Yolanda M. King
Of Counsel
YKing@AdvitamIP.com
312.332.7700
Well-Rounded Experience
Yolanda M. King brings a broad and varied background to our firm. She practiced at two law firms, where she engaged in client counseling, cleared and filed copyright and trademark applications in the United States, worked with foreign counsel to prosecute trademarks abroad, handled licensing issues, and assisted clients in domain name disputes. In addition, she was an attorney in the City of Chicago Department of Law, where she counseled several city departments in the drafting and negotiation of contracts with third party vendors.
At the Head of Her Class
Yolanda also serves as the Director of the Center for Intellectual Property, Information, and Privacy Law at The University of Illinois Chicago School of Law, where she is an Associate Professor of Law teaching U.S. Copyright Law and Property Law.
In 2011, S. Victor Whitmill, the artist who inked Mike Tyson’s famous facial tattoo, sued Warner Bros. for copyright infringement based on, among other things, the reproduction of the tattoo on the face of actor Ed Helms in the Hangover II movie. Yolanda became immediately intrigued by the topic, and began researching and writing articles discussing the ability to copyright tattoos. She is a frequent speaker on emerging issues in intellectual property law.
Personal Passions
Yolanda enjoys spending time with her family, going to the movies, exercising at her fitness club, and, when time permits, reading a good book.
Education & Accolades
J.D., Harvard Law School, June 2002
- Thesis: The Runaway Bride: Trademark Infringement or Protected Comedic Entertainment?
- Committee on Sports and Entertainment Law, Member
- Black Law Students Association, Orientation Committee Co-Chair/Member
- Women of Color Collective, Member
B.A. in Journalism, Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis, May 1999
- Highest Distinction
- Chancellor’s Scholar
- Outstanding Woman Student Leader Award
- Central Newspapers Foundation Scholar
- Minority Achievement Scholar
- Come Follow Me, Co-organizer and Mentor
- Journalism Student Organization, Secretary
Academic Appointments
- University of Illinois Chicago School of Law — Chicago, Illinois
Director of the Center for Intellectual Property, Information, and Privacy Law and Associate Professor of Law
2023 – Present - Northern Illinois University College of Law — DeKalb, Illinois
Associate Dean for Academic Affairs and Associate Professor of Law
2010 – 2023
Awards and Recognitions
- Excellence in Service and Leadership Award, Northern Illinois University College of Law, 2023
- Outstanding Professor of the Year Award, Northern Illinois University College of Law Alumni Council, 2012
- Alumni Hall of Fame Inductee, Pike High School, 2012
- Corporate Woman of Achievement Award, National Association of Women Business Owners, 2009
Professional Experience
- Husch Blackwell Sanders Welsh & Katz — Chicago, Illinois
Intellectual Property Attorney
2008 – 2009, 2002 – 2004 - City of Chicago Department of Law — Chicago, Illinois
Assistant Corporation Counsel
2006 – 2008 - Brinks Hofer Gilson & Lione — Chicago, Illinois
Intellectual Property Attorney
2004 – 2006
Publications
2023
Written Statement: Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts, Inc. v. Goldsmith, 23 Chi.-Kent J. Intell. Prop. 124 (2023) (by invitation).
2022
Tattoo Use: What Does the Right of Publicity Have To Do With It?, in Institute Of Intellectual Property And Social Justice Handbook (with Lateef Mtima, Steven D. Jamar and Lateef Mtima eds., Forthcoming 2022)
2020
Why Women of Color Remain 'Invisible' in IP Law,, 37 GPSolo 45 (2020) (with J. Shontavia Johnson and Tonya M. Evans).
2018
Pushing the Body Beyond its Limits: Copyright Protection of Body Art, in Non-Conventional Copyright (Edward Elgar Publishing, Enrico Bonadio and Nicola Lucchi eds.)
2018
Diversifying Intellectual Property Law: Why Women of Color Remain “Invisible” and How to Provide More Seats at the Table, Landslide, Mar./Apr. 2018, at 31. (Yolanda M. King, with J. Shontavia Johnson and Tonya M. Evans).
2016
Tattoo Copyrights May Finally Get Their Day in Court, Law360 (April 28, 2016, 10:38 AM) Read article
2016
The Inadvisability of Nonuniformity in the Licensing of Cover Songs, 3 Belmont L. Rev. 51 (2016).
2016
Symposium (remarks), Protection and Enforcement Challenges for Tattoo Copyrights, 39 Colum. J.L. & Arts 437 (2016).
2016
The Right of Publicity Challenges for Tattoo Copyrights, 16 Nev. L.J. 441 (2016).
2014
The Enforcement Challenges for Tattoo Copyrights, 22 J. Intell. Prop. L. 29 (2014).
2013
The Challenges “Facing” Copyright Protection for Tattoos, 92 Or. L. Rev. 129 (2013).
2010
Review of From Servants to Workers: South African Domestic Workers and the Democratic State, by Shireen Ally, 14 Perspectives on Work 55 (2010).
Recent Presentations
09.29.23
Panelist, Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts, Inc. v. Goldsmith, Supreme Court Intellectual Property Review, Chicago-Kent College of Law, Chicago, Illinois.
09.25.23
Presenter (virtual), Introduction to Entertainment Law, Cary-Grove High School, Cary, Illinois.
02.2.23
Guest Lecturer (virtual), Copyright and Trademark Laws Overview, Professional Practices in Design, School of Art and Design, Northern Illinois University, DeKalb, Illinois.
09.7.22
Panelist, Designing Impactful Diversity Pathway Programs, AccessLex Legal Education Research Symposium, Nashville, Tennessee.
09.12.22
Presenter (virtual), Introduction to Entertainment Law, Cary-Grove High School, Cary, Illinois.
06.13.22
Panelist, Rivalry Game? Copyright, Right of Publicity and College Athletes, The Copyright Society of the USA 2022 Annual Meeting, Chicago, Illinois.
02.4.22
Presenter (virtual), What’s Copyright Got To Do With Tattoos?, Nassau County Bar Association, Intellectual Property Committee, New York City, New York.
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