Howard J. Shire

Partner

212.808.2722

More ways to contact Howard J. Shire

Additional Languages: Spanish (basic)

With more than 30 years of experience protecting and defending his clients' intellectual property, Howard provides a nuanced and sophisticated approach to help them reduce risk and resolve high stakes matters.

Overview
Representative Matters
Insights
Awards

Howard has more than 30 years of experience in protecting and defending his clients’ products and IP rights against infringement. He has represented major corporations, as both plaintiffs and defendants, in trademark infringement and dilution cases, trademark and copyright counterfeiting cases, trade dress litigations, and all manner of IP enforcement cases, in both federal district court and the Trademark Trial and Appeal Board. Howard has also handled patent litigations. His work has resulted in verdicts worth millions of dollars for his clients and precedent-setting decisions in IP law.

Howard has an active counseling and prosecution practice. His clients turn to him to help them develop and implement worldwide trademark registration programs. Howard coordinates major corporate acquisitions involving the worldwide transfer of patents, trademarks, and copyrights, and negotiates a wide variety of intellectual property agreements, such as licenses, trademark coexistence agreements, and joint ventures. Howard also counsels clients on intellectual property matters relating to internet issues and the selection of new trademarks and domain names, and has experience litigating actions to obtain domain names under ICANN’s dispute resolution procedure. His clients have come from many diverse industries, including computer software, consumer electronics, financial services, video games, restaurants and nightclubs, sports and entertainment, apparel, nutritional supplements, publishing, personal care products, alcoholic beverages, landscaping, music licensing, and pharmaceuticals.

Howard is also a trained and experienced mediator and member of the International Trademark Association’s Panel of Trademark Mediators. He has conducted several mediations of trademark and copyright disputes, Howard has also served as an arbitrator under the auspices of the American Arbitration Association. He has also been an active member of the International Trademark Association’s Alternative Dispute Resolution Committee, which encourages the resolution of trademark disputes outside of the courtroom.

Howard is a prolific author and has written articles on unfair competition claims, personal jurisdiction, liability for false patent marking, fraud on The United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO), the tacking standard, trademark dilution, fair use, inducement of infringement, keyword advertising, and the Anticybersquatting Consumer Protection Act (ACPA).

He serves as editor-in-chief of Intellectual Property Strategist and is a former editor-in-chief of The Trademark Reporter, the leading scholarly journal devoted to trademark law.

  • Represents clients in federal and state court litigations and in arbitrations.
  • Litigates trademark oppositions and cancellation actions before the Trademark Trial and Appeal Board.
  • Handles non-litigation matters concerning trademarks and copyrights.
  • Best Lawyers in America®: Litigation – Intellectual Property (2015, 2018, 2025-2026), Trademark Law (2006-2026)
  • Lexology Index: Thought Leaders: USA (formerly Who’s Who Legal) (2024)
  • World Trademark Review: WTR 1000 (2011-2019, 2021, 2023-2025)
  • New York Super Lawyers (2006-2021)
  • Best Lawyers in America®: “Lawyer of the Year” in Trademark Law (2018)
  • Rated AV Preeminent by Martindale-Hubbell®
  • Rated Top Lawyer 2024 by Martindale-Avvo
  • Recognized as a Top Attorney in Metro New York, New York Times Magazine (2016)
  • Recognized in The International Who’s Who of Business Lawyers (2013)

Howard has more than 30 years of experience in protecting and defending his clients’ products and IP rights against infringement. He has represented major corporations, as both plaintiffs and defendants, in trademark infringement and dilution cases, trademark and copyright counterfeiting cases, trade dress litigations, and all manner of IP enforcement cases, in both federal district court and the Trademark Trial and Appeal Board. Howard has also handled patent litigations. His work has resulted in verdicts worth millions of dollars for his clients and precedent-setting decisions in IP law.

Howard has an active counseling and prosecution practice. His clients turn to him to help them develop and implement worldwide trademark registration programs. Howard coordinates major corporate acquisitions involving the worldwide transfer of patents, trademarks, and copyrights, and negotiates a wide variety of intellectual property agreements, such as licenses, trademark coexistence agreements, and joint ventures. Howard also counsels clients on intellectual property matters relating to internet issues and the selection of new trademarks and domain names, and has experience litigating actions to obtain domain names under ICANN’s dispute resolution procedure. His clients have come from many diverse industries, including computer software, consumer electronics, financial services, video games, restaurants and nightclubs, sports and entertainment, apparel, nutritional supplements, publishing, personal care products, alcoholic beverages, landscaping, music licensing, and pharmaceuticals.

Howard is also a trained and experienced mediator and member of the International Trademark Association’s Panel of Trademark Mediators. He has conducted several mediations of trademark and copyright disputes, Howard has also served as an arbitrator under the auspices of the American Arbitration Association. He has also been an active member of the International Trademark Association’s Alternative Dispute Resolution Committee, which encourages the resolution of trademark disputes outside of the courtroom.

Howard is a prolific author and has written articles on unfair competition claims, personal jurisdiction, liability for false patent marking, fraud on The United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO), the tacking standard, trademark dilution, fair use, inducement of infringement, keyword advertising, and the Anticybersquatting Consumer Protection Act (ACPA).

He serves as editor-in-chief of Intellectual Property Strategist and is a former editor-in-chief of The Trademark Reporter, the leading scholarly journal devoted to trademark law.

  • Represents clients in federal and state court litigations and in arbitrations.
  • Litigates trademark oppositions and cancellation actions before the Trademark Trial and Appeal Board.
  • Handles non-litigation matters concerning trademarks and copyrights.
  • Best Lawyers in America®: Litigation – Intellectual Property (2015, 2018, 2025-2026), Trademark Law (2006-2026)
  • Lexology Index: Thought Leaders: USA (formerly Who’s Who Legal) (2024)
  • World Trademark Review: WTR 1000 (2011-2019, 2021, 2023-2025)
  • New York Super Lawyers (2006-2021)
  • Best Lawyers in America®: “Lawyer of the Year” in Trademark Law (2018)
  • Rated AV Preeminent by Martindale-Hubbell®
  • Rated Top Lawyer 2024 by Martindale-Avvo
  • Recognized as a Top Attorney in Metro New York, New York Times Magazine (2016)
  • Recognized in The International Who’s Who of Business Lawyers (2013)
  • Member, Law360 Intellectual Property Editorial Advisory Board (2025)
  • Member of the INTA Trademark Mediators Network
  • Member and former chairman of the Trademark Committee, New York Intellectual Property Law Association
  • Member of ABA Trademark Litigation Committee

Education

  • New York University School of Law, J.D., 1979, Moot Court Board, editor, Annual Survey of American Law
  • Brown University, B.A., 1975

Bar Admissions

  • New York

Court Admissions

  • U.S. District Court, Eastern District of New York
  • U.S. District Court, Southern District of New York
  • U.S. Court of Appeals, Second Circuit
  • U.S. Court of Appeals, Ninth Circuit
  • U.S. Court of Appeals, Federal Circuit
  • Supreme Court of the United States
  • U.S. District Court, Eastern District of Wisconsin

Languages

  • Spanish (basic)