Rebecca Cantor is a registered patent attorney with an extensive background in patent litigation as well as trademark protection and enforcement.
Rebecca serves as the Chair of Brooks Kushman’s life science practice group. She concentrates her practice on intellectual property litigation, with a focus on patent litigation involving a wide range of technologies including pharmaceuticals and other life sciences technologies. Rebecca also has experience in trademark disputes, both in Federal Court and in the USPTO. In addition, Rebecca counsels clients in developing strategies to protect their intellectual property.
As a registered patent attorney, Rebecca is authorized to practice before the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office.
Prior to joining Brooks Kushman, Rebecca was a patent litigator at Vinson & Elkins LLP in New York. While there, Rebecca participated in several patent litigations, including a Hatch-Waxman litigation where she was part of a trial team that received a favorable outcome for its client. Rebecca also worked on a number of due diligence projects, many of which involved technologies related to life sciences.
Representative District Court/ITC Matters
Kitch LLC v. Deejayzoo, LLC (Jury Trial – C.D. California): A federal jury in Los Angeles cleared beauty brand, Kitsch, represented by Brooks Kushman, from accusations that shower caps it makes infringe a New York designer’s patented design and related trademarks. After about an hour, eight jurors indicated they were siding with Kitsch, which had sued in 2019 seeking a ruling that its products did not infringe a pair of patents and trademark-protected marketing language, owned by a company called Deejayzoo. Only one of the two patents that Deejayzoo put forward made it to trial. Brooks Kushman attorneys also proved that Deejayzoo didn’t have the right to the descriptive slogan Kitsch used and that there was no evidence of confusion.
Mag Automotive LLC V. Gadra Enterprises, Inc. (Summary Judgment – E.D. Michigan): Represented defendant Gadra in a trademark infringement matter relating to a numbering system on automotive equipment parts. Convinced the court that plaintiff did not have any enforceable trademark rights as the asserted trademarks were functional and had no secondary meaning, and the Court granted Summary Judgment for Gadra. Also convinced the Court to deny Plaintiff Mag Automotive’ s motion for Summary Judgment on Gadra’s counterclaims alleging false advertising, business and product disparagement, and tortious interference with business relationships and allow those claims to go to trial. The matter settled before trial. Case No. 2:16-cv-12049
See, Inc., v. See Concept SAS (Settlement – E.D. Michigan): Represented Plaintiff See, Inc. in a trademark, unfair competition, and breach of contract matter regarding eyewear products. Settled favorably just over one year after the complaint was filed. The Court also issued a permanent injunction against the Defendant. Case No. 2-16-cv-13261
Education
J.D., University of Michigan, cum laude
M.S., Pharmaceutical Engineering, University of Michigan
B.S.E, Chemical Engineering, University of Michigan, magna cum laude
Organizations & Affiliations
State Bar of Michigan
State Bar of New York
United States Patent and Trademark Office
Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit
University of Michigan Law School, Adjunct Professor
Federal Bar Association Eastern District of Michigan Chapter
Recognitions
“Super Lawyer,” Super Lawyers, 2026
“The Best Lawyers in America,” Best Lawyers, 2026-2027
“World Trademark Review 1000 Recommended Individual,” Intellectual Asset Management, 2022-2026
“Rising Star,” Super Lawyers, Intellectual Property, 2014-2019
Presentations
Co-presenter, “Year In Review: 2019 Intellectual Property Litigation,” BK Webinar, February 2020
Publications
Co-Author, “Chapter 17: Intellectual Property,” Michigan Causes of Action Formbook, March 2020
Co-Author, “Stanford v. Roche: Confirming the Basic Patent Law Principle that Inventors Ultimately Have Rights in Their Inventions,” les Nouvelles, March 2012
Co-Author “The Generalist’s Guide to the America Invents Act,” State Bar of Texas Corporate Counsel Section Newsletter, Winter 2012
Co-Author “A Brief Primer on the Leahy-Smith America Invents Act of 2011,” O’Connor’s Federal Intellectual Property Codes Plus, 2012-2013
“A Safe Harbor for Investigational Drugs in Commission Proceedings: The Commission Declines to Extend the Kinik Rationale to Limit the Section 271(e) Defense in Process Patent Cases,” 23 337 Reporter 119, 2007