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Biography
Michael Williams is a partner in the Los Angeles office of Quinn Emanuel Urquhart Oliver & Hedges. He became a partner after only four years at the firm, and is the youngest person to be made a partner in the firm's history.
Michael has extensive trial experience, serving as lead trial attorney in numerous federal and state actions as well as multiple arbitrations. His practice is diverse, covering a wide range of complex business litigation issues. Much of his practice focuses on intellectual property issues, including patent, copyright and trademark matters, primarily related to the entertainment industry. Michael has successfully defended numerous class actions, frequently obtaining dismissals with prejudice at the pleading stage. He has a number of published appellate opinions to his credit, creating new law in areas involving the Electronic Communications Privacy Act, California's anti-SLAPP statute, the Noerr-Pennington doctrine and the permissibility of classwide arbitrations under the Federal Arbitration Act.
Representative Clients
DIRECTV
The Recording Industry Association of America
Napster
Real Networks
Fox
The University of Southern California
TRW
Time Inc.
Numerous law firms, including Snell and Wilmer, Greer Herz and Adams, Yarmuth Wilsdon Calfo.
Notable Representations
Representing DIRECTV, obtaining a grant of certiorari from the United States Supreme Court on the propriety of classwide arbitration under the Federal Arbitration Act, reversing the California Court of Appeal. On remand from the United States Supreme Court, the California Court of Appeal held for the first time in a published decision that whether or not an arbitration agreement governed by the FAA permits classwide arbitration must be determined by the arbitrator, not the courts, reversing long-standing decisions under California law.
Represented the University of Southern California in a retrial against the plaintiff's claim to lost profits following a remand from the Court of Appeal permitting the plaintiff to pursue this claim. The plaintiff, a dental implant manufacturer, was seeking in excess of $1 billion in lost profits arising out of a failed clinical study on the implant. At trial, plaintiff was not awarded any amount in lost profits.
Represented DIRECTV in a class action matter against claims of extortion and unfair business practices arising out of DIRECTV's anti-piracy campaign. The Court of Appeal affirmed the lower court's Order granting DIRECTV's anti-SLAPP motion and dismissed, with prejudice, the complaint. The Court of Appeal held that plaintiffs' claims do not seek to vindicate the public interest and are, therefore, not exempt under a recent amendment to the anti-SLAPP statute. The Court of Appeal also upheld an award of $97,000 in attorneys' fees and awarded additional fees on appeal.
Represented the Recording Industry Association of America ("RIAA") in a patent infringement action brought against it by the operators of peer-to-peer networks concerning the RIAA's efforts to monitor and combat illegal copyright infringement.
Represented DIRECTV in a class action RICO matter. Obtained a decision from the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeal upholding the dismissal, with prejudice, under the Noerr-Pennington doctrine.
Represented DIRECTV in a class action matter alleging violations of the Electronic Communications Privacy Act ("ECPA"). Obtained a decision from the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeal affirming the dismissal of the complaint. In a case of first impression, the Court concluded that the ECPA did not permit liability for aiding and abetting or conspiracy to violate Section 2702 of the Act.
Represented Napster in a patent infringement action brought by SightSound Technologies in the Western District of Pennsylvania involving three patents that purported to cover the transmission of audio and video files to internet users for a fee. Napster sought reexamination of the patents-in-suit and convinced the USPTO to invalidate all asserted claims in all three patents.
Represented DIRECTV against claims of unfair business practices arising out of DIRECTV's policies relating to its Pay-Per-View programming. Obtained a complete defense award in a putative classwide arbitration.
Represented DIRECTV against an individual trafficking illegal signal theft devices designed to decrypt and intercept satellite signals without authorization. Obtained a unanimous federal jury verdict finding 102 violations under the Digital Millennium Copyright Act, the Federal Communications Act, and the Electronic Privacy Communications Act resulting in statutory damages in excess of $2,300,000.
Represented DIRECTV in two class action antitrust cases alleging theories of monopolization, horizontal and vertical price fixing, illegal exclusive distribution, and restricted output, relating to the sale and distribution of DIRECTV's NBA League Pass and NHL's Center Ice programming packages. Obtained a dismissal on the pleadings.
Obtained six figure jury verdict and punitive damage award in business defamation case after being retained only one week before trial.
