Overview

Claudia Ray is a partner in Kirkland’s New York office and a member of the Firm’s Intellectual Property Practice Group. She represents clients across a wide range of industries, including financial services, technology, consumer products, and entertainment and media, in litigation, arbitration, and administrative proceedings involving copyright, trademark, Internet, contract/licensing, and trade secret issues. Claudia also advises clients on pre-litigation issues, IP issues arising out of corporate transactions and licensing matters, and overall IP protection and brand-building strategies, including the registration, maintenance and policing of their trademark and copyright portfolios.

Chambers USA has ranked Claudia as one of America’s Leading Lawyers for Business in 2008–2024, with clients describing her as “incredibly effective,” a “leading authority throughout the country and beyond,” “business-savvy and everything clients want,” and an “outstanding courtroom performer” who “is responsive and delivers a great work product.” World Trademark Review magazine has recognized Claudia every year since its inaugural ranking of the leading law firms and individual practitioners in the area of trademark law. Most recently, WTR named Claudia as one of the Global Leaders in its WTR 1000 for 2024. Claudia has been named to “IP STARS” by Managing Intellectual Property for the last seven years, and was honored on the publication’s 2019 list of “Top 250 Women in IP.” She also has been recognized in The Legal 500 U.S. from 2010–2024 for her trademark litigation work, from 2012–2024 for her copyright work, in the 2017–2024 editions for her media and entertainment work, and in the 2013 and 2019–2022 and 2024 editions for her trade secrets work. Best Lawyers has repeatedly recognized Claudia for her trademark litigation work.

Claudia is a member of the American Bar Association’s AI Task Force and the International Trademark Association’s US Amicus Subcommittee, and previously chaired the New York City Bar Association’s Copyright Committee and Trademarks and Unfair Competition Committee. She frequently lectures and publishes on IP-related issues.

More

Thought Leadership

Publications

Co-Author, “If You Think It ‘Thinks,’ Think Again,” New York Law Journal, July 2023

Contributing Editor, “Chambers Global Practice Guide: Trade Secrets,” Chambers, 2020–2024

Co-Author, “Arbitration of International Commercial Disputes,” Successful Partnering Between Inside and Outside Counsel (2nd ed.), 2014 & 2019

First Author, “Drafting the Demand Letter and the Complaint,” ABA’s Copyright Litigation Strategies, 2017

First Author, “Find and Share the Knowledge: U.S.” The Copyright Lawyer, Spring 2017

First Author, “Graham v. Prince: Appropriation Art,” The Copyright Lawyer, Fall 2016

First Author, “Ethical Issues in Licensing,” Licensing Update, 2010

First Author, “Rescuecom v. Google: Second Circuit on Keyword Issue,” New York Law Journal, April 15, 2008

First Author, “Publishing: What You Need to Know About Copyrights and Contracts,” American Bar Association, April / May 2000

Seminars

Speaker, “Unraveling AI’s Impact on Intellectual Property: Expert Perspectives,” American Bar Association, April 25, 2024

Speaker, “Ethical Issues Arising From Generative AI Programs in Legal Practice,” Nassau County Bar Association, November 21, 2023

Speaker, “Redefining the Boundaries of Fair Use and Parody in Copyright and Trademark Law,” American Bar Association IP Litigation Fall Institute, October 12, 2023

Speaker, “Warhol and VIP Products: “Redefining the Boundaries of Fair Use and Parody in Copyright and Trademark Law,” American Bar Association Annual Meeting, August 3, 2023

Speaker, “Trade Secret Disputes, Civil and Criminal: The Cutting Edge of Technology and Law,” Federal Bar Council, January 27, 2021

Moderator, “Practical Ethics Issues for Copyright and Trademark Lawyers,” International Trademark Association Annual Meeting & Leadership Meeting, November 18, 2020

Panelist, “Cracking the CFIUS Code: Challenges to IP Rights in CFIUS Reviews of Foreign Direct Investment Transactions,” New York City Bar Association, May 14, 2020

Panelist, “Famous and Furious: The Right of Publicity: State Laws, Celebrities and Social Media,” ABA Section of Intellectual Property Law IP West 2019, October 2, 2019

Panelist, “Uncle Sam Wants Your Innovation, Not Your IP,” ABA Section of International Law International Startup and Emerging Companies Forum, September 13, 2019

Panelist, “Fair Use or Not Fair Use, That Is The Question,” ABA Section of Intellectual Property Law, April 20, 2018

Panelist, “Where Was the Board? Where Were the Lawyers? Averting Ethical Crises in Multi-National Enterprises,” ABA Section of International Law, April 18, 2018

Panelist, “Intellectual Property Rights Enforcement: Remedies,” Practicing Law Institute, January 20, 2017

Panelist, “Emerging Legal Challenges in the United States and India: IP Rights Under U.S. Government Contracts,” ABA Section of International Law, April 29, 2017

Panelist, “Luxury Brand & Retail Forum USA 2016,” Managing Intellectual Property, April 19, 2016

Panelist, “Careers In Intellectual Property Symposium,” NYU Journal of Intellectual Property and Entertainment Law, March 28, 2016

Speaker, “Trademark Licensing Issues,” New York City Bar Association, January 12, 2016

Panelist, “Supreme Court Intellectual Property Review,” IIT Chicago-Kent College of Law, September 24, 2015

Panelist, “Best Practices in Brand Protection Strategy in the New gTLD Era,” ABA’s 29th Annual Intellectual Property Law Conference, April 2014

Moderator, “Copyright, Trademark and Other IP Rights in the Social Media Context,” New York City Bar Association, December 3, 2013

Panelist, “Arbitration Strategy in IP/Technology Disputes,” American Arbitration Association, May 15, 2013

Panelist, “Down the Runway: A Day of Fashion Law,” New York County Lawyers’ Association, February 8, 2013

Panelist, “Copyright Fair Use: Mirror Mirror on the Wall, Who is the Fairest One of All?,” American Bar Association Annual Meeting, August 3, 2012

Panelist, “What We Talk About When We Talk About Appropriation: Contemporary Art After Cariou v. Prince,” New York City Bar Association, December 13, 2011

Moderator, “Copyright and Trademark Licensing,” New York City Bar Center for CLE, October 11, 2011

Panelist, “IP Litigation Considerations for Advertisers,” ACI, April 28, 2011

Panelist, “Fair Use and Visual Art,” New York State Bar Association, April 26, 2011

Panelist, “Head in the Cloud, Feet in the Rules of Professional Conduct: Managing the Ethical Risks to Lawyers from Web 2.0 Technologies, Portable Devices, and Cloud Computing,” American Bar Association Webinar, March 3, 2010

Panelist, “Engaging in International Arbitration and Other ADR Approaches for Trademark Disputes,” American Intellectual Property Law Association Annual Meeting, October 17, 2009

“Trademarks and Rights of Publicity in the Converged World,” Practicing Law Institute, September 9, 2009

Panelist, “All’s Fair that Ends Fair -- A Survey of Fair Use In Patent, Trademark and Copyright,” American Intellectual Property Law Association Spring Meeting, May 14, 2009

Panelist, “Fifth Annual Seminar on International Commercial Arbitration: How to Handle Intellectual Property and Telecommunication Cases,” International Commercial Arbitration Program, American University, October 29, 2008

Panelist, “How to Be at the Top of Your Game as an ADR Advocate — Best Practices in ADR Advocacy for Intellectual Property Cases,” ABA Annual Meeting, August 8, 2008

“Winning Cases in Federal Court: Electronic Discovery,” New York County Lawyers’ Association, June 9, 2008

“Understanding the Intellectual Property License 2007: Ethical Issues in Licensing,” Practicing Law Institute, November 12, 2007

Memberships & Affiliations

Music Committee, Copyright Society

American Bar Association, AI Task Force, Risk Management

Advisory Board Co-founder, Engelberg Center on Innovation Law and Policy, New York University Law School

Intellectual Property/Technology Advisory Committee, American Arbitration Association

Copyright Committee, New York City Bar Association (former Chair, Copyright Law Committee and Trademarks and Unfair Competition Committee)

Amicus Committee (US Amicus Subcommittee), International Trademark Association (former Chair, TTAB Task Force, U.S. Subcommittee, Famous and Well-Known Marks Committee)

Trademarks and the Internet Committee and Special Committee on Copyright and New Technologies; Intellectual Property Committee, Section of Litigation, American Bar Association

New York State Bar Association

Credentials

Admissions & Qualifications

  • 1993New York

Courts

  • Supreme Court of the United States
  • United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit
  • United States Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit
  • United States Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit
  • United States Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit
  • United States Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit
  • United States District Court for the Northern District of New York
  • United States District Court for the Southern District of New York

Education

  • New York University School of LawJ.D.1992

    Journal of International Law and Politics

    NYU Advocates for the Arts

  • Macalester CollegeB.A., Economics & Businessmagna cum laude1989

    Phi Beta Kappa

    Omicron Delta Epsilon