Brian Keating Joins Farella Braun + Martel
Bolsters Firm’s Intellectual Property & Technology Department

SAN FRANCISCO (September 6, 2005):  Farella Braun + Martel LLP welcomes Brian Keating as a partner in the firm’s Intellectual Property & Technology Department.

“We are thrilled to have Brian join our dynamic team,” said Steve Lowenthal, firm chair of Farella Braun + Martel. “His deep patent experience along with his electrical engineering background complements our IP Department, which has grown into one of the top IP groups in the Bay Area.”

Keating has litigated patent infringement and trade secret cases, and has counseled clients in the development of patent portfolios, analyzing the scope and validity of patents, prosecuting strategic patents, licensing patents, and developing strategies to minimize risk with respect to third party patents. He has drafted and prosecuted patent applications across a broad range of technologies, including software, financial services, semiconductor devices and fabrication, memory devices, computer networks, communication systems, fiber optics, lasers, medical devices, and mechanical devices.  He is eager to bring his patent experience to the firm’s dynamic IP litigation practice.

“Farella Braun + Martel’s IP practice has a wonderful reputation and is a real presence,” said Keating.  “I am excited about joining Farella Braun + Martel’s innovative practice and being an integral member of the IP team.”

Prior to joining the firm, Keating was a partner in the San Francisco intellectual property law firm of Stallman & Pollock.  Prior to attending law school, Mr. Keating was an engineer at Hewlett-Packard.

Keating graduated magna cum laude from the University of California, Hastings College of Law in 1993, and was elected to the Order the Coif.  He received his B.S., cum laude, in electrical engineering from Santa Clara University in 1988, and is a member of the engineering honor society Tau Beta Pi.  He is registered to practice before the United States Patent and Trademark Office.

Farella Braun + Martel’s Intellectual Property & Technology Department has experienced significant growth and success over the past couple years. The team litigates high stakes, complex intellectual property and technology disputes and prosecutes and defends “bet the company” intellectual property cases for established and emerging companies in a wide variety of industries – including the software, digital technology, semiconductor, biotechnology, pharmaceutical, wine and entertainment industries.  For example, in 2005 the firm obtained orders granting summary judgment of non-infringement on the patents-in-suit for client Dolby Laboratories in a patent infringement suit against Lucent Technologies.

About Farella Braun + Martel LLP
 Since its founding in 1962, Farella Braun + Martel has achieved a national reputation for the acumen of its business practice, the high profile cases of its complex commercial litigation practice and its prestigious client base. Based in San Francisco, the firm serves a diverse group of clients from multinational corporations to emerging businesses. The firm also has an office in the Napa Valley focused on the wine industry and related businesses.     www.fbm.com