Danielle W. Bulger

Associate

Danielle practices in the Intellectual Property department, focusing on trademark and copyright clearance, protection, enforcement, and licensing.

Danielle Bulger, Associate, Arent Fox LLP

Danielle’s practice navigates the ever-evolving landscape of intellectual property law in the digital age. She advises on all aspects of copyright, anti-piracy, trademark, trade dress, and advertising law, helping clients create business-minded solutions and understand intricacies related to the creation, ownership, licensing, use, and enforcement of brand assets and works of authorship in the United States and internationally.  

In addition to being a trusted counselor, Danielle is an accomplished litigator. She frequently appears before the Trademark Trial and Appeal Board (TTAB) of the US Patent and Trademark Office and federal district courts. She is responsible for spearheading many high-profile disputes and transactions. Her matters often involve online content, including photographs and video, software, artwork, apparel, footwear, and consumer packaged goods. Danielle has represented some of the largest fashion, media, consumer products, and retail companies. She often advises clients on issues of first impression, including those concerning infringement, online platforms, and artificial intelligence.

Danielle enjoys helping clients explore emerging technologies, and grow and maintain their most valuable, intangible property. Her practice spans across multiple sectors, thus allowing her to service clients in the fashion and retail; media and technology; food, drug, and beverage; hospitality; and automotive industries, among others.

Client Work 

Danielle’s experience includes:

  • Successfully resolving numerous copyright and trademark claims against multiple major national and international clothing and consumer packaged goods retailers, including claims involving apparel, footwear, toys, product packaging, prints and designs, photographs, mobile applications, and online postings
  • Litigating copyright disputes and providing IP counseling on piracy, ownership rights in programming, the First Amendment, artificial intelligence, and fair use, among other issues, for multiple, leading media companies
  • Opining on and/or negotiating copyright music licensing matters with various Performance Rights Organizations (PROs)
  • Opining on copyright issues concerning music use, web scraping, thumbnails, typeface designs, software, and sculptural works
  • Successfully resolving multiple trademark and trade dress disputes for a large foreign automobile manufacturer
  • Successfully negotiating trademark settlement terms for a global healthcare company
  • Counseling a large retailer in a contentious contractual, trademark licensing dispute, resulting in a favorable outcome
  • Producing a high volume of trademark search opinions for new product launches

Previous Work

Prior to coming to ArentFox Schiff, Danielle worked at a large intellectual property firm. There, she advised on the management and enforcement of trademarks, the implications of false advertising, and compliance with the Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA). During her tenure, she and her team prevailed in a large fashion litigation trial. She has also had success before the TTAB, including on summary judgment.

Danielle continues to leverage her research and writing skills as a former multi-media journalist and associate producer, responsible for publishing online daily and covering legal and business issues. While earning her Bachelor’s degree in Organizational Studies with distinguished honors, Danielle gained valuable media and marketing experience through positions at the NBC TODAY Show, CBS Evening News, WNBA, and Verizon Wireless.

 

Professional Activities

  • 2025 Annual Meeting Committee, The Copyright Society
  • Board Member, Bar Association of Washington, D.C., IP Section, 2024 - Present
  • Member, Women’s Bar Association, 2016 – Present
  • Executive Board Member, IP Section, National Bar Association, 2017 – 2022
  • Chair and Chair-Elect, IP Section, National Bar Association, 2019 – 2021
  • Co-Chair, Diversity In Tech and IP Awards, 2020 – 2021

Publications, Presentations & Recognitions

  • Recognized in Best Lawyers’ “Ones to Watch” List for Entertainment and Sports Law, 2025 

  • Speaker, Copyright and Technology Conference, Copyright Society, “The Paper Trail: Attribution, AI, and Copyright,” September 30, 2024

  • Speaker, ASU Law McCarthy Institute and UCLA Institute for Technology, Law & Policy, “AI and Authorship,” March 8, 2024

  • Moderator, Exploring the Impact on Copyrightability When Creating New Works Through AI, March 2023

  • Recognized by peers and selected to Super Lawyer’s Rising Stars for 2022 - 2024 in the areas of intellectual property counseling, intellectual property litigation, and technology transactions

  • Author, To Infinity and Beyond: California Court Grants Motion to Dismiss Trademark Complaint Against Meta Logo, World Trademark Review Daily, December 2022

  • Speaker, Continuing Legal Education, “Implications of the Trademark Modernization Act and Recent Trade Dress Law Developments,” October 2021

  • Moderator, Tech and IP Summit, February 2021

  • Speaker, American Bar Association – Fashion Committee Meeting, “Whose Design is it Anyway: A Discussion Concerning the Protectability of Fashion Designs by Copyright Law,” December 2020.

  • Speaker, Continuing Legal Education, Demystifying Scenarios Where Common IP Issues May Arise, October 2020

  • Speaker, Continuing Legal Education, Marketing to Minors, September 2020

  • Speaker, Continuing Legal Education, Updates in IP Protection for Color and Design, August 2020

  • Moderator, National Bar Association – 95th Annual Convention, “Everything Content Creators Need to Know About US Copyright Law,” July 2020

  • Speaker, National Bar Association – 94th Annual Convention, “Best Practices in Brand Protection, Online Video & Social Media,” July 2019

  • Speaker, National Bar Association Convention – 94th Annual Convention, “Best Practices in Brand Protection, Online Video & Social Media,” July 2019

  • Presenter, National Bar Association CLE Webinar, “Navigating Brand Protection in an E-Commerce Driven Marketplace,” June 2019

  • Panelist, 22nd Annual Sports & Entertainment Law Center Court Conference, Howard University School of Law, March 2019

  • Speaker, Continuing Legal Education, “Protecting Brand Value and Identity in the E-Commerce Space,” April 2018

  • Speaker, National Bar Association - 92nd Annual Convention, Branding and IP Rights in Online Video and on Social Media, August 2017

  • Co-Author, Bloomberg BNA Trademark Infringement Remedies (Treatise), Third Edition, 2017

  • Co-Author, Bloomberg BNA Trademark Infringement Remedies Cumulative Supplement, 2016; 2015

  • What Prince Can Teach All Companies About Rebranding, Entreprenuer.com, May 2016

  • How POM Wonderful Could Change the Landscape of False-Advertising Lawsuits, Westlaw Journal Intellectual Property, April 2014

  • Leadership Institute for Women of Color Attorneys Scholar, 2015

  • Federal Communications Bar Association Scholar, 2014

Life Beyond the Law

As a former resident of Manhattan’s Hell’s Kitchen, Danielle enjoys exploring Washington, D.C.’s emerging food scene, ranging from pop-up restaurants to Michelin-starred establishments.  

Perspectives