Overview
William J. (Bill) Robinson is a partner and intellectual property litigation lawyer with Foley & Lardner LLP, where his practice focus is technology litigation and trials. He has litigated over 150 patent cases, including 85 in electronics and computer technologies. He has also litigated over a dozen cases in Texas, including the Eastern District. Bill has over 130 reported decisions, and his jury verdicts include a $100 million patent infringement award. Furthermore, he also has extensive experience in copyright, trademark, trade secret, antitrust, and FTC deceptive claims litigation as well as intellectual property counseling and licensing. Bill is chair of the firm’s IP Litigation practice and is a member of the Privacy, Security & Information Management Practice.
Prior to joining Foley, Bill was a partner at the Los Angeles law firms of Mayer, Brown; Graham & James; and Poms, Smith, Lande & Rose.
Education
- Loyola University School of Law, Los Angeles (J.D., 1978)
- University of California, Los Angeles (M.S.E.E., 1975)
- University of California, Los Angeles (B.S.E.E., cum laude, 1974)
Professional Memberships
His professional activities have included: the Los Angeles Intellectual Property Law Association, president and board of directors; Licensing Executives Society, Los Angeles committee chair; National Council of Intellectual Property Law Associations, secretary and delegate; United States/Japan Patent Liaison Council; Los Angeles Yacht Club, judge advocate; and American Radio Relay League, volunteer counsel (Amateur Radio License WB6RMY). 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.
Recognition
In recognition of his experience, Bill 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 listed in "The State's Top Patent Lawyers," (California Lawyer, March 1992). Bill was recommended by The Legal 500 US as a leading attorney in intellectual property matters (2007) and in the area of media, technology and telecoms: marketing and advertising (2015). He also has been selected for inclusion in the 2009-2020 Southern California Super Lawyers® lists, and is on the 2020 Leader's League "Recommended" list for patent litigation.
Admissions
- California
- U.S. District Courts for the Central, Northern and Southern Districts of California
- U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth and Federal Circuits
- U.S. Supreme Court
- U.S. Patent and Trademark Office
Selected Publications
- Author, “Antitrust Enforcement Against Oligopolies,” Antitrust Law Daily, October 17, 2019
- Author, "Antitrust Scrutiny of Technology Companies Continues to Expand,"IP Litigation Current, June 6, 2019
- Author, "Legal and Equitable Profit Disgorgement in a Trademark Case," IP Litigation Current, June 28, 2018
- Author, "The Future of High Tech Patent Litigation in the Auto Industry," AutomotiveWorld, April 26, 2017
- 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
- Co-author, "Patent Injunctions After eBay," Law360, July 25, 2008
- Author, "An Overview of Electronic Discovery," Patent Litigation 2005, Practicing Law Institute
- Author, "Managing Litigation Costs - Patent Litigation Need Not Cost Millions," Corporate Counsel Magazine, November 2003
- Author, "Patent Litigation 1997: Tips On The Way To Trial," Patent Litigation 1997, Practicing Law Institute
- Author, "Recent Developments in Patent Validity -- Is The Pendulum Swinging Back," Patent Litigation 1993, Practicing Law Institute
- Author, "Patent Jury Trials -- Avoiding the Mistakes of Your Predecessors," Critical Issues in Patent Litigation, Prentice-Hall, 1991
- Author, "Insurance Coverage of Intellectual Property Lawsuits," American Intellectual Property Law Association Quarterly Journal, 17 AIPLA Q.J. 122 (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
- Author, "Most Favored Licensee Clauses," paper, 1986 meeting of Licensing Executives Society
- Author, "Current Antitrust Law Trends Encourage Creativity in Technology Transfer Agreements," New Matter, Vol. 7, No. 2, Summer 1982
- Author, "Antitrust Law Gains Flexibility," Les Nouvelles, Journal of Licensing Executives Society, 1982
Case Experience