P. Stephen Fardy
312-923-8247 direct
sfardy@smbtrials.com

Stephen Fardy is a partner at Swanson, Martin & Bell, LLP. He is the chair of the firm's intellectual property group and focuses his practice on intellectual property litigation and transactions, as well as on a variety of commercial litigation matters. Stephen has a national practice and represents a variety of entities ranging from small businesses to Fortune 500 companies. His intellectual property practice includes litigating trademarks, trade dress and unfair trade practices, prosecuting and defending trademark injunctions, handling opposition and cancellation proceedings with the Trademark Trial and Appeal Board, copyrights, patents, right of publicity and privacy issues, as well as complex breach of contract and commercial fraud actions. Stephen also prosecutes trademark applications with the United States Patent & Trademark Office, prepares trademark availability reports, handles an extensive trademark docket for both national and international trademarks, provides trademark maintenance and monitoring services, prepares licenses and assignments, and provides counseling with regard to trade secret issues. Stephen strives to provide excellent legal representation for his clients with an emphasis on efficiency, cost-effectiveness and obtaining favorable business resolutions.

Practice Areas
Intellectual Property Transactions & Litigation
  Trademarks, trade dress and unfair trade practices
  Trade secrets
  Patent Litigation
  Copyright
  Right of publicity and privacy issues
Commercial Litigation and Business Disputes

Awards and Distinctions
Named one of “40 Illinois Attorneys Under 40 to Watch”
  in Law Bulletin Publishing Company’s annual
  survey (2009)  Click here to download PDF, 60K
Selected for inclusion in Illinois Super Lawyers–Rising
  Star Edition in Intellectual Property (2008, 2009)

Education
Indiana University (B.A., with honors, 1991; J.D., 1994)
  Member, Jessup International Moot Court Team,
    1992-1994
  Chicago Bar Association Moot Court Team, 1993-1994
The John Marshall Law School-Center for Intellectual
  Property (LL.M., with honors; in Intellectual Property,
  2001)

Memberships
Illinois State Bar Associations
Indiana State Bar Associations
Federal Trial Bar for the United States District Court,   Northern District of Illinois
International Trademark Association

Admissions
Indiana, 1994
Illinois, 1996
United States District Court, Northern District of
  Indiana, 1994
United States District Court, Southern District of
  Indiana, 1994
United States District Court, Northern District of
  Illinois, 1996
United States District Court, District of Colorado, 2009

Publications
Feet of Clay: How the Right of Publicity Exception Undermines Copyright Act Preemption, 12 Tex. Intell. Prop. L.J. 444 (2004). Click here to download PDF, 240K