J. Rodgers Lunsford III

Rodgers Lunsford is a Partner in the Intellectual Property Practice of Smith, Gambrell & Russell, LLP.

Mr. Lunsford’s specific expertise is in litigating intellectual property disputes. He has been recognized by Chambers USA as “one of the trademark aristocracy within the Atlanta legal market,” and has been selected for inclusion in The Best Lawyers in America®, Georgia Super Lawyers and Georgia Trend Legal Elite.

Three of Mr. Lunsford’s cases have received attention in national publications: (i) Metro Goldwyn-Mayer, Inc. v. Showcase Atlanta Coop. Products, Inc., 479 F. Supp. 351 (N.D. Ga. 1979)(copyright infringement of the novel and film Gone With The Wind, (ii) Schmidt v. Quigg, 609 F. Supp. 227 (E.D. Mich. 1985), rev’g In re Schmidt, 222 U.S.P.Q. 643 (T.T.A.B. 1984) (registerability of the mark Honey Baked Ham) and (iii) Schmidt v. Honeysweet Hams, Inc., 656 F. Supp. 92 (N.D. Ga. 1986 (infringement of the Honey Baked Ham mark).

Additionally, in Syntex (U.S.A.), Inc. v. Apotex, Inc. N.D. Ga. 1993), Mr. Lunsford was one of the first attorneys in the United States to rely on the Federal Food, Drug and Cosmetic Act as the basis for obtaining a preliminary injunction precluding defendants from competing unfairly by making false representations in violation of the Act. Mr. Lunsford has also served effectively as an ADR neutral. In addition to his domestic litigation practice, Mr. Lunsford supervises litigation abroad, directs trademark enforcement programs, counsels clients with regard to intellectual property matters, prosecutes applications to register intellectual property and transfers intellectual property rights and technology. He is a former Chair of the Firm’s Intellectual Property Department.

Mr. Lunsford has served as a member of the editorial board of the Trademark Reporter for the International Trademark Association. He is a past Chairman of the Intellectual Property Section of the State Bar of Georgia and a past president of both Buckhead Baseball, Inc. and the Atlanta Phi Delta Theta Alumni Club. Mr. Lunsford is a former member of the Shorter College Board of Visitors as well as the Second Ponce de Leon Baptist Church Service Council.

Mr. Lunsford graduated from Vanderbilt University with a B.S. in mechanical engineering and received his J.D. degree, cum laude, from the University of Georgia, where he was a member of the board of editors for the Georgia Law Review. His honorary memberships include Phi Kappa Phi.