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Mary Shapiro, JD, MBA

Managing Director

Evoke Law, PC


Mary Shapiro
Evoke Law, PC
mary@evoke.law

Mary Shapiro, Managing Director of Evoke Law, PC, based in San Francisco, California, is an intellectual property attorney specializing in trademark, consumer protection, copyright, and internet law.

For 20 years prior to her legal career, Mary served in a variety of marketing positions in the book industry, including roles in retail, distribution and publishing. Mary started her legal career in 1999 at Townsend and Townsend and Crew LLP. There, Mary supported businesses in a variety of industries: technology, medical device, pharmaceutical, wineries, non-profit foundations, and consumer products.
Her cannabis practice began in earnest in 2009, offering specialized legal services in intellectual property and consumer protection. Mary strives to assist cannabis operators in selecting strong and enforceable brand names, with her day-to-day work encompassing clearing, filing, prosecuting, enforcing, and licensing trademarks in the U.S. and internationally.

In 2016, Mary rebranded the firm to Evoke Law, continuing to specialize in serving the cannabis industry. By registering brands and enforcing intellectual property rights, businesses are positioned to expand their brands nationally and globally. In the consumer protection arena, Evoke Law guides cannabis operators through the complex compliance issues associated with packaging and labeling, recalls, and advertising. The firm encourages clients to carefully view each decision from the vantage point of its overall marketing strategies and business objectives, as well as the company’s risk tolerance level.

Mary has been a leader in bridging intellectual property law, state cannabis regulations, and the cannabis marketplace. In 2015, Mary was a founding Board member of the National Cannabis Bar Association (NCBA), which now has over 700 active members. She currently serves as the Board Secretary, co-chairs the organization’s worldwide expansion (as the International Cannabis Bar Association (INCBA), and is in a leadership role in the Continuing Legal Education program. In 2016-2017, Mary collaborated with industry advocacy groups and fellow legal colleagues, to persuade the California Secretary of State to allow registration of trademarks for cannabis products and services. In early 2018, with the assistance of a technical advisor and expert witness testimony, Evoke Law provided the USPTO with irrefutable scientific evidence that the mature stalks do indeed produce CBD in appreciable quantities without the commingling from other plant parts, including any ‘resinous’ secretions, which debunked the USPTO’s incorrect internal position on this matter, and resulted in the federal registration of a client’s trademark for a hemp-derived product.

Evoke Law provides pro bono assistance to Marijuana Policy Project, Americans for Safe Access, California Cannabis Industry Association, International Cannabis Bar Association, and Cannabis Marketing Association. Mary is also a First 50 supporter of Women Grow, and regularly speaks at industry conferences including MJBiz, NCIA, CCIA, INCBA, Women Grow, and Emerald Cup.

 

Product Type
On Demand

Unauthorized and Unwise: The Lawful Use Requirement in Trademark Law


Average Rating:
   21
Categories:
Business |  Copyrights and Trademarks |  Federal Law |  Intellectual Property |  IP law
Faculty:
Robert Mikos |  Shabnam Malek |  Mary Shapiro, JD, MBA
Duration:
56 Minutes
Format:
Audio and Video
SKU:
INCBA072121UNOD
License:
Access for 6 month(s) after purchase.
Short Description:
This CLE explores whether a mark owner has used its mark to sell improperly labeled soap or an illicit drug, the PTO has no mandate, and no convincing policy reason, to deny the owner the substantial ...
Price:
$75.00 - Non Member Price

Product Type
On Demand

Average Rating:
Not yet rated
Bundle:
CLI2022 On-Demand
Categories:
Intellectual Property |  Patents & Trade Secrets
Faculty:
Marcelo Pomeranz |  Mary Shapiro, JD, MBA |  Jason Moscovici |  Jonathan Cousin
Duration:
1 Hour 2 Minutes
Format:
Audio and Video
SKU:
INCBA090522CanIPOD
License:
Access for 6 month(s) after purchase.
Short Description:
This session will provide you with practice and practical advice on how to conduct due diligence on an IP portfolio in various types of transactions. The panel will identify top diligence issues so yo...
Price:
$75.00 - Non Member Price

Product Type
On Demand

Average Rating:
   2
Bundle:
Global Cannabis IP Symposium 2023 On-Demand Bundle
Categories:
Copyrights and Trademarks |  Intellectual Property |  IP law
Faculty:
Mary Shapiro, JD, MBA |  Natalie Rizkalla-Kamel |  Katie Paterno, JD |  Thomas Verborgh |  Arturo Revilla
Duration:
1 Hour 19 Minutes
Format:
Audio and Video
SKU:
INCBA092923brandsOD
License:
Access for 6 month(s) after purchase.
Short Description:
INCBA Global Cannabis Intellectual Property Symposium 2023 session: Global Protection of Cannabis Brands - Is it Possible?
Price:
$75.00 - Non Member Price

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