John Martin Hilla

John Hilla is a Detroit-area trademark and bankruptcy attorney.

A graduate of the Wayne State University Law School in Detroit, he also holds a Master's degree in International Law from the George Washington University Law School in Washington, DC.

John is a former music publisher, musician, and author who especially enjoys assisting bands, musicians, record labels, and related start-ups with their trademark and contractual needs.

The George Washington University Law School

LL.M | International & Comparative Law

2005 - 2006

Wayne State University Law School

J.D | Law

2002 - 2005

Wayne State University

B.A | English

1990 - 2000

Managing Attorney

Noble Path Trademark Law

2008 - Current

Trademark registration, maintenance, and renewal legal services.

Am I Responsible for my Fiancee's Debt After Marriage?

The Detroit Legal News

February, 2009

The Literary Effect of Sovereignty in International Law

The Widener Law Review

November, 2008

The US Invasion of Iraq and Popular Consent in the Formation of Customary International Law

The Michigan International Lawyer

2005

Draft Commentary for Art. 479 of the Provisional Kosovo Criminal Procedure Code

US State Department in conjunction with George Washington University

December, 2005

Michigan State Bar  # 69128

Member

Current

Law Society of Ontario

ID Number: 78008N

Since 2019

Michigan

Since 2006

• Credit Cards Accepted

Trademarks

Trademark Litigation, Trademark Registration

Q. Hello I need to REFILE my trademark BODIED help

April 27, 2022

A: It is not quite clear whether you are seeking to re-file a rejected trademark registration application or file a renewal of an existing registration, but, either way, you should seek the advice of a US trademark lawyer for your best options. A trademark attorney will discuss your options (particularly if you've had a registration refused already) with you in detail in a private consultation setting that is designed to protect your confidential information and to move your trademark registration application forward to a successful conclusion. Many US trademark attorneys provide virtual consultations to make it easy for you to reach out, within the convenience of your own scheduling needs.

Q. I am about to start a new tabletop rpg game. Do I need to register a company or trademark it is enough?

April 18, 2022

A: Hello from a longtime tabletop rpg player! I've had the pleasure of knowing and gaming with some of the leading names in gaming going back to the early 80s. This is one of my favorite topics, and the answer to your question is—both. A company is registered through the filing of your articles of incorporation or other formation documents with your state. If you are forming a corporation or LLC or other entity (as opposed to a DBA), this action creates your entity, locks down the name for use IN your state so that no one else can form a company with that same name, and allows you to obtain an EIN from the IRS, open a business bank account, and so on. All within your state. None of that stops anyone from using your company name to sell RPG instruction manuals, books, dice, or other gaming accessories in some other state. If someone else in another starts a tabletop RPG publishing company (or any other kind of gaming-related enterprise) using your same or a confusingly similar name, the registration of your company as an entity within your state will not stop them from doing so. Trademark registration is what does that. One of the first steps that a company should take in its formational branding process is to consult a trademark lawyer in a private consultation setting to discuss its proposed name and brand and discuss the requirements for Federal trademark registration. If the name proves to be unregistrable as a trademark, you don't want to find that out after launching your product, website, and marketing efforts. A trademark lawyer will run a professional clearance search to ensure that no one else is using name (or logo, or slogan, etc.), and then will assist you with the registration process. Trademark registration allows you to ensure that you alone have the right of exclusive use of your name and brand anywhere in the US. It allows you to sue for infringement in Federal court, to block have US Custom block the import of infringing product, and will guarantee the strength of your brand and the value of your business for the life of the enterprise.

Q. Hey, if i wanted to write a book titled A Hero's Journey would I be able to do it or is it trademark infringement?

April 7, 2022

A: Book titles cannot be registered as Federal trademarks unless they are attached to a series of books or editions. Titles also cannot be copyrighted. Here, you are proposing, however, to write a book with a title that shared with an extremely famous book: The Hero's Journey by Joseph Campbell. This book has been sold in a multitude of editions in many languages throughout the world for many years. It has been made into a PBS mini-series, among other things, and it is routinely used as text material in college classes. It is possible that, given its many iterations and the products that have been marketed on behalf of at least the estate of Joseph Campbell, that it has been registered as a trademark. Specific legal advice is not provided through this site, and I am not going to run a trademark search to answer a question here. If you are dead-set on using this title, I would contact a trademark and copyright lawyer to discuss the potential pitfalls in a private consultation.