Intellectual Property Law

Weintraub Tobin Intellectual Property attorneys understand that protecting intellectual property is vital to achieving and increasing commercial success for individuals and businesses in the global marketplace. Our Intellectual Property team provides the highest quality legal services using practical and effective approaches that consistently achieve outstanding results for our clients in cutting-edge transactions and complex intellectual property disputes.

Weintraub Tobin is a full-service IP firm representing clients in both transactional and litigation matters. We provide strategic advice and counseling to companies at all stages of growth to help them develop or acquire all forms of intellectual property, and to protect, manage, license, enforce, and defend that intellectual property.

Our attorneys have broad industry experience and specialized academic backgrounds, including advanced technical and scientific degrees. We understand our clients’ technology as well as their business objectives.

We have substantial experience in a wide array of fields, including:

  • Biotechnology, pharmaceuticals, and medical devices
  • Biochemistry
  • Molecular biology and microbiology
  • Genetics and genomics
  • Immunology
  • General chemistry and water treatment chemistry
  • Electronics, wireless communication devices and protocols, aeronautical applications, Wi-Fi enabled devices, energy management, microprocessors/microcontrollers, memory devices, smartphones and smart TVs (along with applications), embedded systems, in-home networking for computing and entertainment, consumer electronics, semiconductor process and fabrication technology, packaging, power conversion, and software
  • E-commerce and business and financial methods
  • Digital media and advertising
  • Mechanical systems
  • Entertainment
  • Fashion and apparel

Webinar: IP Law Update: Understanding the Important Changes to Copyright and Trademark Law Contained in the December 2020 Stimulus Package

Weintraub attorney Jessica Corpuz hosted a one-hour webinar about Intellectual Property Law and will specifically address The Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2021. A recording of this webinar can be viewed on the Weintraub Tobin YouTube page. Please note that this webinar is for educational purposes only and should not be construed…

  • When: Feb 25, 2021
  • Where: Webinar

Webinar: IP Year in Review

Weintraub attorney Scott Hervey was a speaker for the IP Year in Review Webinar co-hosted by The SCBA Intellectual Property Law Section and the Intellectual Property Student Association of McGeorge School of Law.

  • When: Jan 28, 2021
  • Where: Webinar

Women Leadership in San Diego Intellectual Property

Attorney Jo Dale Carothers speaks at the Women Leadership in San Diego Intellectual Property event on Thursday, October 24, organized by the San Diego Intellectual Property Law Association. Please join us as the panelists provide their thoughts and perspectives about the past, present, and future of careers within the San…

  • When: Oct 24, 2019

Postponed: Don’t Let Your IP Float Away in the Cloud!

Summary of Program Join attorneys from Weintraub Tobin’s Intellectual Property Group (Jo Dale Carothers and Audrey Millemann) for this 1 hour MCLE program. Program Highlights Overview of Cloud Computing and Cloud StorageWho owns the information in the Cloud?How are Patents, Copyrights, Trademarks and Trade Secrets affected by the Cloud?How private…

  • When:

Raising Capital for Startups

Summary of Program Join a panel of Weintraub Tobin attorneys and Touchdown Ventures venture capitalists to discuss the preliminary work that must be done before looking for investment and the details of seed and A round financing.

  • When: Mar 16, 2016
  • Where: Bespoke

Upcoming Seminars for Wineries

Three Weintraub attorneys will speak to wineries and winemakers about legal challenges for facility development, land management and business operations at two half-day seminars on Wednesday, November 9th and Thursday, November 17th. The seminar for the Motherlode & Northern California Wineries and Vineyards will cover recent trends and topics relating…

  • When:

Scott Hervey in The Lever: The Battle For Global AI Dominance

In a November 21st article for The Lever, Freddy Brewster writes about the growing concern over artificial intelligence’s use of copyrighted materials and how the U.S. plans to apply copyright laws to the A.I. industry. Many tech companies are concerned that their investments would be at risk if they were…

Authors Get Mixed Results With Initial Skirmish in OpenAI Lawsuit

OpenAI, Inc. develops artificial intelligence software involving large language models (“LLM”) known as ChatGPT.  In 2023, several authors, including the comedian Sarah Silverman, filed putative class action lawsuits alleging various copyright infringement claims. On February 12, 2024, a District Court in the Northern District of California issued its Order and…

USPTO Issues Guidance on Patentability of Inventions Developed with the Assistance of Artificial Intelligence

On February 12, 2024, the United States Patent and Trademark Office (“USPTO”) issued guidance on the patentability of inventions developed with the assistance of artificial intelligence, saying that a human must have made a “significant contribution” to the invention. The USPTO explained that while AI-assisted inventions are not categorically unpatentable,…

MERRY CHRISTMAS!

Every year, I write about patents that have to do with Christmas. Here are a few I have found, some of which were issued in 2023 and others of which are older. Design patent D990,096 is a rather strange patent entitled “Elf Hand.”  The design looks like a prickly glove…