Sharon Urias

Partner and Intellectual Property Practice Group Leader

Sharon Urias is a partner and the Intellectual Property Practice Group Leader at Greenspoon Marder LLP, bringing over 28 years of experience in intellectual property and commercial litigation. Her expertise spans a wide range of industries, including apparel, cannabis, entertainment, real estate, and technology. Ms. Urias has successfully represented clients in complex matters involving trademarks, trade secrets, domain name disputes, patents, and copyrights.

She is known for her ability to navigate challenging legal landscapes, securing favorable settlements, obtaining defense verdicts, and winning pivotal motions that shape case outcomes. A trusted advocate, Ms. Urias represents clients in both state and federal courts across the country, having been involved in high-stakes litigation, including trademark disputes related to cannabis and CBD products, and trade secret actions. Beyond IP litigation, she also routinely handles litigation matters in the cannabis industry.

Ms. Urias’s work in intellectual property litigation has earned her recognition among the “Best Lawyers in America” for IP Litigation, and she holds an AV Preeminent rating by Martindale-Hubbell. She has also been an active member of the Fee Arbitration Program of the State Bar of Arizona since 2008 and is an active member of the International Trademark Association and a member of the International Amicus Brief subcommittee.

A recognized thought leader in her field, Ms. Urias frequently contributes her insights to national media outlets and presents on various intellectual property issues at conferences and webinars.

Experience

Representative Experience

Won motion for summary judgment on claims for trademark infringement, cybersquatting and reverse domain name hijacking, as well as award of attorneys’ fees under the “exceptional case” provision of the Lanham Act.
Obtained injunction for clients in connection with two hundred-million-dollar real estate project allowing for favorable settlement of trade secret action.
Obtained defense verdict in ten-day jury trial in complex commercial real estate case and obtained significant attorneys’ fee award on behalf of clients.
Obtained reversal by the California Court of Appeal of a $60.7 million judgment in a complicated medical malpractice case reported in the Daily Journal’s Verdicts and Settlement section to be the second largest California jury verdict of the year 2000 and the only one overturned on appeal.
Won motion for judgment on the pleadings on behalf of defendant manufacturer in class action filed on behalf of thousands of alleged class members.
Successfully defended trademark infringement case brought by prominent local chef in Louisiana against food manufacturer client, winning key jurisdictional motions, which allowed the negotiation of a nuisance-value settlement.
Won motion to dismiss for lack of personal jurisdiction on behalf of Sri Lankan and Pakistani cellular telephone companies, thus avoiding $30 million misappropriation of trade secrets case.
Representation of creator, publisher, and distributor of comic books in a copyright and trademark infringement action and a $23.5 million action against a movie studio for unpaid royalties in connection with use of client’s intellectual property.
Successfully handled appeal for client hit with a $1 million arbitration award despite significant and extensive adverse case law.
Set aside default judgment in trial court on behalf of defendant insurance company and successfully defended appeal from order granting default judgment.
Won motion for dismissal sanction in federal court case based on the plaintiff’s failure to cooperate in discovery.
Won successive motions to quash service of summons on behalf of Danish motion picture distribution company based on failure to comply with the Hague Convention, causing the plaintiff to dismiss the lawsuit.
Assisted publishing company client in recovering stolen domain name in trademark infringement case.
Obtained arbitration award in a bad faith action against an insurance company, including recovery of attorneys’ fees.
Obtained dismissal on behalf of client in federal trademark case alleging infringement, unfair competition and false advertising, and seeking treble damages.

Professional and Community Involvement

International Trademark Association, Member
- International Amicus Committee, 2024-2025
- Public Information Committee, 2022-2023
Arizona State Bar Fee Arbitration Program, Member and Former Vice Chair
The Arizona Apparel Foundation, Former Board of Directors
Arizona Technology Council, Member
American Bar Association, Trademark Litigation Committee, Member
Arizona State Bar Association, Fee Arbitration Program, Member
California State Bar Association, Member

Speaking Engagements

Speaker, “Fair Use and the Strategic Use of Competitors’ Marks in the United States,” WSG Webinar, March 20, 2025
Speaker, “Legally Poured: Insights for Non-Lawyers in the Alcohol Industry Series,” Women of the Vine & Spirits, February 29, 2024
Speaker, “You, Me & IP” GM Webinar, October 14, 2021
Speaker, “You, Me & IP” GM Webinar, May 21, 2021
Speaker, “You, Me & IP Series Getting Back to Basics: What Make A Strong Trademark,” Greenspoon Marder Webinar, April 15, 2021
Speaker, “You, Me & IP Series – It’s Time to Confirm You’re Properly Using Trademarks in Commerce,” Greenspoon Marder Webinar, February 19, 2021
Speaker, “You, Me & IP Series – The Grinch Who Stole Holiday Trademarks,” Greenspoon Marder Webinar, December 16, 2020
Speaker, “You, Me & IP Series – A Cannabis Haiku,” Greenspoon Marder Webinar, November 19, 2020
Speaker, “You, Me & IP Series – The Washington Football Team A $3.4B Identity Crisis,” Greenspoon Marder Webinar, October 22, 2020
Speaker, “You, Me & IP Series – COVID, Boomers and Karens: Oh my!,” Greenspoon Marder Webinar, August 27, 2020
Speaker, “Dress to Impress: How to Protect Your Trademark in the Fashion Industry,” West LegalEdcenter/Thomson Reuters, December 3, 2019
Speaker, “Ins & Outs of Fee Agreements” and the “You Be The Fee Arbitrator,” State Bar Convention, June 28, 2019
Speaker, ” “Legally Launched: Top Legal Tips for Startups,” eMerge Americas 2019, April 28, 2019
Speaker, “The Legal Lawyers of 3D Printing,” The Arizona Tech Council Monthly Lunch and Learn, April 9, 2019
Speaker, “Fee Agreements,” The State Bar of Arizona’s 2018 Annual Convention, June 27, 2018
Speaker, “You Be the Fee Arbitrator,” The State Bar of Arizona’s 2018 Annual Convention, June 27, 2018

Awards

Recognition

Best Lawyers®, “The Best Lawyers in America,” Litigation – Intellectual Property, 2023-2026
Lawdragon, “500 Leading Global IP Lawyers,” 2025
Martindale-Hubbell, Rated AV Preeminent®

Publications

In the News

Quoted, “Why Big Brands Are Taking Retailers to Court Over Store-Brand Dupes,” Business Insider, October 26, 2025
Quoted, “Kathi Vidal: Trump orders jeopardize USPTO AI inventorship guidance,” World Intellectual Property Review, January 24, 2025
Quoted, “Justices Consider How Far to Go in ‘Dewberry’ Trademark Case,” Bloomberg Law, December 12, 2024
Quoted, “‘The politics of AI are developing’: Will Trump give tech a free ride?,” World IP Review, December 12, 2024
Interviewed, “Five minutes with… Sharon Urias, Greenspoon Marder,” Managing IP, June 11, 2024
Quoted, “A remarkable decision’: Why did the MetaBirkins maker get to keep the infringing NFTs?” World Intellectual Property Review, August 2, 2023
Quoted, “Shein lawsuit about more than just copyright, say counsel,” Managing IP, July 20, 2023
Quoted, “Mercedes-Benz gears up for logo showdown,” World Intellectual Property Review, April 24, 2023
Quoted, “What the Metabirkins verdict means for the future of Web3 fashion,” Vogue Business, February 10, 2023
Quoted, “NDA or the highway: protecting secrets during a pitch,” World Intellectual Property Review, January 11, 2023
Featured, “Copy Bites,” Spring 2022 Edition, United States Intellectual Property Alliance, Entertainment, Arts & Sports, June 2022
Featured, “OK Boomer, Trademark Try For ‘COVID’ Is A Real Karen Move,” Law360, August 28, 2020
Mentioned, “Cannabis Co. Wants Judge To Toss Harvest Health Merger Suit,” Law360, January 21, 2020
Quoted, “UMCA-Yay or Nay?,” Intellectual Property Magazine, November, 28, 2019
Quoted, “ASIPI 2019: Trading Up,” World Intellectual Property Review, October 28, 2019
Quoted, “Taking on Trademark Trolls and Frivolous Marks, Trademark Watch Dawgs Wade into Divisive Waters,” IP Watchdog, April 11, 2019
Quoted, “High Court Could Give Copyright Lawyers’ Advice Extra Strength,” Bloomberg BNA, July 31, 2018
Featured, “Greenspoon Marder Announces Addition of New Partner Sharon Urias in Arizona,” Yahoo Finance, April 23, 2018

Publications

Author, “Comparing trademark issues in very different industries: fashion, cannabis, high-tech“, Westlaw Today, November 21, 2022
Author, “Trademark and copyright considerations for NFTs,” Reuters, May 2, 2022
Author, “Border Patrol,” IP Magazine, September 27, 2021
Author, “Seizure of Counterfeit, Pirated Goods Under IP Chapter of U.S.-Mexico-Canada Trade Agreement,” The Lawyer’s Daily, March 12, 2020
Author, “What To Know About The Importation Of Gray Market Goods Into The United States,” Phoenix Business Journal, January 21, 2020
Author, “How Does The United States-Mexico-Canada Trade Agreement Affect Intellectual Property Rights?,” Phoenix Business Journal, November 4, 2019
Author, “Game of Trademarks,” Intellectual Property Magazine, September 2019
Co-Author, “Protecting Your Company’s Domain Name,” Today’s General Counsel, October 1, 2018
Author, Williams v. Garcetti: Constitutional Defects in California’s Gang-Parent Liability Statute, 28 Loy. L.A. L. Rev. 447, 1994