Ira Cohen

Principal & Founder

Attorney Ira Cohen is the Founder and Principal of Ira Cohen, P.A. He is a Member of the Florida and New York Bars and has been practicing law for 42 years. Ira earned his first law degree 42 years ago in 1981. He is rated AV Preeminent by Martindale Hubbell®.

Ira served as Judicial Law Clerk to the Honorable Harold J. Raby, United States Magistrate Judge for the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York (1982-85).

He obtained his Master of Laws degree (LL.M.) from New York University School of Law (1985); earlier, he earned his Juris Doctor degree from Brooklyn Law School (1981). Prior thereto, he was awarded a Bachelor of Arts degree, magna cum laude, from Queens College, C.U.N.Y. (1977).

Ira has decades of experience in the field of Intellectual Property (“IP”) law encompassing such areas as copyright, trademark, and unfair competition law, as well as privacy, publicity, and trade secret claims. His practice extends to the textual and visual arts, the musical arts, and entertainment in general, as well as the branding and marking of goods and/or services, franchising, and internet law. He counsels clients in the development of their intellectual property assets and rights, and protects their businesses, books, computer programs, designs, musical compositions, graphical art works, paintings, plays, poems, screenplays, sculptures and other three-dimensional works, and sound recordings from predatory or piratical conduct, such as infringement, counterfeiting, and other species of commercial theft and tortious conduct. He handles agreements related to the assignment, development, licensing, transfer, and other disposition of IP rights, as well as royalty agreements.

Attorney Cohen prepares and prosecutes intellectual property applications seeking Registrations before the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office. He also arranges and oversees foreign filings and disputes, outside the U.S., across the globe. He has worked on IP matters involving trademark and related issues in various Central and South American countries, as well as in the Caribbean. Ira handles and manages brand/trademark portfolios on virtually every continent. Ira has been responsible for clients’ names, brands, and marks and related causes in a multitude of countries including, but not limited to: Canada, Mexico, Antigua & Barbuda, Bahamas, Barbados, Belize, Bermuda, Costa  Rica, Cuba, Dominican Republic, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Egypt, Israel, Turkey, Panama, Trinidad & Tobago, Aruba, Puerto Rico, U.S.V.I., Saint Maarten, Turks & Caicos, Australia, New Zealand, Argentina, Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, Chile, Paraguay, Peru, Uruguay, Venezuela, Belgium, France, Spain, E.U, U.K., Iceland, Ukraine, Ireland, China, Japan, Singapore, Malaysia, Hong Kong, India, and South Korea.

Ira has experience representing corporations, business entities, and individuals in a wide variety of business transactions and commercial disputes (through litigation and alternative dispute resolution). His clients have included, among others, apparel manufacturers, architects, artists, athletes, authors, banks, beverage-makers, brewers and vintners, cargo/freight/trucking companies, comic book creators and illustrators, concert promoters, contractors, cruise-line companies, customs brokers, diving excursion companies, dentists, film production companies, flower distributors, fruit and vegetable growers, furniture manufacturers, graphic designers, health spas, hoteliers, linen and textile manufacturers, musicians, music promoters, pet supply companies, photographers, physicians, publishers, race car drivers, promoters and sponsors, real estate developers, record labels, restaurants, seafood companies, flower merchants, HVAC companies, pet supply manufacturers, publishing enterprises, telecommunications companies, vessel and aircraft owners, and watch manufacturers. Ira also provides general corporate representation and assistance in transactional legal matters such as: the acquisition and sale of luxury assets such as businesses, airplanes, helicopters, yachts, marine vessels, motor vehicles, and racing vehicles,  as well as franchising; licensing, marketing, promotional, and brand sponsorship agreements.

Attorney Cohen has litigated cases in the state and federal trial and appellate courts and government tribunals in Florida,  New York, Virginia, and Washington, D.C. He has also handled various federal proceedings, depositions and/or litigation-related matters in Alabama, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Connecticut, the District of Columbia, Georgia, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, New Jersey, Nevada, North Carolina, South Carolina, Pennsylvania, Puerto Rico, Rhode Island, Tennessee, Texas, the U.S. Virgin Islands, Vermont, Virginia, and Washington State.

From 2008-2019, Ira was a member of the Faculty of the University of Phoenix, College of Business and Management, South Florida Campus. Ira, who holds both the J.D. and LL.M. degrees, taught business law and related coursework, at both the undergraduate and graduate course levels, as well as United States constitutional law.

Among many other interests and hobbies, Ira devotes his leisure time to: foreign travel, antiquarian books, antiques and collectibles, coin and stamp collectibles, art and art history, classical music, family car trips in the U.S., Latin music (all genres), reading, medieval and renaissance European art and architecture, English comedy, Iberian gastronomy, and the culture and history of Spain. Ira speaks Spanish fluently.

Practice Areas

• Intellectual Property (Trademarks and Copyrights)
• Contracts and Business Transactions
• Alternative Dispute Resolution
• Corporate Law
• Acquisition/Sale of Businesses, Intellectual Property, and Luxury Assets

Admissions

• The Florida Bar, 1983
• The New York Bar, 1983
• U.S. Supreme Court
• U.S. Courts of Appeals for the First, Second, Fourth, Sixth, Seventh, Ninth, Eleventh, and Federal Circuits
• U.S. District Courts – Northern, Southern and Middle Districts of Florida; Southern and Eastern Districts of New York

Federal Judicial Clerkship

• Honorable Harold J. Raby, United States Magistrate Judge, U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York, 1982-85

Education

• New York University, School of Law, LL.M., 1985
• Brooklyn Law School, J.D., 1981
• Queens College, C.U.N.Y., B.A., magna cum laude, 1977

Government Service

• Administrative Law Judge, City of New York (New York, Bronx, Queens, Brooklyn, and Richmond Counties), 1997-99.
• Arbitrator, Civil Court of the City of New York (New York and Queens Counties), 1989-99.

Languages

• English (native) and Spanish (fluent)

Legal Academia

• Judge, INTA, Moot Court, N.Y.C. (Feb. 2023)
• Mentor, Federal Bar Association, Lift Up Leaders (2022-2023)
• Academic Committee, International Trademark Association (2020-2021)
• Judge, FBA, virtual (March 2022)
• Judge, INTA, Moot Court, virtual (Feb. 2022)
• Judge, Federal Bar Assoc., Marshall Moot Court Competition, Wash., D.C. (Mar. 2019)
• Judge, Int’l Trademark Assoc. (INTA), Lefkowitz Moot Court Competition, New York, NY (Feb. 2019)
• Mentor, Law Student Mentorship Program, Federal Bar Association,
  Southern District of Florida Chapter (Sept. 2008- present)
• Judge, Int’l Trademark Assoc. (INTA), Lefkowitz Moot Court Competition, New York, NY (Feb. 2018)
• Judge, Federal Bar Assoc., Marshall Moot Court Competition, Wash., D.C. (Mar. 2017)
• Judge, International Trademark Assoc. (INTA), Lefkowitz Moot Court Competition, New York, NY (Feb. 2017)
• Judge, INTA, Lefkowitz Moot Court Competition, Atlanta, GA (Feb. 2016)
• Judge, New York Law School, Moot Court Competitions (multiple events/1990s)
• Brooklyn Law School, Guest Lecturer (Federal Judicial Clerkship seminars 1982-85)

Speaking Engagements

• INTA, Moderator/Lecturer, “Non-Traditional Marks Under U.S. Law,” Washington, D.C., May 2022.
• Panelist, “Trademark Law: A Panel Discussion for Law Students,” Florida International University College of Law, October 24, 2019.
• International Trademark Association, Moderator/Lecturer, “Non-Traditional Marks under U.S. Law, 4.0: Survey & Update,” at the 2019 Annual Meeting in Boston, MA (May 2019).
• “Bright Thoughts for I/P Law Careers,” Special Event for Law Students in the New England Area, held at the Olde Union Oyster House, Boston, MA, sponsored by the Intellectual Property LAW Section of the Federal Bar Association and the Massachusetts Chapter of the FBA (April 2019).
• International Trademark Association, Moderator/Lecturer, “The Secret World of Subliminal Service Marks and Trademarks 3.0,”at the 2016 Annual Meeting, in Orlando, Florida (May 2018).
• International Trademark Association, Moderator/Lecturer, “The Secret World of Subliminal Service Marks and Trademarks 2.0,”at the 2016 Annual Meeting, in Orlando, Florida (May 2016).
• American Bar Association, Moderator/Lecturer, at the 31st Annual Intellectual Property Law Conference, IPL Spring, Meeting of the A.B.A., “Non-Traditional Trademarks under U.S. Law,” in Bethesda, Maryland (April 2016).
• International Trademark Association, Moderator/Lecturer, “Non-Traditional Marks under U.S. Law 2.0: Survey & Update,” at the 2015 Annual Meeting in San Diego, CA (May 2015).
• University of Phoenix, at the entrepreneur event, Lecturer, “Choosing a Business Entity,” Miramar, FL (Aug. 2014).
• International Trademark Association (INTA), Moderator/Lecturer, “The Common Senses of U.S. Trademark Law: Protection and Enforcement of Non-Traditional Marks,” Wash., D.C. (May 2012).

Bar Associations & Positions Therein

• Federal Bar Association (including the Litigation and Intellectual Property Law “IPLS” Sections)
• FBA IPLS, Chair (2021-present), Officer & Board Member (multiple years)
• FBA, Editorial Board Member
• FBA Mentorship Program (2018-present)
• The Florida Bar (including the Entertainment, Arts & Sports Law Section)
• New York Bar Association (including the Intellectual Property Law Section)
• Weston Bar Association (Weston, FL)
• Florida Lawyers Network (Doral Chapter), 2021-present
  

Lawyer Organizations

• ASIPI (InterAmerican Association of IP Attorneys (2015-present)
• INTA (International Trademark Association) (1999-present)

Publications

• Court Clerks, Copyrights, & Count Dracula, IP Examiner, Winter 2022-2023, at pp. 3 et seq.
• Florida’s Early Federal Legal History, The Federal Lawyer, Volume 67, Issue 6, November/December 2020, at pp. 6 et seq.
• The Seldom Told Tale of the United States of America’s First Federal Court, The Federal Lawyer,Volume 67, Issue 6, November/December 2020, at pp. 6 et seq.
• Law in the Time of Corona, The Federal Lawyer, Volume 67, Issue 6, November/December 2020, at pp. 48 et seq.
• Ancient Roots of ADR: Brief Sketch of the Early History of Mediation, The Resolver, Alternative Dispute Resolution Section of the Federal Bar Association, Spring 2020, at pp. 2 et seq.
• The Case of the Majestic Rabbi: Consent Trials Before U.S. Magistrate Judges, The Federal Lawyer,Volume 66, Issue 6, Nov./Dec. 2019, at pp. 71 et seq.
• European Court’s Bite Into Kit Kat® Leaves Nestlé With a Sour Taste, The IP Legal Browser, the Intellectual Property Law Section of the Federal Bar Association, Spring 2019, at pp. 6 et seq.
• Legal Traditions & Trivia: H.C. Black and the Lexicon Magnus, SideBAR, the Federal Litigation Section of the Federal Bar Association, Winter 2019.
• It Ain’t Over Till It’s Over; Rule 41(a)(1) Voluntary Dismissals: Pitfalls, Traps, & Practice Tips, SideBAR, the Federal Litigation Section of the Federal Bar Association, Fall 2018, at pp. 9 et seq.
• Trademark Saga in the Land of Fire and Ice, The IP Legal Browser, the Intellectual Property Law Section of the Federal Bar Association, Winter 2018, at pp. 10 et seq.
• Federal Litigators: Have You Done Your Preliminary Homework on The Judge(s) Assigned to Your Case? SideBAR, the Federal Litigation Section of the Federal Bar Association, Winter 2018
• Patent Leather, Leatherneck Patents, and Letters Patent: The Patenting of Clothing and Fashion Apparel Under U.S. Law, The Federal Lawyer, Volume 64, Issue 6, July 2017, at pp. 54 et seq.
• Tower of Babel or Court of Confusion? Federal Courts and Foreign Languages, SideBAR, Federal, the Federal Litigation Section of the Federal Bar Association, Spring 2017 Issue, at pp. 17 et seq.
• Faith or Federalism: Chronicles of the Federal Court in Utah, The Federal Lawyer, The Magazine of the Federal Bar Association, Vol. 62, August 2015 Issue, link at p. 47, at pp. 2 et seq.
• The New Rule 1, Fed. R. Civ. P.: Pillar of Procedure or Pointless Pontification SideBAR, the Federal Litigation Section of the Federal Bar Association, Fall 2015
• Federal Civil Forfeiture Cases; You Can’t Fight City Hall-And Even if you Win, You Lose! SideBAR, the Federal Litigation Section of the Federal Bar Association, Fall 2014 Issue, at pp. 4 et seq.
• Rhode Island Federal Courts. A History, The Federal Lawyer, The Magazine of the Federal Bar Association, Vol. 61, No. 7, Sept. 2014, at pp. 54 et seq.
• Patents in Paradise, Tropical Trademarks, and Caribbean Copyrights, The Federal Lawyer, The Magazine of the Federal Bar Association, Vol. 60, No. 9, Oct./Nov. 2013, at pp. 54 et seq.
• Federal Courts in Puerto Rico, SideBAR, the Federal Litigation Section of the Federal Bar Association, Spring 2013 Issue, at p. 6 et seq.
• The New U.S. First-to-File Patent System: A Litigator’s Summary of the America Invents Act, The IP Legal Browser, the Intellectual Property Law Section of the Federal Bar Association, Fall 2011 Issue, at pp. 12 et seq.
• “L” is Short for Lawsuit: “A” is for Attorney: Slumberous Students Sue Schools for Grades. Academic Affairs Tribune, South Florida Edition, Q 1, 2014-2015.
• The Irony in Eponymy: Socratic Method and its Creator: Who Was Socrates, Really? Academic Affairs Tribune, South Florida Edition, Q 4, 2013-14.
• By Name, Teachers We Are Called: An Honorable Calling by Any Name, Academic Affairs Tribune, South Florida Edition, Q3, 2013-14.
• Motto Ostinato, Academic Affairs Tribune, South Florida Edition, Q2, Issue 2, 2013-14.
• Playing a Film in Class May be Playing with Fire, Academic Affairs Tribune, South Florida Edition, Vol. 1, No. 1, Q1, 2013-14.
• Intellectual Property Law in the Ivory Tower: Core Concepts of Copyright for My Colleagues, Academic Affairs Tribune, South Florida Edition, Vol. 2, No. 2, 2013.
• The Linguistic Challenge for the Small Claims Division of the City Court of New York: Spanish for Arbitrators (a Primer) (1995).
• Editor, Portuguese version of the Small Claims Guide for Litigants (New York City, Civil Court, 1996).