Intellectual Property Law

Ross A. Epstein is a partner and the Chair of the Intellectual Property Group at CKR Law LLP. Mr. Epstein provides legal counsel to a wide variety of clients including U.S., European and Asian multinational corporations; universities and other research institutions; small businesses and start-up companies; and sole inventors and entrepreneurs in high tech, life sciences as well as other industries. Mr. Epstein has a unique affinity for the entrepreneurial client due to his hands-on experience in business as the founder, President, and CEO of BCH Communications. Read more

The speaker will discuss the U.S. Supreme Court’s recent decision in Iancu v. Brunetti, where the Court held that the federal trademark law banning registration of immoral and scandalous marks is a viewpoint-discriminatory regulation of expression that violates the First Amendment. This conclusion was not surprising given the fact that the Court held in 2017 in Matal v. Tam that a similar law denying registration to potentially disparaging marks was an unconstitutional regulation of the viewpoint of expression. While some commentators believe that Tam and Brunetti require the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office to register expression that is hateful, profane, vulgar, or otherwise offensive, trademark applicants still need to prove that their marks are distinctive and function as trademarks that identify a single source of goods or services. Thus, such marks may be refused registration on lack of distinctiveness or failure to function grounds. Moreover, the Justices suggested that Congress could draft a more narrow provision that would survive First Amendment scrutiny, such as a law banning registration of expression that is obscene, vulgar, or profane. Read more

Daniel M. Cislo is the managing partner of Cislo & Thomas LLP. The firm specializes in patent, copyright, trademark filings, licensing, and intellectual property litigation. Read more

Intellectual property infringement on social media is both common, and often difficult to prevent. This is especially true for trademark infringement, which lacks something as straightforward as the DMCA. Join Tom Kulik from Scheef & Stone for a webinar on the practical considerations of reporting IP infringement to social media platforms: when it's appropriate, how to go about it, and how to maximize your success. Read more

Bruce is a Director of Global IP at Illumina, a San Diego-based biotech company creating solutions for genetic research. He began his legal career at Foley & Lardner in Washington, DC, before transitioning to in-house counsel roles at HP and now at Illumina. At MIT, Bruce earned his master’s and Ph.D. in two different engineering fields, and he later received a law degree from Georgetown and taught IP law as an adjunct professor at George Mason University. Read more

The 2019 IP and the Internet Conference is confirmed for Thursday, June 6, 2019 at the Luskin Conference Center, UCLA in Los Angeles. It'll be a great day filled with amazing speakers and networking opportunities. We hope to see you there! Read more

Thursday, June 6, 2019 Luskin Conference Center, UCLA425 Westwood PlazaLos Angeles, CA 90095 Earn 5.75 MCLE credit hours! Online registration is now closed. Onsite registration is available! Brochure | Registration Form The Intellectual Property Law Section would like to thank the Internet and Privacy Law Committee of the Business Law Section for its generous contribution and support! And a Round of Applause to Our Planning Committees Emily YuSeagate TechnologyCupertino, CAprivacyandyu@gmail.com Bennet KelleyInternet Law CenterSanta Monica, CAbkelley@internetlawcenter.net Barbara FriedmanDergosits & Noah,… Read more

This conference is an ideal opportunity to hear from the views of several highly experienced practitioners from Fangda Partners, a leading Chinese law firm, who have steered clients through the legal challenges in the China market. The topics covered in the conference include the latest developments in M&A, the complexities of China-related antitrust issues, China’s stricter rules on data protection, China’s changing IP laws, and the most effective strategies for resolving disputes in China. Please join us for a practical insight into the tools, trends, and opportunities for overcoming the legal barriers of doing business in China. A Meet & Mingle networking reception will be hosted after the program. Read more

Several of our Interest Groups have regular monthly or quarterly calls to discuss current cases and developments, practical hypotheticals, as well as opportunities to write articles, coordinate webinars or speak on webinars, and participate in the IP section in other ways. Read more

The webinar will focus on practical issues that shall be taken into account for intellectual property practitioners interested in filing in Brazil; analysis of the current trademark practice versus the provisions of the Madrid Protocol. Read more