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Attorney Biographies

Stephen S. Photopoulos 
4710 U.S. Steel Tower
600 Grant Street
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 15219-2702

Communication Center 
Phone: (412) 288-4016
Fax: (412) 288-2405
E-mail: sphotopoulos@psmn.com
Web site: http://www.psmn.com

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Position	Areas of Practice	Education

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Stephen S. Photopoulos is a business lawyer specializing in commercial litigation, intellectual property, and tax matters.  Mr. Photopoulos regularly represents clients in state and federal courts in a variety of business matters including: contract disputes, patent infringement, trade secrets, insurance coverage, professional liability, employee benefits, and shareholder/partner disputes.

Mr. Photopoulos received his J.D., cum laude, from the Duquesne University School of Law, where he served as Production Editor of the law review.  Mr. Photopoulos is licensed to practice at all levels of the Pennsylvania state court system, the United States District Court for the Western District of Pennsylvania, and the United States Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit. 

A member of the Pennsylvania Bar Association, Mr. Photopoulos is a regular contributor to the PBA's Civil Litigation Update. He is also a member of the Allegheny County Bar Association where he serves on the Finance Committee, is Immediate Past Chair of the Taxation Section, and is a member of the Federal Court Section.  Mr. Photopoulos is also a member of the Pittsburgh Intellectual Property Law Association and regularly writes articles on intellectual property issues for a variety of publications.

Mr. Photopoulos received his Masters in Taxation from Robert Morris University and remains active in the local tax bar, having worked as a senior tax consultant for a Big-4 accounting firm prior to receiving his law degree.  He received his Bachelors Degree from Carnegie Mellon University, and is active in the Carnegie Mellon Pittsburgh Alumni Clan. 

Current Employment Position(s):

Associate

Areas of Practice:

Commercial Insurance

Complex Litigation

Directors' & Officers' Liability Insurance

Errors & Omissions Insurance

Federal Appellate Practice

Federal Trial Practice

Property & Casualty

Reinsurance

State Appellate Practice

State Trial Practice

Tax Litigation

Litigation Percentage:

100% of Practice Devoted to Litigation

Bar Admissions:

Pennsylvania, 2002

U.S. District Court Western District of Pennsylvania, 2004

U.S. Court of Appeals 3rd Circuit, 2005

Education:

Duquesne University School of Law, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, 2002
J.D.
Honors: Cum Laude
Law Review: Duquesne Law Review, Production Editor, 2000 - 2002

Robert Morris University, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, 1997
M.S.
Major:  Taxation

Carnegie Mellon University, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, 1990
B.S.
Major:  History

Past Employment Positions:

Robb Leonard Mulvihill, Associate, 2003 - 2006

DKW Law Group, Associate, 2002 - 2003

Birth Information:

1968, Bryn Mawr, Pennsylvania, United States of America

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In a trademark dispute alleging that defendant infringed trademarks by selling t-shirts with several universities' color schemes and other identifying indicia referencing the games of the schools' football teams, summary judgment for plaintiffs is affirmed where: 1) the color schemes had secondary meaning and, although unregistered, were protectible marks; 2) there was a likelihood of confusion connecting the marks and the universities themselves; 3) the marks at issue were nonfunctional and thus subject to Lanham Act protection; 4) defendants' use of the marks was not a nominative fair use; 5) the defense of laches did not apply; 6) actual confusion was not a prerequisite to an award of money damages; and 7) plaintiffs were not entitled to attorneys' fees.

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