Management Team

Michael Santoni – President

Mike joined National Trademark Investigations in 2001, bringing with him more than 20 years prior experience as president of Los Angeles-based private investigation firm Santoni Investigations. Mike’s role at NTI includes personally conducting intellectual property investigations such as trademark clearance, licensure compliance, anti-counterfeiting, trademark acquisition and negotiated domain name acquisition. He earned his Bachelor’s degree in Criminal Justice from California State University at Long Beach and is licensed as a private investigator (PI 24268) by the California Department of Consumer Affairs (Bureau of Security and Investigative Services). He is an active member of industry organizations including the California Association of Licensed Investigators (CALI), the Southern California Fraud Investigators Association, the International Trademark Association (INTA) and the International Anti-Counterfeiting Coalition (IACC), and has been featured at a speaker at numerous industry conferences.

Timothy Santoni, CPI – Vice President

In his role as vice president, Tim is responsible for the firm’s overall operations. Since joining the firm in 2001, Tim has directed thousands of undercover purchases and provided declarations in support of the issuance of temporary restraining orders and seizure orders in anti-counterfeiting matters, and has coordinated many raids for the seizure of counterfeit goods based on court orders. He also assists brand owners with the preparation of anti-counterfeit programs, including brand manuals to assist investigators and law enforcement to readily identify counterfeit items and consulting with brand owners and luxury goods manufacturers on loss prevention strategies. He is a recognized expert in anti-counterfeit civil seizures and has served as an expert witness on the topic. Tim holds a Bachelor’s degree from Point Loma Nazarene University and is a licensed private investigator and registered process server in the state of California, and has earned his certified private investigator designation (CPI) from the California Association of Licensed Investigators (CALI). He is an active member of CALI, the International Trademark Association (INTA) and the International Anti-Counterfeiting Coalition (IACC).

DJ Brooks – Director of Investigations

DJ’s extensive background in investigations and national security matters includes more than 25 years in evidence acquisition and analysis. His background with private investigation firms since 2001 includes senior roles covering criminal defense, insurance fraud, and intellectual property case work. DJ’s work in criminal defense resulted in an unbroken success record for cases he investigated. As an intellectual property investigator, DJ has assisted in the discreet assessment and acquisition of hundreds of domain names, 98% of which are transferred to the client’s registrar account within 14 days at a savings of more than 60% from initial asking price. In the course of his intellectual property investigations, DJ conducts covert due diligence regarding the nature and scope of the IP use (such as sales channels and volume), and identifies whether infringement exists to support a client’s desired outcomes or which could restrain a client from a successful USPTO action, such as registration or impeachment of a mark registration based on abandonment or fraud. As head of investigations at NTI, DJ manages investigative resources, heads training and quality assurance initiatives, and works closely with clients to ensure investigation objectives and budgets are met. DJ holds a Bachelor’s degree from California State University at Long Beach and studied law at Western State University College of Law, in addition to certificates in Arbitration and Mediation and International Marketing from the University of California, Irvine. He has consulted extensively on investigative strategy issues, is a licensed private investigator, a licensed public notary, and a registered process server in the state of California. He is an active member in the International Trademark Association (INTA), and the National Association of Public Notaries.

Scott Rutherford – Director of Marketing

Scott brings more than two decades of professional experience to his role as head of marketing and business development programs at NTI, including more than 10 years in legal services marketing. Prior to joining NTI, Scott previously managed North American marketing communications, exhibition and CLE event programs for trademark search services firm Thomson & Thomson, including managing its transition to its current branding as Thomson CompuMark. Most recently, he headed the marketing department of legal and claims software company CT TyMetrix, where he co-authored the 2009 benchmark insurance industry study and report, “Cost Control in the Management of Litigated Claims.” His previous experience includes positions in legal advertising, technology marketing and broadcast journalism. Scott holds a Bachelor’s degree in Marketing Communications, magna cum laude, from Emerson College, Boston, and earned his MBA from the F.W. Olin Graduate School of Business at Babson College, Wellesley, Massachusetts. Scott is a member of the International Trademark Association (INTA) and a Fellow of the Council on Litigation Management (CLM), where he serves as a member of the organization’s media committee.

Investigative Team

The staff investigators of National Trademark Investigations average nearly 20 years experience in the insurance and legal field, totaling many tens of thousands of investigations completed. Our investigators are experts in trademark investigations, domain name acquisition, trademark acquisition and the acquisition and preparation of evidence for use in anti-counterfeiting and anti-piracy seizures. Our investigators’ professional experience is supported by Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees in Criminal Justice, Business Administration and related disciplines.

Contact Us

By Phone: (800) 498-1097

By Fax: (949) 900-3436

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