William J. Robinson is a partner with Foley & Lardner LLP, where his practice focus is patent litigation. He has litigated over 150 patent cases, including 85 in electronics and computer technologies. He has litigated over a dozen cases in Texas, including the Eastern District. Mr. Robinson has over 85 reported decisions. His patent jury verdicts include a $100 million award. He also has extensive experience in copyright, trademark, trade secret litigation, and FTC deceptive claims as well as intellectual property counseling and licensing. He is a member of the firm’s IP Litigation and Privacy, Security & Information Management Practices.
Prior to joining Foley, Mr. Robinson was a partner at the Los Angeles law firms of Mayer, Brown Rowe & Maw; Graham & James; and Poms, Smith, Lande & Rose.
Mr. Robinson graduated from Loyola University School of Law, Los Angeles (J.D., 1978) and the University of California, Los Angeles (B.S.E.E., cum laude, 1974 and M.S.E.E., 1975).
His professional activities include the Los Angeles Intellectual Property Law Association, president, 1990-1991, board of directors, 1985-1990; Licensing Executives Society, Los Angeles committee chair, 1992-1994; National Council of Intellectual Property Law Associations, secretary, 1990-1991, delegate, 1987-1992; United States/Japan Patent Liaison Council; judge advocate, Los Angeles Yacht Club (2013- ); and volunteer counsel (Amateur Radio License WB6RMY), American Radio Relay League (2013- ). He is a member of the Los Angeles County Bar Association, American Bar Association, the State Bar of California, American Intellectual Property Law Association, and Tau Beta Pi, the National Engineering Honor Society.
In recognition of his experience, Mr. Robinson has been Peer Review Rated as AV® Preeminent™, the highest performance rating in Martindale-Hubbell's peer review rating system. He has been a guest lecturer in patent/computer law at Southwestern University School of Law and is listed in "The State's Top Patent Lawyers," California Lawyer, March 1992. Mr. Robinson was also recognized as a leading attorney in intellectual property matters by The Legal 500 US (Vol. II, 2007), and was selected for inclusion in the 2009-2013 Southern California Super Lawyers® lists.
He is admitted to practice in California; and before the U.S. District Courts for the Central, Northern and Southern Districts of California; U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth and Federal Circuits; the U.S. Supreme Court and the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office.
Publications:
- Co-author, "Patent Litigation During the Recession—How to Get the Most Bang for Your Buck," BNA’s Patent, Trademark & Copyright Journal, October 30, 2009
- Co-author, "Patent Marking Requirements Post TransCore," IP Law360, October 16, 2009
- "Patent Injunctions After eBay," Law360, July 25, 2008
- "An Overview of Electronic Discovery," Patent Litigation 2005, Practicing Law Institute
- "Managing Litigation Costs - Patent Litigation Need Not Cost Millions," Corporate Counsel Magazine, November 2003
- "Patent Litigation 1997: Tips On The Way To Trial," Patent Litigation 1997, Practicing Law Institute
- "Recent Developments in Patent Validity -- Is The Pendulum Swinging Back," Patent Litigation 1993, Practicing Law Institute
- "Patent Jury Trials -- Avoiding the Mistakes of Your Predecessors," Critical Issues in Patent Litigation, Prentice-Hall, 1991
- "Insurance Coverage of Intellectual Property Lawsuits," American Intellectual Property Law Association Quarterly Journal, Vol. 17, No. 2, October 1989, also in 1989 Entertainment, Publishing and the Arts Handbook, Clark-Boardman Co., Ltd., earlier version in New Matter, publication of California State Bar Intellectual Property Section, Vol. 13, No. 2, Summer 1988
- "Most Favored Licensee Clauses," paper, 1986 meeting of Licensing Executives Society
- "Current Antitrust Law Trends Encourage Creativity in Technology Transfer Agreements," New Matter, Vol. 7, No. 2, Summer 1982
- "Antitrust Law Gains Flexibility," Les Nouvelles, Journal of Licensing Executives Society, 1982
Case Experience: