J. Damon Ashcraft, Partner at our Phoenix law office
vCard

J. Damon Ashcraft

Partner
Biography

Damon Ashcraft is a recognized expert in the field of Intellectual Property. He has been selected for inclusion in the Best Lawyers in America® and the World Trademark Review.

Damon is a recognized leader in trademark and Internet law. He has been recognized multiple times by the World Trademark Review as one of the top ten attorneys in the country for his work with generic top level domain names. He is a leader within the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers having served as the Chair of ICANN’s Nominating Committee (NomCom) in 2018 and 2019 which appoints 50% of ICANN’s Board of Directors and other key leadership positions within ICANN. Damon also served as Chair-Elect and Associate-Chair of the NomCom.

Damon is active in ICANN’s Intellectual Property Constituency (IPC) and served on its leadership team. The IPC elected Damon to serve as one of its two Councilors on the Generic Names Supporting Organization. Damon assumes this position in October of 2023 at ICANN’s meeting in Hamburg, Germany.

Damon has significant patent experience. As a registered patent attorney, Damon prepares and prosecutes patent applications in the biotechnology, medical device, electronics, software, and business method areas, and also manages numerous global patent portfolios. His technical experience includes medical devices, software, microbiology, optics, pumps, heaters, ultrasound, semiconductors, wireless devices, software, and circuitry.

Damon’s trademark experience includes domestic and foreign trademark registration and he currently manages numerous trademark portfolios. He enforces and defends clients’ trademark rights before the Trademark Trial and Appeal Board, and in various federal and state courts. Damon has represented trademark owners in hundreds of domain name disputes resolved by the Universal Domain Name Dispute Resolution Policy (UDRP). Damon is also familiar with other rights protection mechanisms available to stop infringement online, including the Uniform Rapid Suspension (URS), the trademark clearinghouse, and ICANN’s new gTLD program.

Damon also negotiates intellectual property and software assignments, license agreements, material transfer agreements, and research development agreements. His practice further includes assisting clients in handling intellectual property transfer and due diligence during mergers and acquisitions. Damon’s experience with mergers and acquisitions include serving as the principal intellectual property attorney on deals valued in the range of twenty-five million dollars to over eight hundred million dollars.

Finally, Damon is an active participant in the Phoenix community. He recently served as Board Chair for the Arizona Foundation for Legal Services and Education, The Arizona Bar Foundation where he led a board of almost two dozen members. He is also an active participant in Snell and Wilmer’s Community Involvement Committee.

Credentials

Bar Admissions

  • Arizona
  • Illinois
  • Missouri
  • United States Patent and Trademark Office


Court Admissions

  • Supreme Court of Arizona
  • Supreme Court of Illinois
  • Supreme Court of Missouri
  • United States District Court, District of Arizona
  • United States District Court, Eastern District of Missouri


Education

  • University of Dayton School of Law (J.D.)
    • Top 20% of Law School Class
    • CALI Award for Highest Grade in Class (Corporations)
  • University of Dayton, Dayton, Ohio (B.S., Biology)
    • Dean’s List
Experience

Awards & Recognition

  • The Best Lawyers in America®, Intellectual Property Litigation (2022-2025); Patent Law (2024-2025)
  • World Trademark Review 1000 (2021-2024)

Previous Professional Experience

  • Etherton Law Group, LLC, Associate, Phoenix, AZ
  • Greensfelder, Hemker and Gale, P.C., Associate, St. Louis, MO
  • Jacox, Meckstroth and Jenkins, Patent Attorneys, Law Clerk, Dayton, OH
  • The United States Patent and Trademark Office, Intern, Arlington, VA

Professional Memberships and Activities

  • ICANN Nominating Committee
    • Chair (2018-2019)
    • Chair Elect (2017-2018)
    • Delegate (2016-2017)
  • Intellectual Property Constituency
    • Delegate to ICANN’s NomCom (2016-2017)
  • American Intellectual Property Law Association
  • International Trademark Association
    • Data Rights Protection Committee (2017-Present)
    • Internet Committee
      • Future of IP on the Internet and at ICANN Subcommittee, Chair (2016-2017)
      • Internet Governance and Contracts Subcommittee, Chair (2014-2015)
      • Governance Subcommittee, Member (2010-2014)
      • Member (2010-2017)
  • Arizona Bar Association
  • Missouri Bar Association
  • Illinois Bar Association

Community Involvement

  • Arizona Bar Foundation, Board of Directors
    • President (2021)
    • Vice President
    • Member (2017)
  • Epiphany Lutheran Church, Board of Ministries
    • President (2009-2010)
    • President-Elect (2008-2009)
  • Whitewing at Krueger Homeowners’ Association
    • Director (2017-Present)
  • Avalon at Dobson Crossings Homeowners’ Association
    • President (2014-2016)
    • Vice President, Treasurer (2010-2013)
    • Secretary (2009)
  • Habitat for Humanity
    • Volunteer and Build Coalition Organizer (2007-2018)
  • Snell & Wilmer Community Involvement Committee
    • Member (2012-Present)

Representative Presentations and Publications

  • “Effective Strategies for UDRP and URS Proceedings”, Co-Presenter, Snell & Wilmer Virtual CLE Series (June 15, 2021)
  • “Business Importance of Trademarks”, Co-Presenter, Snell and Wilmer (2019)
  • “How to Prepare Your Business for 2019”, Co-Presenter, Emerging Business Seminar Series, Snell & Wilmer (2019)
  • High Stakes”, Co-Author, Intellectual Property Magazine (January 29, 2018)
  • “How to Prepare Your Business for 2018”, Co-Presenter, Emerging Business Seminar Series, Snell & Wilmer (2018)
  • “Global Dreams Intellectual Property—Going Global”, Presenter, SBDC Maricopa County Community College (2017)
  • “How to Prepare Your Business for 2017”, Co-Presenter, Emerging Business Seminar Series, Snell & Wilmer (2017)
  • The Big Internet Transition and the New Opportunities for Your Business”, Author, Corporate Counsel (October 28, 2016)
  • “How to Prepare Your Business for 2016”, Co-Presenter, Emerging Business Seminar Series, Snell & Wilmer (2016)
  • “How to Prepare Your Business for 2015”, Co-Presenter, Emerging Business Seminar Series, Snell & Wilmer (2015)
  • “Intellectual Property Overview and Training Seminar”, Presenter, Private Client Presentation (2014)
  • “How to Prepare Your Business for 2014”, Co-Presenter, Emerging Business Seminar Series, Snell & Wilmer (2014)
  • On a Collision Course: How Domain Name Collision Could be Your Biggest Security Threat”, Author, Snell & Wilmer Legal Alert (2014)
  • “How to Prepare Your Business for 2013”, Co-Presenter, Emerging Business Seminar Series, Snell & Wilmer (2013)
  • “Patent Strategies: How to Turn Patents Into Profits”, Presenter, Maricopa Community College Small Business Development Center (2012)
  • “Protecting Intellectual Property Rights in Software”, Presenter, iOS Developers’ Group (2012)
  • “How to Prepare Your Business for 2012”, Co-Presenter, Emerging Business Seminar Series, Snell & Wilmer (2012)
  • “Protecting Your Inventions in China—Considerations Related to Chinese Patent Law”, Co-Author, Global Connection (2011)
  • “Intellectual Property Protection in China”, Co-Presenter, Snell & Wilmer (2011)
  • “Colors, Shapes, Sounds, and Smells, It’s Not Just a Name Anymore” Speaker, ‘Work and Play’ presentation, Snell & Wilmer (2010)
  • “Intellectual Property Law Update” Speaker, Snell & Wilmer (2010)
  • “Making Your Mark-Tips for Identifying, Adopting, and Protecting a Trademark”, Co-Author (2010)
  • “Intellectual Property and Technology Transfer” Speaker, Eller College of Management at The University of Arizona Professional Science master’s program (2009)
  • “Intellectual Property Licensing: Forging Relationships to Create Opportunities and Maximize Results” Speaker, Arizona Center for Innovation (2008)
  • “Trademark Practice and Tips” Speaker, Snell & Wilmer (2008)
  • “Annual Review of Developments in Business and Corporate Litigation” Contributing Author, American Bar Association, Intellectual Property Chapter (2008)
  • “Intellectual Property and Technology Transfer” Speaker, University of Arizona Professional Science master’s program (2007)
  • “Legal Issues in Advertising and Marketing” Moderator, The International Trademark Association’s roundtable discussion (2007)
  • “Strategies for Protecting Innovations and Brand Assets” Speaker, Arizona Product Development and Management Association (2006)
  • “Computers and the Law and Intellectual Property for Computer Scientists” Numerous lectures, University of Missouri (2002-2004)
Client News
Client News
Sep 13, 2023

Snell & Wilmer Represents Leading Cryptocurrency Exchange BitMEX® in Recovery of All Domain Names From Cybersquatters