022)
- Quoted in “Part One: Cannabis Law Attorneys Stay Busy to Keep Pace with Industry Growth” Of Counsel (April 2022)
- Quoted in “Racial Justice Movements, New Law to Push 2021 Trademark Changes” Bloomberg Law (January 2021)
- Jonathan Menkes and Jonathan Hyman quoted in “Four new states legalise recreational cannabis: what it means for brands” World Trademark Review (November 2020)
Speeches & Seminars
Co-Speaker, HBS Association of Orange County – Beyond Patents: Unlocking the Hidden Treasures of Soft IP (April 2025)
Speaker, Beverly Hills Bar Association – Fundamentals of Startup Law for the Entrepreneur, An Overview (October 2022)
Speaker/Moderator, OCBA-IP and Technology Section & Entertainment, Sports and Marketing Joint Section Meeting – Summer Bonfire Chat: Branding and IP Issues in the New Technology Landscape (August 2022)
Co-Presenter, Beverly Hills Bar Association – Startup Law Initiative (June 2022)
Speaker, CannaLAVA (Los Angeles Venture Association) – Intellectual Property in the Cannabis Industry (May 25, 2022)
Moderator, ACG Orange County – Turning Over a New Leaf: Business Strategies for Driving Growth in the Legal Cannabis Industry (April 14, 2022)
Moderator, Octane MedTech Innovation Forum – Innovation in Mental Health (October 2021)
Presenter, Alt Legal Connect – Be Fab with TTAB: Tips for Successfully Pursuing, Defending, and Settling TTAB Disputes (September 14, 2021)
Presenter, OCBA – IP & Technology Law Section – Unconventional Warfare: Best Practices for Stopping IP Infringement Online (December 21, 2020)
Presenter/Moderator, ACG Orange County – Make Your Mark: Demystifying Trademarks and Brands (December 14, 2020)
Speaker, “IP Considerations and Strategies: Reducing Risk for Online Content”, in-house client presentation (July 2020)
Guest Lecturer, UCSD Master of Science in Drug Development & Product Management, (course) Business Development & Entrepreneurship, Corporate Law, Patent Strategy in Pharma & Biotech (Lectured on Trademarks and Brand Protection) (May 27, 2020)
Speaker at the Federal Bar Association’s Fashion Law Conference – Cannabis and CBD in the Fashion and Beauty Industry, New York (February 2020)
Speaker at the LAIPLA Washington in the West Conference – Cannabis Trademark Protection – Challenges and Strategies, Los Angeles (February 2020)
Speaker at the ACC-SoCal Double Header – How to Chicken Dance Like a Pro Around Copyright Clearance, Orange County (October 2019)
Guest on the Ganjapreneur podcast episode “Cannabis Product Trademarks” (August 2019)
Guest Lecturer, UCSD Master of Science in Drug Development & Product Management, (course) Business Development & Entrepreneurship, Corporate Law, Patent Strategy in Pharma & Biotech (Lectured on Trademarks and Brand Protection) (July 30, 2019)
Presenter and Moderator at Association for Corporate Growth’s “Cannabis: The Blossoming Opportunities and Unique Challenges” (June 19, 2019)
Speaker at “HerCannabiz Presents: Trademarking Your Cannabis and CBD Brand” (May 29, 2019)
“10 IP Pitfalls Every Startup Should Avoid,” Wayfare Labs, Costa Mesa (October 2016)
“12 Steps to Becoming (an IP) Dragonslayer: ‘Navigating Social Media and e-Commerce Websites,'” 29th Annual Orange County Paralegal Association Educational Conference (September 2015)
