About Joseph
Joseph Piper studied history and political science at Loyola College, earning a B.A. in 2010. He then turned to law and completed a J.D. at the University of New Hampshire School of Law in 2013, where he earned recognition as an Intellectual Property Scholar. Those years set the stage for a practice centered on trademarks and brand protection.
Early in his legal career Piper joined the in-house legal team at Under Armour. In 2014 he served as Associate Counsel for Trademarks. That role placed him at the intersection of marketing and law. He handled clearance, enforcement, and portfolio management matters for a large consumer brand. The work exposed him to the demands of protecting marks across product lines and jurisdictions.
After several years of in-house practice, Piper launched Granite Trademark Services in 2018. The firm reflects a shift from corporate counsel to advising clients directly on trademark strategy. As founder, he built a practice model aimed at helping businesses file, maintain, and enforce trademark rights. His experience in a corporate trademark department informs how he evaluates risk and prioritizes filings for small and medium-sized enterprises.
Piper is admitted to practice in New York and New Hampshire. He blends procedural knowledge of trademark prosecution with an eye for practical business concerns. That combination guides decisions about name selection, clearance searches, application strategy, and responses to office actions. He also handles oppositions and other contested matters when they arise.
His academic background in history and political science surfaces in his writing and analysis. He approaches trademark issues by tracing origins, usage, and the context in which a mark will be encountered. That method can be useful when opposing or defending claims of likelihood of confusion.
Outside case work, Piper’s credentials include the Intellectual Property Scholar designation from his law school. He has experience working with corporate stakeholders on brand strategy, and he has translated that experience into a client-facing practice that emphasizes practical outcomes over theoretical debates.
Piper currently operates Granite Trademark Services, advising businesses and individuals on trademark clearance, prosecution, and enforcement matters.
