Ruth Rivard

Experience

Experienced in multiple jurisdictions, Ruth has served as lead or co-counsel in intellectual property litigation in Minnesota, Indiana, Michigan, Illinois and Maryland.

She has represented both plaintiffs and defendants in patent infringement matters, including cases concerning infant bedding, medical devices, health supplements, RFID in library management systems, oil recovery systems and methods in ethanol plants, building trade devices, hunting accessories and software systems.

Ruth represents both plaintiffs and defendants in trademark, trade dress and copyright infringement cases, including cases related to such industries as apparel, food products, software development and insurance products.

She has advised artists, publishers and authors on copyright, right of publicity and right of privacy, and has counseled clients regarding false advertisement issues and media content licensing. Ruth is Co-chair of the Entertainment and Media Law Practice Group.

Ruth helps clients maintain, protect and exploit their intellectual property assets through TTAB proceedings, DMCA takedown procedures, UDRP actions, registration of copyrights, drafting and revising licensing agreements and due diligence for mergers and acquisitions.

She manages and maintains trademark portfolios, ranging in size from a few registrations to several hundred, managing a trademark portfolio of over 2,300 active registrations for multiple clients.

She routinely reviews and advises clients on a variety of vender and supplier arrangements, such as software as a service agreements (SaaS), shared services agreements, and managed services agreements. Ruth also assists clients with website and online social media matters, including terms and conditions of use, trademark, copyright, rights of publicity, false advertisement and privacy matters.

Before joining Stinson, Ruth was a law clerk for Justice Sam Hanson of the Minnesota Supreme Court and Magistrate Judge Arthur J. Boylan of the U.S. District Court for the District of Minnesota.

Prior to entering into the legal profession, Ruth was a stay-at-home mom, a volunteer elementary school art teacher and a soccer coach for her five children.

News

Speaking Engagements

"2023 Copyright Law Year in Review – Andy Warhol and the Transformation Factor, 2 Infringement Claims Against the Same Song, and Guidance on Works Containing Material Generated by AI

"2021 Copyright Law Year in Review," 2021 Midwest IP Institute - Minnesota CLE, September 2021

"A Conversation with Shira Perlmutter, Register of Copyrights and Director of the U.S. Copyright Office," 2021 Midwest IP Institute - Minnesota CLE, September 2021

"Managing Risk through the M&A Process," GRC Roundtable, 2020

“2019 Copyright Law Update,” Minnesota CLE, Midwest IP Institute, 2019

"The Year in Copyright Law – Noteworthy Decisions and Their Impact on Your Practice," Minnesota CLE, Midwest IP Institute, 2018 

"A Day in the Life of In-House Counsel," Minnesota CLE, Midwest IP Institute, 2017

"The Year in Copyright Law: Garcia v. Google, the Beastie Boys v. Monster Energy and More," Minnesota CLE Midwest IP Institute, 2015

"The Year in Copyright Law: Aereo, Petrella and More," Minnesota CLE, Midwest IP Institute, 2014

Publications

Copyright Update 2021-22, Chapter 5, The IP Book, 2022, 20^th Edition

Key Copyright Developments and Cases of 2022-23, Chapter 5, The IP Book, 2023, 21^st Edition.

"Fortnite Dance Ruling Teaches a Lesson on Creative Content Use," Bloomberg Law, November 2023

Key Copyright Developments and Cases of 2020-21, Chapter 5, The IP Book, 2021, 19th Edition

Editor, The IP Book, The Midwest Intellectual Properly Institute 2019-2023

Federal Circuit Decides State Sovereign Immunity Does Not Apply in IPR Proceedings, June 14, 2019

"A Picture is Worth a Thousand Words - and Maybe $150,000. Helpful Hints and Guidelines on the Use of Internet Images," MBA News, March/April 2015