Nathaniel Bruno

Nathaniel Bruno is an associate in the Intellectual Property Practice Group in the firm's San Francisco office.

Areas of Practice

Mr. Bruno focuses on intellectual property litigation, emphasizing trademark, trade secret, copyright, and patent 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, depositions, litigation management, pre-trial motion practice, and the crafting of settlement and other agreements on behalf of manufacturing, retail, 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
• American
• San Francisco
• Federal District Courts in 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, and the Homeless Advocacy Project of San Francisco.

Representative Matters

• 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. 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.
• 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.
• 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.
• Patent: Has represented plaintiffs and defendants in the semiconductor fabrication, telecommunications, industrial manufacturing, and medical device manufacturing industries in connection with patent infringement actions.

Honors

• Recieved 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
• 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

• Assessing Personal Jurisdiction in Patent Litigation Actions, November 1, 2007
• The Poetry of Patent Claims, Los Angeles Intellectual Property Law Association, 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 World, October 25, 2005
• Message in Music Copyright Disputes: Move Over, Juries, June 25, 2005

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).

Has represented plaintiffs and defendants in the semiconductor fabrication, telecommunications, industrial manufacturing, and medical device manufacturing industries in connection with patent infringement actions. Nathaniel Bruno, , 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