Nathaniel Bruno

Associate

Overview
Experience
Honors
Memberships
Articles
Speeches

Nathaniel Bruno is an associate in the Intellectual Property Practice Group in the firm's San Francisco and Silicon Valley offices.

Areas of Practice

Mr. Bruno focuses on intellectual property litigation, emphasizing patent, trademark, copyright, and trade secret matters. He has experience handling litigation on behalf of companies from both litigation-initiating and defense perspectives. In particular, Mr. Bruno has extensive experience in pre-litigation negotiations, pleading practice, substantive motion practice, discovery practice (including electronic discovery), depositions, litigation management, pre-trial motion practice and preparations, and the crafting of settlement and other agreements on behalf of manufacturing, retail, technology, entertainment and media, financial institution, and other business clients.

Mr. Bruno is an auditioned member of the Oakland Symphony Chorus, performing regularly with the Oakland East Bay Symphony. Mr. Bruno was previously an auditioned member of the La Jolla Symphony Chorus, performing with the San Diego Symphony and La Jolla Symphony. He has also performed and continues to perform instrumentally (French horn) and vocally with various other musical groups in theaters and venues throughout the San Francisco Bay Area.

Education

J.D., University of California, Hastings, 2003, magna cum laude, Order of the Coif and the Thurston Society
B.A., University of California, Berkeley, 2000, High Distinction

Clerkships

Pacific Justice Institute in Sacramento

Admissions

California
All Federal District Courts in California
American Bar Association
San Francisco Bar Association
Italian American Bar Association of Northern California

Mr. Bruno is active in pro bono service, having worked with programs organized or clients referred by the Children At Risk Committee of the San Diego Bar Association, the San Diego Volunteer Lawyer Program, Public Counsel of Los Angeles, Children of the Night in Southern California, and the Homeless Advocacy Project of San Francisco. He also serves on the firm's Pro Bono Committee.

Representative Matters

Patent: Has represented plaintiffs and defendants in the semiconductor fabrication, technology, telecommunications, industrial manufacturing, and medical device manufacturing industries in connection with patent infringement actions. Contributed significantly to the obtaining of a favorable settlement for a large technology client in a case involving competing claims of patent infringement. Contributed to the obtaining of a favorable settlement, including injunctive relief, representing plaintiff that owned a patent on a manufacturing device in the food processing industry. Contributed to the obtaining of a favorable settlement for a plaintiff that held a design patent on a medical device.

Trademark: Contributed to the defeat of a motion for preliminary injunction on behalf of a large Internet advertising services company that was sued for trademark infringement, resulting in a voluntary dismissal of the action. Contributed to the complete dismissal of a declaratory judgment action for non-infringement of trademarks, representing a large nutritional products company. Has also handled numerous trademark infringement cases for both plaintiffs and defendants in the industrial and sports manufacturing, software development, real estate investment, and entertainment industries.

Copyright: Contributed to the obtaining of favorable settlements, including significant monetary payouts and permanent injunctive relief, in copyright infringement actions for plaintiffs in the entertainment and Internet commerce industries. Contributed to the obtaining of a favorable settlement for a semiconductor company accused of software copyright infringement, following a summary adjudication of non-infringement.

Trade Secret: Contributed to the obtaining of significant monetary settlements and enforceable non-use and non-disclosure covenants on behalf of plaintiff companies in the sports manufacturing, insurance, security services, and Internet commerce industries who brought lawsuits against competitors for misappropriation of trade secrets.

Honors

Received law school awards for excellence in competitive oral advocacy
Blackstone Fellow, Alliance Defense Fund
Twice been given the firm's Clients First Award

Memberships

City Council-appointed Commissioner, Citizens Advisory Commission for the City of Hayward, California (2007-current)
City Council-appointed Commissioner, Library Commission in Hayward, 1998-2003
Associate, J. Clifford Wallace American Inn of Court in San Diego
Associate, San Francisco Bay Area Intellectual Property American Inn of Court

Articles

Searching for Procedural Clues, Practice Center, November 26, 2008
Service With A Smile, , October 28, 2008
Assessing Personal Jurisdiction in Patent Litigation Actions, , November 1, 2007
The Poetry of Patent Claims, , June 8, 2007
Coordinated Enforcement, , March 28, 2007
Gain the Most by Charging the Least: The Benefits of Committing to Pro Bono Service, , July 25, 2006
Fluidity of Test Factors Makes Trademark Cases Hard to Pin, , February 15, 2006
Why Trust Justice To Amateurs?, , January 30, 2006
Lawyer Sings Praises of His Practice: What a Wonderful Word, , October 25, 2005
Message in Music Copyright Disputes: Move Over, Juries, , June 25, 2005

Nathaniel Bruno, Searching for Procedural Clues, The Recorder, 132nd Year, No. 231 (November 26, 2008)

Nathaniel Bruno, Service With A Smile, Los Angeles Daily Journal, Vol. 121, No. 207 (October 28, 2008)

Nathaniel Bruno, Assessing Personal Jurisdiction in Patent Litigation Actions, Intellectual Property & Technology Law Journal, Vol. 19, No. 11 (November 2007).

Nathaniel Bruno, The Poetry of Patent Claims, LAIPLA Bulletin, Issue 41 (Los Angeles Intellectual Property Law Association, June 2007).

Nathaniel Bruno, Coordinated Enforcement, San Francisco Daily Journal, Vol. 113, No. 60 (March 28, 2007).

Nathaniel Bruno, Gain the Most by Charging the Least, The Young Lawyer, Vol. 10, No. 9 (American Bar Association, July 2006).

Robert S. Gerber and Nathaniel Bruno, Fluidity of Test Factors Makes Trademark Cases Hard to Pin, San Francisco Daily Journal, Vol. 112, No. 31 (February 15, 2006).

Nathaniel Bruno, Why trust justice to amateurs?, National Law Journal, Vol. 28, No. 21 (January 30, 2006).

Nathaniel Bruno, Lawyer Sings Praises of His Practice: What a Wonderful Word, Los Angeles Daily Journal, Vol. 118, No. 205 (October 25, 2005).

Nathaniel Bruno, Message in Music Copyright Disputes: Move Over, Juries, Los Angeles Daily Journal, Vol. 118, No. 125 (June 29, 2005).

Mr. Bruno has also written and spoken on topics of constitutional law, and is a contributor to the firm's Intellectual Property Law Blog.

Speeches

Spoke at the State Bar of California's 2005 Annual Meeting, where he participated in a continuing legal education group presentation regarding special motions to dismiss.