Mario C. Vasta

Mario Vasta is a Director in Fennemore’s Business Litigation and Intellectual Property practice groups. He represents businesses, entrepreneurs, and organizations in civil litigation involving intellectual property disputes, commercial litigation, contract disputes, and real estate litigation. His practice focuses on helping clients resolve complex business conflicts while protecting their brands, intellectual property, and business interests.

Mario represents clients in domestic and international intellectual property matters, including trademark litigation, copyright litigation, trademark enforcement, trademark opposition and cancellation proceedings before the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office, and counterfeit goods disputes. He advises businesses on trademark strategy, national brand expansion, licensing agreements, and brand protection, while helping clients secure federal trademark and copyright registrations to protect their intellectual property, creative works, and business goodwill.

Mario is widely recognized for helping companies combat online brand infringement, including disputes involving confusingly similar domain names, fraudulent websites, cybersquatting, and online impersonation schemes designed to divert customers and damage brand reputation. He guides clients through legal and administrative proceedings to remove infringing websites, enforce intellectual property rights, and safeguard valuable brands in the digital marketplace.

In addition to his intellectual property practice, Mario represents clients in water rights litigation throughout Arizona. He works with farmers, agricultural businesses, irrigation districts, and other water users to resolve water rights disputes, navigate administrative proceedings, and protect long-standing water rights essential to their operations. His work includes matters involving legal precedents dating back to the 1920s that continue to shape Arizona water law.

Mario knew he wanted to become an attorney at the age of 12 and spent years developing the reading, writing, and public speaking skills that would help him become the first lawyer in his family. Raised in Western New York, he attended Cornell University before driving his Pontiac to Phoenix, Arizona, where he graduated first in his class at Arizona State University’s Sandra Day O’Connor College of Law. Today, he brings that same determination and creativity to helping clients resolve complex legal disputes efficiently and strategically.

Mario is usually spending family time with his three sons and Australian cattle dog. He recharges his batteries in the great outdoors with activities like hiking and backpacking. An avid reader, Mario’s home library includes a wide range of historical and scientific non-fiction, as well as plenty of sci-fi.

• J.D., summa cum laude, Arizona State University, Sandra Day O’Connor College of Law
• B.A., Cornell University

• Best Lawyers in America®, Ones to Watch – Commercial Litigation, Litigation – Intellectual Property, 2023 – 2025
• 50 Rising Stars in Law, AZ Business Magazine, 2025
• Southwest Rising Stars^®, Business Litigation, 2022-2026

• Board Member, Live Life Give Life Fundraising

• Author, “Paste, Prompt, Regret: The IP Risks of Everyday AI,” Great Phoenix InBusiness Magazine, April 23, 2026
• Author, “Paste, prompt, regret: The IP risks of everyday AI,” AZ Big Media, April 20, 2026
• Author, “Paste, prompt, regret: The IP risks of everyday AI,” Greater Phoenix Chamber, April 20, 2026
• Author, “Protecting your IP in the age of generative AI,” Axios Phoenix, April 1, 2026
• Author, “Before you paste your “secret recipe” into ChatGPT,” Phoenix Business Journal, February 1, 2026
• Featured, “50 emerging leaders in Arizona law for 2025,” AZ Big Media, January 24, 2025
• Author, “Vasta: James Earl Jones may be gone, but his voice lives on,” Daily Independent, December 23, 2024
• Author, “Using Famous Artwork: Perils in the Public Domain,” Greater Phoenix InBusiness Magazine, October 2024
• Co-Author, “Supreme Court: Damages Not Restricted to Just Three Years in Copyright Cases,” Fennemore Blog, May 22, 2024
• Author, “2 copyright pitfalls businesses should consider before profiting from famous art in the public domain,” Phoenix Business Journal, April 1, 2024
• Featuring, “A Special Father’s Day Edition Of “Thursday Thoughts” With Mario Vasta,” Fennemore Blog, June 15, 2023
• Author, “Need to Know: Intellectual Property. Attorneys help businesses stay on top of social and regulatory changes,” inBusiness, July 12, 2022
• Author, “Domain Hijackers Prey on Business Websites,” inBusiness Greater Phoenix, July 2022
• Quoted, “Could Arts District become ‘blank slate?’ Concerns grow after one mural’s destruction,” Fox 5, June 1, 2022
• Author, “Legal Perspective: Protecting your business website from fraudsters looking to hijack your clients,” Tucson Business, May 23, 2022
• Author, “How to protect your business from fraudsters,” Phoenix Business Journal, May 10, 2022
• Quoted, “Feds Seek Win For Ariz. Apache Tribe In Gila River Water War,” Law360, March 7, 2022
• Co-author, “Troll Control – Reactions to Copyright Trolls | Part Two,” Fennemore Client Alert, May 27, 2021
• Co-author, “Troll Control – Reactions to Copyright Trolls | Part One,” Fennemore Client Alert, May 20, 2021
• Co-author, “There is no such thing as a permanent golf course view. Or is there?” Arizona Attorney Magazine, October 1, 2020
• Co-author, “Protection for Street Art on Buildings,” Fennemore Client Alert, September 2, 2020
• Quoted, “Business Briefcase,” Peoria Times, May 21, 2020

• Arizona
• U.S. District Court District of Arizona
• U.S. Court of Appeals Ninth Circuit