Dalton Hughes

Dalton concentrates his law practice on intellectual property litigation, including trademark, copyright, trade secret, antitrust, and unfair competition matters. At Crowell, he has represented plaintiffs and defendants with diverse federal litigation needs, ranging from prompt cease and desist coordination, complex software discovery disputes, multi-party depositions, and successful preliminary injunction motions and settlement conferences. Dalton’s counseling practice includes prosecuting trademarks, registering copyrights, enforcing global trademark portfolios, and counseling clients on intellectual property due diligence transactions. He also maintains a varied pro bono docket, including representing tenants in leasing disputes, enforcing international nonprofit trademark rights, and assisting independent musicians with registering their copyrights.

Within the firm, Dalton co-leads the Metaverse specialty group and is a member of the Artificial Intelligence working group, advising internal teams and clients on new intellectual property developments within virtual reality branding. He is active in the new media industry, including the Esports Bar Association.

Previously, Dalton externed for the Honorable Joan H. Lefkow at the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois. His intellectual property experience comes from a broad background in the media, tech, and entertainment industries. This experience includes copyright and royalty management at a leading global music publishing label, brand development, consumer survey research, contract administration, app development, and computer support. Outside work, Dalton is active in the Chicago arts community, serving on the associate boards of local theaters. A Nashville native, Dalton began practicing in Chicago after attending the University of Illinois College of Law in Champaign-Urbana, where he was on the leadership boards for the Sports & Entertainment Law Society and the Intellectual Property Law Society, as well as a Managing Editor of the University of Illinois Law Review.