Fishermen often talk about “the one that got away.”

For intellectual property attorney Geoff Aurini, a trademark that got away was “Mr. October” for baseball outfielder Reggie Jackson, a moniker the Hall of Famer earned for his heroic clutch power hitting in the 1977 World Series; and the nickname is featured on merchandise and in his Mr. October Foundation for Kids. During previous work as a USPTO Examiner, Aurini worked with an examiner/mentor who was a passionate Yankees fan.

“When Reggie Jackson’s application was assigned to me randomly, he offered to examine a more ‘complicated’ case in exchange for Mr. October,” Aurini says. “I was a Yankees fan when Mr. October and ‘Louisiana Lighting’ – Rod Guidry – were in their heyday, and looking back would not make that exchange again.”

But Aurini, now a partner with Harness IP & Pierce in Troy, has had plenty of other fascinating cases, including work on registration of the quirky “Crazy Good” trademark for Pop-Tarts toaster pastries during two years as in-house trademark counsel for a Fortune 500 consumer packaged goods company.

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