Profile
I am thrilled to be a member of the Taylor English law firm. The firm appealed to me for many reasons, including its talented and knowledgeable team, its value proposition to clients, and its unparalleled dedication to client service.
Bruce B. Siegal is a member of Taylor English’s Intellectual Property and Entertainment, Sports and Media Departments. Mr. Siegal has more than 30 years of experience as Senior Vice President and General Counsel for the Collegiate Licensing Company (CLC) and its related sports licensing entities. He focuses on sports brand protection and enforcement, licensing, contract negotiation, marketing and business operations, helping brand owners maximize IP value thru licensing, sponsorship and endorsement agreements, and assisting licensees navigate the licensing marketplace through utilizing a vast network of industry contacts.
As the SVP and General Counsel of CLC, Mr. Siegal oversaw all litigation matters, trademark enforcement actions, and anti-counterfeiting efforts. He established CLC as a founding member of CAPS, a trademark protection and enforcement alliance among CLC and the professional sports leagues such as the NFL, MLB, NBA, and NHL. He played an essential role in establishing and managing the CLC legal department, implementing company-wide systems, policies and risk management procedures. Mr. Siegal advised on issues related to contests, social media initiatives and promotions. Additionally, he negotiated and drafted contracts, including agency, license, and sponsorship agreements with clients, licensees, and sponsors in the collegiate business, and for related sports and entertainment clients.
Mr. Siegal played an integral part devising programs to protect the trademark rights of numerous sports clients, including organizing systems to protect the NCAA Final Four and College Football Playoff marks by clearing the marketplace of counterfeit and unlicensed merchandise in coordination with the event organizers, investigators and law enforcement officials.
In addition, Siegal developed and guided the implementation of CLC’s labor code of conduct and monitoring program, and worked with collegiate institutions and licensees to implement Corporate Social Responsibility programs designed to ensure that licensed product bearing collegiate trademarks are produced under safe and fair working conditions.
During his career, Mr. Siegal has written numerous publications on trademark and licensing protection, as well as anti-counterfeiting best practices, especially surrounding sports branding and special events.
He earned his law degree and BA from the University of Alabama.
Memberships
State Bar of Georgia, Former Vice Chair for Entertainment and Sports Law Section; IP Law Section; Corporate Counsel Section
International Trademark Association (INTA)
International Anti-counterfeiting Coalition, Former Board of Directors and Legislative Task Force
International Collegiate Licensing Association (ICLA), Legal Advisory Committee, Chair
Sports Lawyers Association
Intellectual Property Owners Association
Community Involvement
Farrah Alumni Society Board of Trustees, University of Alabama School of Law
Sponsor of Bruce B. Siegal IP moot court teams at the University of Alabama School of Law
Newsroom
Speaking Engagements
Publications
- November 20, 2020
- October 16, 2020
- November 22, 2019
- “Colorful Trends in Trademark Protection,” Entertainment and Sports Lawyer
- Collegiate Licensing, The Licensing Journal (recurring columnist)
- “Collegiate Trademark Licensing,” The Management of Sport: Its Foundation and Application, Chapter 15, Times/Mosby
- “Top of their Game – Collective Licensing Scores for US College Sports,” Trademark World
- “Collegiate Licensing: State of the Industry,” The Licensing Journal
- “Legal Issues Facing Collegiate Licensing Administrators,” The Licensing Journal
- “From the Stadium Parking Lot to the Information Superhighway: How to Protect Your Trademarks from Infringement,” The Journal of College and University Law
- “Developments in Counterfeiting Legislation and Enforcement,” The IP Litigator
Headlines
- November 12, 2020
- March 20, 2020
- January 3, 2020
- November 14, 2019
- October 30, 2019
- October 24, 2019
- September 6, 2019
- August 29, 2019
News Releases
- December 3, 2020
- A Fractional GC Practice for Companies Experiencing ChangeOctober 20, 2020
- August 26, 2019
Education
University of Alabama School of Law, JD, 1986
University of Alabama, BA, 1982
Bar Admissions
Georgia
Accolades
International Collegiate Licensing Association (ICLA) Hall of Fame inductee
Georgia Trend's Legal Elite, Entertainment & Sports Law
CLC Distinguished Service Award and Chairman’s Award of Excellence
Bruce B. Siegal Award for Excellence in Advancing IP, Entertainment & Sports Award by Alabama State Bar (first recipient and now bestowed annually upon an outstanding IP attorney)