Ann Dunn Wessberg

Helping clients build strong brands, avoid infringement and protect their brands, Ann has served as a trademark and copyright attorney in private practice and in-house for 25 years.

As former chief trademark counsel for Target, Ann is uniquely familiar with business challenges in-house counsel face in terms of pressures on people, time and money. Ann tailors her solutions to busy executives who need to navigate risk. Ann provides advice and counseling on trademark and copyright matters. She has a Fortune 50-style brand plan she can resize to any company to select, protect, defend and enforce trademarks in order to build strong brands. She searches trademarks to find strong, enforceable marks. She files and prosecutes trademark applications through to registration and maintenance. She actively enforces and defends trademarks and copyrights through correspondence, takedown notices, oppositions, cancellations and litigation. Her practice also includes registration and counseling on copyright matters, including termination of copyright. Although her clients are diverse, she has a strong focus in retail and consumer packaged goods.

Before joining Fredrikson, Ann served as chief trademark counsel to Target. She advised on clearance, use, prosecution, maintenance, defense, enforcement, and licensing of its trademarks, copyrights and domain names. Ann managed a global trademark portfolio of more than 5,800 applications and registrations and she directed the search and review of up to 15,000 trademarks per year.

Prior to working in-house, Ann was a partner at one of the largest Twin Cities general practice firms. She provided comprehensive brand management and counseling regarding trademark and copyright clearance, use, prosecution, maintenance and related agreements. She managed large domestic and international trademark portfolios, including enforcing and defending trademarks, copyrights and domain names through cease-and-desist letters, Uniform Domain-Name Dispute-Resolution Policy (UDRP) proceedings, and proceedings before the Trademark Trial and Appeal Board (TTAB) and federal district court. She has conducted due diligence evaluations for acquisitions and divestitures, reviewed and cleared advertising and provided in-house trademark and copyright training for clients.

Ann is also a frequent speaker on trademark and copyright issues for the International Trademark Association (INTA) and Minnesota CLE.

Education

• William Mitchell College of Law (now Mitchell Hamline), J.D., 1995, cum laude
• University of Minnesota, B.A., 1989

Admissions

• Minnesota, 1995

Languages

• Best Lawyers in America, Trademark Law, 2021-2025; Advertising Law, 2023-2025; Copyright Law, 2024-2025
• Top Lawyer - Copyright Law, Minnesota Monthly, 2024
• Leading Trademark Attorney, World Trademark Review 1000, 2019-2024
• Leading Trademark Attorney, World Trademark Review 300 Global Leaders, 2020-2024

Professional Activities

• William Mitchell College of Law, Adjunct Professor, Trademark Law, Copyright Law and Business Torts, 1999-2005
• Hamline University School of Law, Adjunct Professor, Trademark Law, Copyright Law and Arts and Entertainment Law, 1996-2000

Community

• Volunteer Lawyers Network, Eviction Expungement Advocacy
• Children’s Law Center of Minnesota, Attorney Advocate