Shannon T. Vale

For more than 25 years, Shannon Vale’s practice has focused on trademark and copyright law, intellectual property transactions and due diligence, and right of publicity law. Prior to assuming his current role as Senior Counsel, Shannon served ten years as a member of Pirkey Barber, and he spent the previous eleven years as a trademark partner in the Austin office of Fulbright & Jaworski and as a shareholder in the national intellectual property boutique Arnold, White & Durkee. Shannon also spent five years as the head of personal management firms that directed the careers of major label and major independent label recording artists based in the United States and the United Kingdom.

Shannon’s practice includes:

Advising clients regarding worldwide trademark protection and enforcement strategies, the selection, and clearance of trademarks, and the management of global portfolios
Obtaining domestic and foreign trademark registrations
Handling trademark opposition and cancellation proceedings
Counseling clients with respect to acquiring, protecting and enforcing copyright assets
Managing intellectual property due diligence projects
Negotiating licenses and other intellectual property transactions
Best Lawyers in America® named Shannon the Austin 2021, 2019, and 2014 Lawyer of the Year for Copyright Law, and currently also recognizes him in the fields of trademark law and copyright law. World Trademark Review’s WTR 1000 places Shannon in the Silver Tier in its national rankings for the category of “Individuals: Prosecution & Strategy” and in the Gold Tier for Texas (WTR 1000 2018). In addition, Shannon is recognized in the current editions of the following publications: Managing Intellectual Property’s IP STARS; Chambers USA Guide (Intellectual Property: Trade Mark & Copyright – Texas (Band Three)); International Who’s Who of Trademark Lawyers; and World IP Review (WIPR Leaders).

Active with the International Trademark Association (INTA) for many years, Shannon is currently a member of INTA’s Right of Publicity Committee. He has previously served on numerous INTA committees, including two terms on both the Trademark Office Practice’s U.S. Subcommittee, and on the Meetings Board, as well as terms on the OHIM (EU) Subcommittee of the Trademark Office Practice Committee and the Famous & Well-Known Marks Committee. He also served multiple terms on the Meetings Committee and was Co-Chair of the Task Force on the Future of the Annual Meeting.

Shannon is a Past President of the 50,000-member Association of Rice Alumni, and he also served as the President of Austin Rice Alumni from 2011-2015. He is Past President of the Austin Intellectual Property Law Association, the Rice Alliance for Technology and Entrepreneurship (Austin Chapter), and Austin Lawyers and Accountants for the Arts.

Shannon received his J.D. from Southern Methodist University’s Dedman School of Law and earned his B.A in History and German Studies from Rice University.