Monica J. Stover

Monica Stover helps businesses and creative individuals manage and protect their intellectual property portfolios and advises them on trademark, copyright, trade dress, advertising, trade secret, and unfair competition issues, as well as on the related areas of advertising and marketing law.  

Monica’s trademark work includes both prosecution and enforcement activities in U.S. and foreign jurisdictions. She has managed major trademark portfolios for clients ranging from individuals and small businesses to large privately-owned businesses and global publicly-traded corporations. She also has experience advising clients on copyright matters and domain name issues, including strategy development.

She represents clients involved in intellectual property litigation and dispute resolution proceedings. Her litigation experience encompasses successfully representing both plaintiffs and defendants in lawsuits involving claims of patent infringement, misappropriation of trade secrets, breach of contract, and fraud. In addition to court proceedings, she has represented clients in dispute resolution processes before the Trademark Trial and Appeal Board and the National Advertising Division of the Better Business Bureau, among others. She has coordinated the takedown of various web sites and social media platforms to protect her clients’ brands.

While in law school, Monica worked as a law clerk in the Legal Services Group at Bissell Homecare, Inc. At Bissell, she conducted legal research, responded to discovery requests, maintained legal and intellectual property documents, and evaluated patents for statutory product marking requirements in jurisdictions. Monica served as comments editor, managing associate editor, and a member of the Voting Board for the Thomas M. Cooley Law Review. She was a student member of the Gerald R. Ford American Inn of Court and a member of Write Right In The End (W.R.I.T.E.). She also earned several academic honors including the Shane Joseph Johnson Award (highest GPA among first-term students) and the Certificate of merit for Legal Research and Writing.

Monica is a co-founder of the Grand Rapids Intellectual Property Women’s Forum (GRIP), which holds quarterly events for women involved in IP in the Grand Rapids area to learn about and discuss various Intellectual Property topics.

Honors, Awards, and Recognition

• Crain’s Grand Rapids Business “Notable Women in Law” 2024
• Grand Rapids Magazine Top Lawyers 2021-2024, Intellectual Property and Patent Law
• Grand Rapids Magazine Top Lawyers 2024, Litigation – Intellectual Property

Civic, Cultural, and Community Activities

• Bissell Pet Foundation
  • Trustee Board Member (2019-present)
  • Junior Board Member (2017-2019)
• Ele’s Place Grand Rapids, Volunteer

Professional Affiliations

• GRIP—Grand Rapids Women’s IP Forum, Co-Founder
• Grand Rapids Bar Association
• State Bar of Michigan

Publications

• “Environmental Marketing Claims and the FTC’s Green Guides,” Michigan Environmental Law Journal (Winter 2020)
• “Are Your Ad Disclosures Clear and Conspicuous? The FTC Dictates Disclosures in Digital Advertising,” Legal Alert, March 2013

Speaking Engagements

• “GET IT WHILE IT’S ‘HEALTHY’: A Case Study in Launching a New Food product from Conception to Shelf,” panel presentation, ANA/BAA Marketing Law Conference, November 20, 2013 (Chicago, IL)
• “ALL YOU CAN EAT: A Case Study in Launching a New Food product from Conception to Shelf,” panel presentation, ANA/BAA Marketing Law Conference, November 20, 2013 (Chicago, IL)

Pro Bono

• State Bar of Michigan 2024 A Lawyer Helps Pro Bono Honor Roll

Related News

• 11/01/202417 Bodman Attorneys Included in 2024 Grand Rapids Top Lawyers List
• 07/18/2024Bodman PLC and 28 Firm Attorneys Honored by State Bar of Michigan for Pro Bono Service
• 06/03/2024Bodman Receives 2024 Empowering Women Award from Michigan Lawyers Weekly
• 02/26/2024Four Bodman Attorneys Selected for Crain’s 2024 Notable Women in Law
• 11/01/202313 Bodman Attorneys Included in 2023 Grand Rapids Top Lawyers List