April L. Besl

Partner

More of a partner than a legal adviser to her clients, April focuses her practice on intellectual property matters, including trademarks, copyrights, social media, Internet law, advertising, design patents, and trade secrets. She services a large and diverse portfolio of trademarks and copyrights, domestic and worldwide, for a variety of clients ranging from Fortune 100 companies to individual entrepreneurs and has been recognized by WTR 1000 since 2021 and by Patexia in 2022 as a Top 1% Attorney in Trademark Prosecution. During her time as leader of the Trademarks practice group, April has led the team to unprecedented growth and success. The team has received multiple national recognitions, including a national Best Lawyers ranking and expanded rankings from World Trademark Review. 

She has experience assisting clients with emerging issues related to the impact of social media, the web and technology on their business and marketing strategies. April helps clients protect and enforce their trademarks, copyrights and other intellectual property from misuse via social networking sites, search engine optimization strategies, and keywords, as well as against misuse on mobile devices and other emerging technologies. In addressing these evolving issues and technologies, she provides a direct, strategic and thoughtful approach tailored to the culture and goals of each individual client.

While April believes in working with both sides of a matter to find collaborative solutions to legal matters facing her clients, she knows when and how to vigorously defend her clients’ rights.  She frequently appears in federal court and before the Trademark Trial and Appeal Board to defend clients’ non-patent intellectual property rights. She has successfully resolved cases in favor of her clients including in multi-million dollar intellectual property trademark disputes, Digital Millennium Copyright Act disputes, copyright ownership disputes, and licensing disputes.

Clients appreciate April’s personable style and her responsive communication.  She has been called “a pleasure to work with” and a “trademark guru” by her clients and peers. She approaches issues holistically – from both a legal and business perspective.  Her family’s business and education in business management and organizational leadership enable her to see the bigger picture when a client is facing a trademark-related issue.

April served as the president of CincyIP, an organization of intellectual property professionals from around the region, for an unprecedented five year term before serving as past president in 2017.  She currently sits on the board of CincyIP as an elected member in her third term. She is also a member of the Trademark Law & Litigation Committee of the Intellectual Property Owners association and a second-time member of the Leadership Development Committee of the International Trademark Association. April is a member of the Women United through the United Way (where she previously served as Chair of the Steering Committee) and a member of the Women’s Leadership Roundtable through ArtsWave. In addition, was the founder and chair of CincyBrand, a highly successful conference for legal practitioners, marketers and business owners on the subject of branding and licensing that first debuted in April 2014, which will be making its return following COVID.

Credentials

Education

University of Dayton School of Law (J.D., cum laude, 2007)

  • Walter H. Rice Moot Court Competition, finalist
  • Saul H. Lefkowitz Moot Court Competition, competitor
  • CALI Awards for Excellence in Copyright, Trademark, and Cyberspace Law

Miami University (B.S., 2004)

  • Management, Organizational Leadership Specialization

Bar admissions

  • Ohio

Court admissions

  • U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit
  • U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Ohio

Affiliations and memberships

  • C-Change, Class 11
  • Cincinnati Bar Association
  • Intellectual Property Owners Association, Trademark Law & Litigation Committee
  • CincyIP
    • Board member (2018 – Present)
    • Past president (2017)
    • President (2012 – 2016)
    • Interim President (2012)
    • Vice president (2011 – 2012)
  • Women United (formerly known as WINGs) (2013 – Present)
    • Steering Committee (2018 – 2021); Chair (2020-2021)
    • Women’s Leadership Roundtable Member, Artswave (2022-Present)
    • Adjunct Professor of IP Drafting Course, Northern Kentucky University (2023-Present)
  • International Trademark Association, member of the Leadership Development Committee (2022-Present), former member of U.S. Subcommittee of the Non-Traditional Marks and Law Firm Committees
  • CincyBrand, Planning Committee, chair (2014 – Present)
  • Pro Bono Partnership, volunteer and speaker (2016 – Present)
  • Ursuline Academy Mock Trial, coach (2012 – 2019)
  • Warren County Mock Trial High School Competition Judge (2021-Present)
  • 100 Wise Women, Wise Woman (2017)
  • Boardway Bound, Class 1 (2010 – 2011)
  • WE Lead Class 13 Graduate (2018 – 2019)

Distinctions

  • Peer Review Rated AV in Martindale-Hubbell
  • Ohio Rising Stars®
    • For Intellectual Property (2016 – 2022)
  • World Trademark Review’s edition of WTR 1000 Bronze Tier (2021) Silver Tier (2022- Present)
  • Leading Lawyers Power 100, Cincy Magazine For Intellectual Property (2021- Present)
  • Top 1% of Attorneys in Trademark Prosecution, Patexia (2022)

Career Highlights
  • Counseled Brewery through Trademark Challenge

    Our client, Moonlight Brewing Company, filed an application with the U.S. Trademark Office for their brand MOONLIGHT for their beer. A restaurant named Moonlite BBQ filed a surprise opposition to try to stop Moonlight Brewing from registering their name. Though the restaurant had not sold a beer branded MOONLIGHT, it aggressively pushed forward with the opposition. The restaurant also claimed their name recognition entitled them to our client’s trademark. We worked closely with and guided Moonlight Brewing through a lengthy and hard fought proceeding before the Trademark Trial and Appeal Board, including a rare oral argument before the board. We ultimately received a complete and favorable ruling for Moonlight, including on a Request for Reconsideration filed by the restaurant to try to overturn the decision.

  • Providing Freedom to Focus on Business

    Hiring Dinsmore means the partners of HealthScape Advisors could focus on their business instead of worrying about whether the legal needs of their company were being handled properly. HealthScape is a health care consulting firm that has to stay up to speed with constant changes in health care and intellectual property laws. They’ve continued working with Dinsmore since 2014 because we understand these changes and what they mean for HealthScape’s business. We also assisted HealthScape when they decided to split part of their business off into a new company, Pareto Intelligence, which handles analytics and technology services.

    They truly understand our business and what we’re trying to accomplish.

    Managing Partner John Steele

Publications
  • November 20, 2024

    U.S. Trademark Office to Implement Higher Costs and Rule Changes in 2025

  • February 23, 2024

    Scam Targets Trademark Owners with False Law Firm Solicitations

  • June 8, 2023

    Bad Spaniels or Jack Daniel’s? SCOTUS Sides with Whiskey Maker in Trademark Dispute

  • March 10, 2023

    Avoiding Default: How to Protect Yourself from Losing Your Trademarks After the Trademark Modernization Act

  • February 3, 2022

    Slippery Slope: When Are Companies Allowed to Use the Olympic Trademarks?

  • July 27, 2021

    Navigating the Uneven Bars: When Are Companies Allowed to Use the Olympic Trademarks?

  • March 29, 2021

    EFFECTIVE IMMEDIATELY – Type 23 – Beer Manufacturers in CA Renewal Fees Waived

  • December 29, 2020

    Intellectual Property Measures Included in Spending and Coronavirus Relief Omnibus Bill

  • November 19, 2020

    US Trademark Office Announces New Fees for 2021

  • June 24, 2020

    US Trademark Office Waives/Refunds Fees for Reviving Applications and Registrations Abandoned Due to COVID-19

News
  • December 17, 2025

    30 Dinsmore Attorneys Named 2026 Ohio Super Lawyers and Rising Stars

  • August 21, 2025

    260 Dinsmore Attorneys Listed as 2026 Best Lawyers®, Ones to Watch

  • June 13, 2025

    Four Dinsmore Attorneys in Ohio Named WTR Global Leaders 2025

  • February 13, 2025

    Dinsmore’s Trademark Leaders Recognized Among the Best in 2025 WTR 1000 Rankings

  • December 17, 2024

    35 Dinsmore Attorneys Named 2025 Ohio Super Lawyers and Rising Stars

  • February 12, 2024

    Dinsmore Earns Expanded Rankings from World Trademark Review

  • March 24, 2023

    31 Dinsmore Attorneys Featured on 2023 Cincy Leading Lawyers List

  • February 13, 2023

    Dinsmore Earns Gold Ranking from World Trademark Review, Five Attorneys Individually Recognized

  • March 4, 2022

    Dinsmore’s Trademark Group Earns Gold Ranking in WTR 1000

  • February 8, 2022

    27 Dinsmore Attorneys From a Broad Range of Practice Areas Chosen for 2022 Cincy Leading Lawyers List

Events
  • December 5, 2025

    2025 Credits & More Continuing Legal Education (CLE)

  • April 22, 2021

    UDRP: Your Guide to Tackling Cybersquatters

  • February 20, 2020

    The Pitfalls of Social Media: Legal Ramifications that Could Affect Your Brewery