Foley & Lardner LLP

John Carson

Of Counsel

John Carson is of counsel at Foley & Lardner LLP. He is a member of the firm’s Trademark, Copyright & Advertising, Intellectual Property Litigation, Electronics, and Mechanical & Electromechanical Technologies Practices and the Food & Beverage Industry Team.

Mr. Carson’s practice includes all phases of eCommerce, patent, trademark, copyright, and trade secret law, including licensing and litigation. His technical experience is with computer hardware and software, electrochemical, optics and electromechanical systems.

Mr. Carson has been a trademark consultant to the California and Idaho Secretaries of State and often serves as an arbitrator and mediator, and as an expert on ethics and intellectual property issues.

Mr. Carson co-presented, “Let’s Go to the Video Tape: What In-house Counsel Needs to Know About Licensing Music, Videos and Photos,” at the 2012 Association of Corporate Counsel Southern California In-House Counsel Conference.

Mr. Carson has been Peer Review Rated as AV® Preeminent™, the highest performance rating in Martindale-Hubbell's peer review rating system and was selected by his peers for inclusion in The Best Lawyers in America® (2007 – 2013) in the field of intellectual property law. He has also been selected for the 2005 and 2009 – 2013 Southern California Super Lawyers® lists.

Mr. Carson attended Hastings College of Law (J.D., 1967) and the University of Santa Clara (B.S., engineering, 1964). He is admitted to practice in California and before the U.S. District Court, Central District of California, the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals, the Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit, the U.S. Supreme Court and the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office.

Mr. Carson’s professional activities, memberships, and honors, along with his civic involvement include:

AUTHOR OR CO-AUTHOR OF CALIFORNIA LEGISLATION

  • Anti-Counterfeiting Law
    Civil - Business and Professions Code Sections 14340-14342; Criminal - Penal Code Section 350
  • Trade Secret Act
    Civil Code Section 3426 et seq.; Code of Civil Procedure Section 2036.5 et seq.
  • Trademark Use on Collateral Products
    Business and Professions Code Section 14330
  • Employee Rights in Inventions
    Labor Code Section 2870
  • Prior Trademark Use
    Business and Professions Code Section 14342

PROFESSIONAL ACTIVITIES AND MEMBERSHIPS

  • American Bar Association
    • National Conference of Bar Presidents
      • Communications Committee, Chair (1983 – 1984)
  • State Bar of California
    • District 7 Meetings between Board of Governors and Bar Presidents, Founder and Chair (1982 – 1985)
    • State Bar Conference, Vice-Chair (1983 – 1984); Executive Committee (1981 – 1984); Conference Parliamentarian (1982, 1983)
    • Legislation Committee, Chair (1982 – 1983)
    • State Bar Consortium on Competence (1984 – 1985)
    • Special Committee on Specialization, Chair (1982 – 1983)
    • Board of Legal Specialization (1979 – 1982)
    • State Bar Conference Resolutions Committee (1980 – 1981)
  • Federal Bar Association, Board Member (1996 – Present)
  • Los Angeles County Bar Association, President (1994 – 1995); Senior Vice-President (1992 – 1993); Vice President (1991 – 1992); Trustee (1970 – 1978, 1981 – 1983, 2006 – 2007)
    • Adequate State Court Founding Committee (2011 – Present)
    • Senior Lawyers Division, Executive Committee (2009 – Present); Treasurer (2012)
    • Plans and Policies Committee, Chair (2006 – Present)
    • Long Term Finance Committee (2006 – 2007)
    • Audit and Finance Committee (1999 – 2004)
    • Ethics 2000 Liaison (1999 – 2000)
    • Diversity in the Profession Committee (1995 – Present)
    • Barristers' New Project and Future Planning Committee, Chair
    • Intellectual Property and Entertainment Section, Executive Committee (1995 – 1999); Member
    • Unlawful Detainer Assistance Project, Founder (1994)
    • Diversity Roundtable, Founder (1994)
    • Business Leaders' Roundtable, Founder (1994)
    • Legislative Activity Committee, Chair (1989 – 1992); Member (1987 – 1992)
    • Evaluation of Professional Standards Committee, Founder and Chair (1981 – 1986, 1989 – 1992); Member (1981 – 2007)
    • Strategic Issues Committee, Chair (1989 – 1991)
    • LACBA Special Membership Meeting re: ABA Pro-Choice Resolution, Parliamentarian (1990)
    • Shattuck Price Committee (1990)
    • Committee on the State Bar, Founder and Chair (1984 – 1987); Member (1984 – 1994)
    • Planning Advisory Committee, Chair (1983 – 1985)
    • Ad Hoc Committee on Size and Composition of Board of Trustees (1983)
    • Professional Responsibility and Ethics Committee, Chair (1978 – 1980); Member (1973 – 2007); (2009 – Present)
    • Delegation to the State Bar Conference, Chair (1979 – 1980); Executive Committee (1975 – 1980, 1987 – 1990); Member (1971 – 2000)
    • Trial Attorneys' Project, Founder and Chair (1977 – 1980)
    • Coordinating Committee for Lawyer and Legal Services Committees, Founder and Chair (1976 – 1980)
    • Barristers' Audit Jails, Juvenile Facilities and O.R. Project Committee, Founder and Chair (1974 – 1977)
    • Lawyer Referral Services Qualifications Committee, Chair; Executive Committee; Barristers (1972 – 1976)
  • Los Angeles Intellectual Property Law Association, Governor (1975 – 1977)
    • Ethics Committee, Chair (1973 – 1975)
  • U.S. Ninth Circuit Judicial Conference, Member (2000 – Present)
    • Advisory Board, Chair (2003 – 2004); Member (1999 – Present)
    • Historical Society, Director (2005 – Present); Strategic Planning Committee (2007 – Present); Governance Committee, Chair (2010 – Present)
    • Judicial Feedback Task Force, Chair (2000 – 2001)
    • Lawyer Representatives Coordinating Committee, Chair (1999 – 2000)
    • Executive Committee (1997 – 2000)
    • C.D. Cal Lawyer Representatives, Chair (1996 – 1997)
    • Lawyer Representative (1994 – 2000)
  • District Court, Central District of California
    • Standing Committee on Attorney Discipline, Member (2001 – Present); Vice-Chair (2003 – 2005); Chair (2006 – 2009)
    • Attorney Settlement Officer (1999 – Present)
  • Southern California Chinese Lawyers Association, Advisor to Board of Governors (1994 – 1995)
  • American Arbitration Association
    • Arbitrator - Intellectual Property, Complex Litigation and International (1995 – Present)
  • Los Angeles County Bar Foundation, President (1989 – 1990); Director (1983 – 1993)
  • Los Angeles County Bench/Bar Coalition (1994 – 2001)
  • State-wide Bench/Bar Coalition, Board Member (1993 – 2001)
  • California Association of Local Bars, Co-Founder; Member (1989 – 2001)
  • Los Angeles Complex Litigation Inn of Court Team Leader and Master (1992 – 1995)
  • Loyola Law School (Los Angeles), Adjunct Professor on trademarks, copyrights and intellectual property (1978 – 1982)
  • Whittier College School of Law, Lecturer on international intellectual property (1985 – 1987)
  • Superior Court, Judge Pro Tem
  • Municipal Court, Judge Pro Tem

PROFESSIONAL HONORS

  • Los Angeles County Bar Delegation to the State Bar Conference, Spirit Award (2001)
  • Attorney Settlement Officer, Most Cases Handled (1999 – Present)
  • Selected for inclusion in the Southern California Super Lawyers® List (2005, 2009 – 2013)
  • Chambers - ranking (2007)
  • The Best Lawyers in America® (2007 – 2013)

CIVIC INVOLVEMENT

  • Los Angeles Business Journal, Editorial Advisory Board
  • Los Angeles Area Chamber of Commerce
    • Law & Justice Committee
  • Los Angeles Olympic Organizing Committee
  • Pasadena Tournament of Roses
  • Chancery Club
  • Asia Society
  • Caltech/MIT Enterprise Forum
    • Executive Committee
  • Hastings College of Law Alumni Association, Governor (1972 – 1973); Los Angeles Chapter, Vice-President (1971 – 1972)

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