Andrew J. Ferren
Director
Washington, D.C.
aferren@goulstonstorrs.com+1 202 721 1144Andrew J. Ferren
Director, Washington, D.C.
aferren@goulstonstorrs.com+1 202 721 1144Related Expertise
Andy Ferren advises companies and individuals on a broad range of corporate matters, providing strategic and legal guidance on intellectual property (IP) protection, commercial transactions, and nonprofit governance and compliance.
Retailers, real estate developers, hotel owners, private equity funds, technology companies, and entrepreneurs are among the clients that seek Andy’s legal acumen and practical insights. He regularly collaborates with C-suite executives, marketing teams, and IT professionals to develop legal strategies that achieve their business objectives.
IP strategy, transactions, and deal execution
Andy advises on the protection and management of trademarks, copyrights, trade secrets, and other intellectual property rights across U.S. and international markets. His transactional practice includes licensing, technology transfers, joint ventures, collaboration agreements, e-commerce deals, and the purchase and sale of IP assets.
Clients value Andy’s ability to translate business goals into clearly crafted agreements. He is particularly skilled at negotiating and structuring transactions that reflect the parties’ intent and set the stage for long-term success.
A leading resource for nonprofits
Andy devotes a substantial part of his practice to advising nonprofit organizations. He helps these mission-driven clients to meet their goals while complying with the rules governing their tax-exempt status. In these relationships, Andy serves as both legal counsel and business advisor, often leading transactions involving collaborations between nonprofits and for-profit businesses. He frequently educates both parties on how to legally and effectively structure these collaborations. While he advises many nonprofits on a pro bono basis, Andy brings the same high level of sophistication, responsiveness, and care to this work as he does for any client —a reflection of his deep commitment to helping organizations advance their missions.
Related Representative Matters
Handled and supervised numerous trademark and domain name matters over the past 25+ years, including prosecution of applications to register trademarks in the United States, coordination of international trademark protection efforts, management of clients’ trademark portfolios, negotiation of assignments and licenses of trademarks and domain names, and counseling of clients with regard to trademark and domain name selection, registration, and disputes. Trademark portfolios under management at various times have covered over 1,000 trademarks for hundreds of different clients.
Fair Trade USA™, as general counsel, serving a range of legal needs, including protection and licensing of its Fair Trade Certified™ certification mark, collaborations and strategic alliances, commercial agreements, acquisitions and dispositions, financings, office leases, governance, and general corporate issues.
A wide range of purchasers in connection with software development, customization, and licensing transactions to support their business operations. Recent transactions have included the acquisition of rights to use cloud-based software and services for purposes such as accounting systems, telecommunication systems, investment management systems, tenant management systems, and web sites and e-commerce. Many of these transactions require particular sensitivity to the protection of personally identifiable information of the client and its customers and the vendor’s compliance with applicable data protection laws.
Owners and managers of real estate in agreements to commission, license, or borrow public art, including original sculptures, murals, and other two- and three-dimensional artworks. Recent transactions have involved artworks installed in the Fenway, Seaport, and Back Bay districts of Boston and installations in three different locations on Boston’s Greenway.
A hotel owned by a multinational financial services company in negotiating and documenting the hotel’s acquisition of equipment, computer software, and related services for a “smart” parking garage system. The project required navigating the parent company’s complex procurement process. Particular attention was paid to open source software licensing, vendor personnel screening, and data security compliance because the parking system vendor outsourced certain of its services to overseas subcontractors and because the parking system could interface with the parent company’s computer systems.
An architectural trade association in a series of transactions concerning its annual trade show, including the buyout of a co-owner, the co-location of its show with another industry trade show, and the ultimate sale of its show to a global trade show owner and operator. These matters required attention to the particular concerns of a 501(c)(6) tax-exempt organization and involved a variety of brand protection issues.
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Accolades
- Martindale Hubbell Peer Review Rated AV Preeminent™
- The University of Chicago Law Review, Comment Editor
Affiliations
- Advisory Council Member, Fair Trade USA, 2004-present
- Board Member, Disability Rights Fund, Inc., 2015-2023
- Board Member, Disability Rights Advocacy Fund, Inc., 2015-2023
- Finance Commission Member, Town of Westwood, MA, 2004-2008
- American Bar Association
- Boston Bar Association
- International Trademark Association
- American Intellectual Property Law Association
Admissions
- District of Columbia
- Massachusetts
Education
University of Chicago Law School ( J.D. , 1991 )
Harvard University ( A.B. , cum laude , 1986 )