Experience
Dolby Laboratories v. Alcatel-Lucent Technologies
We represented Dolby in seeking a declaratory judgment that Dolby’s AC-3 (“Dolby Digital”) technology does not infringe patents that Alcatel-Lucent had asserted against Dolby’s licensees. Following protracted litigation, in which we obtained discovery sanctions against Alcatel-Lucent on multiple occasions and attorneys’ fees at the conclusion of the case, we successfully obtained orders granting summary judgment of non-infringement on the patents-in-suit. The Federal Circuit affirmed the district court's orders awarding summary judgment and attorney's fees.
Waymo LLC v. Uber Technologies, Inc. et al.
Appointed by federal court Judge William Alsup of the Northern District of California, John Cooper is serving as “special master” in Waymo’s trade secrets case against Uber, putting him at a focal point of what could be seen as a battle for the future of the autonomous vehicle industry.
Warner Bros. Records v. SeeqPod
We defended search engine SeeqPod in a copyright infringement matter brought by Warner Brothers Records and several other major music labels in the Central District of California. Warner is alleging that SeeqPod's technology allows the infringement of copyrighted materials, and is seeking a preliminary injunction. We are defending the action based on a number of "safe harbors" under the Digital Millennium Copyright Act ("DMCA").
Dr. Bronner
We represented Dr. Bronner’s, a manufacturer of organic skin care products, in an action against several major cosmetic companies asserting that the skin care products of the defendants which were advertised and sold as “organic” were not in fact organic as understood by consumers in California. The critical issue in this action was determination of what constitutes “organic” ingredients in skin care products to justify advertising and presenting those products as “organic.” After several years of litigation in state and federal courts in San Francisco, the matter is currently pending before the USDA.
Bilski et al v. Kappos (561 U.S. 593 (2010)
Submitted an amicus brief on behalf of Dolby Laboratories for the Supreme Court of the United States in the landmark Bilski ruling relating to business method patents. The Supreme Court relied on and cited for the proposition in overturning the Federal Circuit Court of Appeals opinion and addressing the scope of what is patentable under section 101 of the Patent Act. Specifically, that exclusive adoption of a “machine-or-transformation test” for patent eligibility “would create uncertainty as to the patentability of software, advanced diagnostic medicine techniques, and inventions based on linear programming, data compression, and the manipulation of digital signals.”
