Kristin H. Hardy

Kristin is a senior attorney in Taft’s Intellectual Property practice group who focuses on trademark and copyright matters, with a particular emphasis on complex brand management and global brand strategy. She partners with clients to develop, protect, and enforce their brands at every stage of the brand life cycle, from clearance and filing strategy to portfolio optimization, licensing, and enforcement across multiple jurisdictions.

Kristin manages domestic and international trademark portfolios, leads extensive enforcement efforts, and regularly advises on U.S. and foreign clearance and filing strategies. She has significant experience prosecuting trademark applications, including counseling on and responding to Office Actions, and representing clients in opposition, cancellation, and other post-registration proceedings before the Trademark Trial and Appeal Board.

In addition to her trademark work, Kristin counsels clients on copyright protection and licensing, advertising and brand use online and on social media, and IP issues in corporate and commercial transactions. She frequently advises on intellectual property aspects of mergers and acquisitions and other corporate deals, including IP due diligence and the negotiation of licensing and other commercial agreements that leverage and monetize brand assets. Her prior experience in marketing and business development with the Chicago Bears and at a large Chicago law firm gives her a practical, business-focused perspective on aligning legal strategy with brand and business goals.

Before joining Taft, Kristin was a summer associate with the firm and served as a law clerk with the Indiana Office of the Attorney General in the Consumer Protection Division and for the Honorable Barbara P. Gorman of the Montgomery County Court of Common Pleas.

Kristin earned her J.D., cum laude, from the University of Dayton School of Law, where she was publication editor of the Law Review, a finalist in the Walter H. Rice Moot Court Competition, and Runner-Up Best Brief Award recipient in Fordham Law School’s Irving R. Kaufman Memorial Securities Law Moot Court Competition. She was selected for the Leadership Honors Program and awarded a full-tuition, merit-based scholarship, and also served on the honor council, as a Dean’s Fellow, and as a student mentor. Kristin earned her bachelor’s degree, cum laude, from Loyola University Chicago.

• “No Soup for Warhol: Use of Prince Image is Copyright Infringement,” Taft Law Bulletin, May 19, 2023.
• “Intent to Sell Does Not Equate to Intent to Use,” World Trademark Review Weekly, Sept. 29, 2022. (co-author with Salha El-Shwehdi)
• “Lowering the Bar for Genercide from “Clear Evidence” to “Reasonable Basis,” World Trademark Review Weekly, Aug. 25, 2022.
• “Multi-Factor Authentication: The New Norm for Cyber Insurance Coverage,” Taft Privacy & Data Security Insights Blog, Sept. 8, 2022.
• “The Intersection of Data & Intellectual Property: You Want to Share it, but How do You Protect it?” Taft Privacy & Data Security Insights Blog, Aug. 1, 2022.
• “Think Again on Cybersecurity Training – Human Error Continues to Drive Numbers on Cybersecurity Attacks,” Taft Privacy & Data Security Insights Blog, June 21, 2022.
• “Apache Log4j Security Vulnerability Is STILL a Problem – What is it, Who Does it Impact, and Should I do Anything About It?” Taft Privacy & Data Security Insights Blog, May 4, 2022.
• “K-12 Cybersecurity Act: Federal Government Seeks to Improve Security for America’s Educational Institutions,” Taft Privacy & Data Security Insights Blog, Dec. 6, 2021.
• “The Rise of the Metaverse and What Brands Need to do Now,” World Trademark Review Weekly, March 31, 2022,
• “Texas Social Media Bill May Speed Resolution of Trademark Complaints,” World Trademark Review Weekly, Sept. 23, 2021. (co-author with Paul McGrady)
• “Trademark Update,” 2019 Trademark & Copyright Law Year in Review, Indy Bar CLE program, April 22, 2020.
• “Did the Supreme Court Just Give States License to Pirate Copyrights? Protecting Copyrights Post Allen,” Taft Law Bulletin, April 13, 2020.