Katherine M. Basile
Senior Counsel
Katy provides strategic counsel to iconic brands on trademark and copyright creation, protection, and enforcement.
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Katy is a preeminent trademark and brands attorney with demonstrated mastery across the full lifecycle of brand protection—from clearance and prosecution to enforcement and strategic portfolio management. With a reputation for navigating complex trademark landscapes with precision and confidence, Katy brings the kind of experience that transforms brand challenges into competitive advantages. Known for combining sharp legal acumen with a keen understanding of how brands drive business value, Katy delivers counsel that is both commercially savvy and legally rigorous.
Katy serves as primary outside counsel for globally recognized brands, advising on trademark clearance, prosecution, and related transactional matters worldwide. Her private practice and in-house counsel experience, combined with her background managing famous and unique trademarks, gives Katy a truly international perspective. Katy regularly appears before the Trademark Trial and Appeal Board (TTAB) and is actively involved in trademark infringement and unfair competition litigation in federal courts. She has extensive experience managing multi-jurisdictional disputes and utilizing alternative dispute resolution procedures to achieve favorable outcomes for clients.
Client Work
- Advised multi-billion-dollar cybersecurity company in selection, adoption and prosecution of its new company name.
- Advised on trade dress infringement litigation in federal court involving world-renown health care provider.
- Advised on a trade dress infringement litigation in federal court enforcing the client’s trademark rights in its iconic brands and product packaging.
- Represented Applied Medical in multiple trademark infringement actions, resulting in favorable settlements.
- Represented Intel Corporation in numerous multi-jurisdictional disputes involving the famous INTEL INSIDE trademark.
- Represented Intuit in cease-and-desist negotiations and TTAB proceedings involving protection of the MINT trademark.
Publications, Presentations & Recognitions
Recognitions
- Trademark Prosecutor of the Year (West), Managing IP (2026)
- Chambers USA – California IP: Trademark, Copyright & Trade Secrets (2026)
- Global Leader, World Trademark Review (WTR) (2025–2026)
- Legal 500 US, Who’s Who Legal, and International Who’s Who
- Top 250 Women in IP, Managing Intellectual Property
- IP Star, Managing Intellectual Property
- Woman of Influence, San Jose Business Journal
Boards, Memberships & Certifications
Memberships
- International Trademark Association (INTA)
- European Community Trademark Association (ECTA)
- ChIPs – Co-Chair, Silicon Valley Chapter; Vice-Chair, ChIPs Social Justice Committee
- INTA Presidential Task Force Member on Committee Structure, Participation and Function (2015)
- INTA Saul Lefkowitz Moot Court – National Chair (2012–2013); current committee member
- Menlo Atherton Academy Student Mentoring Program (2008–2025)
- Volunteers in Parole (VIP) – Outstanding Match/Mentor Award recipient (1996, 2000, 2007)
Life Beyond the Law
Outside of work, Katy enjoys competing in women’s masters water polo and swimming with the Menlo Masters Swim Team. A devoted grandmother to four (ages two months to six years), she is deeply invested in the next generation, whether that means reading bedtime stories, mentoring young people, or getting out the vote. Katy is equally committed to racial repair, actively advancing racial equity through the Reparations Project. When she’s not poolside or giving back, she’s traveling—from SwimTrek trips to visits with her German high school exchange family—or curling up with anything from biographies to romance novels.
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Industries
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Languages
German
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Education
University of California, Los Angeles, School of Law, JD, Order of the Coif, 1987University of California, Irvine, BS, 1982University of California, Irvine, BA, 1980