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John Brendan Riordan

John Brendan Riordan

Fidelity Law Group
  • Probate, Business Law, Estate Planning ...
  • North Carolina
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Biography

John is excited to help you with all your legal needs. From helping you brand your business to helping you plan for the future with an estate plan, John is ready to walk alongside you the whole way.

Call in and ask for a free consultation with John!

Practice Areas
    Probate
    Probate Administration, Probate Litigation
    Business Law
    Business Contracts, Business Dissolution, Business Finance, Business Formation, Business Litigation, Franchising, Mergers & Acquisitions, Partnership & Shareholder Disputes
    Estate Planning
    Guardianship & Conservatorship Estate Administration, Health Care Directives, Trusts, Wills
    Trademarks
    Trademark Litigation, Trademark Registration
Additional Practice Area
  • Civil Litigation
Fees
  • Free Consultation
    At Fidelity Law Group, we offer free intake consultations. If you want a more thorough discussion of your matter, we offer full case evaluations for $150 for 30 minutes and $250 for one hour.
  • Credit Cards Accepted
Jurisdictions Admitted to Practice
North Carolina
North Carolina State Bar
ID Number: 54973
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Languages
  • English: Spoken, Written
Professional Experience
Managing Member
Fidelity Law Group
- Current
In 2019, I, along with two other colleagues, started Fidelity Law Group. Fidelity is focused on the needs of small to medium size business. Specifically, we deal primarily with intellectual property, business, and employment law. We gear our practice towards the hospitality industry, helping restaurants, breweries, tap-houses, wineries, and distilleries.
Law Clerk
Connors and Brenke, PLLC
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I worked at Connors and Brenke, assisting attorneys with litigation and transactional matters. We primarily worked in the fields of intellectual property and business law.
In-House Counsel Law Clerk
Thriveworks
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As in-house counsel at Thriveworks, I handled the day-to-day legal needs of the company. This ranged from writing policies, to handling employment contract issue, to responding to record requests.
Education
Liberty University School of Law
J.D. (2019)
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Honors: Liberty University School of Law Honors Association; Dean's List
Activities: Moot Court; Law Review; Alternative Dispute Resolution
Liberty University School of Law Logo
Liberty University
B.S. (2015) | Criminal Justice/Pre-Law
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Honors: Dean's List; Alpha Phi Sigma Honors Society
Liberty University Logo
Awards
Best Overall Brief - Florida Bar, Tax Section, National Tax Moot Court Competition
The Tax Section of the Florida Bar
My teammates, Jonathan Shbeeb and William Baker, and I received the award for best overall brief during the Annual National Tax Moot Court Competition, hosted by the Tax Section of the Florida Bar. We also took first place in the competition.
First Place - Florida Bar, Tax Section, National Tax Moot Court Competition
The Tax Section of the Florida Bar
My teammates, Jonathan Shbeeb and William Baker, and I competed in, and won, the 2019 Annual National Tax Moot Court Competition, hosted by the Tax Section of the Florida Bar. We competed against 12 other teams from across the country, hailing from well-known law schools, and went undefeated during 5 rounds, including the final round, which was judged by sitting and former Federal Tax Court judges.
First Place - ABA Regional Client Counseling Competition
The American Bar Association
The ABA hosts 12 regional client counseling competitions annually. During the 2019 competition, my partner, Jonathan S. Shbeeb, and I came in first place in our region. This qualified us to compete in the ABA National Client Counseling Competition in March, 2019. The national competition will have the winners of the 12 regional competitions compete for a chance to move on to the international client counseling competition.
Semi-Finalist - Hunton Andrews Kurth Moot Court National Championship
Hunton Andrews Kurth & University of Houston Law Center
The University of Houston Law Center, together with several prestigious sponsors, namely Hunton Andrews Kurth law firm, hosts an annual Moot Court National Championship. The top 16 teams from across the country--determined by calculating each participating law school's accumulated point total from the previous year's competitions--are invited to compete against each other for the title of national champion. After being invited to compete in the 2019 championship, my partner, Natalie C. Rhoads, and I placed as semi-finalists at this competition.
Second Place - ABA National Client Counseling Competition
The American Bar Association
After taking first place at the ABA regional client counseling competition, my partner, Jonathan Shbeeb, and I placed second in the ABA's National Client Counseling Competition.
First Place - Elon School of Law's Billings, Exum, and Frye National Moot Court Competition
Elon School of Law
In October 2018, I, along with my teammate, Natalie Rhoads, competed in Elon School of Law's national moot court competition. The competition focused on the Establishment Clause of the U.S. Constitution and required extensive research and writing. Ultimately, my teammate and I were able to argue six times undefeated and secure victory in the final round. The competition hosted 32 teams from across the country, consisting of over sixty law students.
First Place Best Oralist in the Final Round - Elon School of Law’s Billings, Exum, and Frye National Moot Court Competition
Elon School of Law
In addition to winning the competition, I was honored with the award of #1 best oralist in the final round.
First Place - American Bar Association National Appellate Advocacy Regional Competition
The American Bar Association
My partner and I competed in the ABA National Appellate Advocacy Competition and placed first in our region. This resulted in our advancement to nationals in the same competition.
Second Best Brief - American Bar Association National Appellate Advocacy Regional Competition
The American Bar Association
My team and I was awarded second best brief (out of 32) during the 2018 ABA National Appellate Advocacy Competition.
Second Best Oralist - American Bar Association National Appellate Advocacy Regional Competition
The American Bar Association
I was awarded second best oralist/advocate (out of over 60 competitors) during the 2018 ABA National Appellate Advocacy Competition.
CALI Award for Excellence in Torts I
CALI
I received the CALI Award for excellence in Torts I. CALI awards are issued to the student who receives the highest grade in a particular class, displaying command and mastery of the subject.
Professional Associations
North Carolina State Bar  # 54973
Member
- Current
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Publications
Websites & Blogs
Website
Fidelity Law Group
Legal Answers
5 Questions Answered
Q. Hello, I have a question about copyright, please.
A: Hello, you are likely able to keep using this term. I believe what you are referring to are "trademarks" not "copyrights." A trademark is a "source indicator" for goods or services. These usually come in the form of a business name, logo, or slogan. Copyrights, on the other hand, protect original works of authorship.

So, based on what you've told me, it's likely that your book (the contents of the book itself, not just the title) would be a copyright, whereas the title of your book could be a trademark. Similarly, Anisa International's "Take Back Beauty" would be a trademark. Trademark infringement occurs when one party holds a valid, registered trademark and another party uses that mark or a similar mark without permission. When determining if a mark is infringing, we look at two main factors: the similarity of the mark and the similarity of the goods or services the mark is being used with.

If the mark is similar enough to cause a "likelihood of confusion" it will likely be infringing unless the goods or services are sufficiently different. A good example of this is Dove soap and Dove chocolate. They are owned by separate parties, the marks are identical (in word form), but they refer to two completely different goods.

Here, there's a good argument to say your book title would not be infringing on Anisa International's mark because it represents an entirely different good or service. There are always counter arguments, so be prepared for that. However, I think in this scenario, you are probably ok.

DISCLAIMER: This answer does not form an attorney/client relationship and should not be considered as legal advice. Similarly no confidentiality exists between the asker and John B. Riordan or over the question or answer. If the asker would like a full consultation with confidentiality, he or she should contact John B. Riordan or another attorney to schedule such.
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Q. In 2010 I coined the name ColdArted. I recently discovered someone in Illinois trademarked the same name. What can I do?
A: There is potentially something you can do. First of all, are you sure that the company you found on google has officially received trademark registration? If not, it would be worth having an attorney conduct a thorough USPTO trademark search for you to see if they have or if they have applied to do so.

If they have received national registration of their mark, your options are more limited. This is because the USPTO operates on a "first to file" basis where the first one to register a mark obtains "priority." However, there is a chance you have already obtained what is known as a "common-law trademark" in Indiana. A common-law trademark provides protection as a matter of law, not as a matter of registration. If you have used the mark enough (meaning, for long enough and publicly enough) that people in your geographic area of business operation have come to recognize your mark as synonymous with your goods or services, you may have common-law trademark protections.

If you do, it would mean that you would have priority over the business that obtained USPTO registration, but only in the area you have already operated (this can even be limited to only a portion of the state where you most commonly operate).

If they have not yet obtained or filed for federal registration, I would suggest you get on that quickly to see if you can beat them there! There's also a fairly in-depth analysis that can be done to determine whether, despite the similarity of the two business names, your mark can be registered because of the line of work that you are in. An attorney can help you answer that question, as well.

I hope this helps and I wish you the best of luck! By the way, I think the name is pretty clever.

DISCLAIMER: This answer does not constitute legal advice and it should not be relied-upon as such. An attorney-client relationship has not been formed between the individual asking the question and John B. Riordan or Fidelity Law Group. This communicate is public and is therefore not confidential in any way.
... Read More
Q. do i need a wwe trademark
A: Hello, I would need more context to answer this question. Are you asking if you would need permission to use the WWE trademark in connection with one of your goods or services?
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Contact & Map
Fidelity Law Group
8511 Davis Lake Parkway
Suite C6-138
Charlotte, NC 28269
Telephone: (704) 285-8111
Monday: 8 AM - 7 PM
Tuesday: 8 AM - 7 PM (Today)
Wednesday: 8 AM - 7 PM
Thursday: 8 AM - 7 PM
Friday: 8 AM - 7 PM
Saturday: Closed
Sunday: Closed
Notice: We are a virtual firm. This means we do not have a brick and mortar location for you to visit. We instead do all of our meetings via phone or video, or we will come to you! We also frequently have meetings at restaurants or coffee shops.