Trade secrets litigation has always been a major part of the firm’s practice. We have been retained as counsel for both plaintiffs and defendants in the highest-stakes, highest-profile trade secrets cases ever litigated. For over three decades, we have represented companies of all sizes --from venture-backed startups to Fortune 500 companies -- in a wide range of industries, including aerospace, biotech, internet, medical devices, mobile devices, pharmaceuticals, semiconductor, software, telecommunications and finance. Our representative trade secrets clients include General Motors, Google, Waymo, Virgin Galactic, Mattel, Shell, Northrop Grumman, Avery Dennison, Trust Company of the West, Disney, IBM, Motorola, Maxwell Technologies, Intuit, easyJet Airlines, Home Depot, Zynga, and many others.
Our engagements also include employee movement between competitors. It is a fact of corporate life that competitors frequently hire employees for what they know—whether proprietary or not. Because of the relative ease with which technology and information can be transferred, misappropriation of confidential information is a constant threat.
No technology is too complex for our lawyers to understand when technical trade secrets are involved. We can call upon the over 250 lawyers in our firm who have technical degrees in virtually all areas of science and engineering. We likewise have extensive experience in prosecuting and defending trade secrets cases in the financial industry, including those involving asset managers and investment funds. We are well-versed in the recently enacted federal Defend Trade Secrets Act of 2016 (“DTSA”), with our firm litigating several cases involving such claims.
Time is of the essence in trade secrets cases. Once the proprietary data is exchanged, it is often too late. We can spring into action on a moment’s notice. We produce high-quality legal work literally overnight—obtaining or defeating applications for temporary restraining orders and preliminary injunctions that have profound effects on our clients’ businesses.
Sometimes trade secrets misappropriation cases have criminal aspects. If so, we can call upon our white collar specialists with expertise in this area. Our firm was among the first to represent an aggrieved client under the Economic Espionage Act, which resulted in federal criminal convictions and an eight-figure civil jury verdict stemming from the theft of its trade secrets.
We also have handled and won, year after year, some of the most significant appellate decisions involving trade secrets law in federal and state courts across the country. As a result, our firm provides comprehensive trade secrets representation from the investigative, pre-suit phase to trial and through final appeal.
REPRESENTATIVE TRADE SECRET CLIENTS
Complete Entertainment Resources LLC formerly d/b/a Songkick v. Live Nation Entertainment, Inc., et al., No. 2:15-cv-09814-DSF-AGR (C.D. Cal.)We represented Songkick in a lawsuit alleging that Ticketmaster and its parent corporation, Live Nation, illegally monopolized and attempted to monopolize the market for artist presale ticketing services in the United States. After completing fact and expert discovery, we defeated the defendants’ motion for summary judgment. Faced with imminent trial, the defendants settled the case for $110 million and also acquired Songkick’s assets for a confidential sum.