Ryan S. Hilbert

Ryan Hilbert is a special counsel in the Intellectual Property and Litigation Practice Groups in the firm's Palo Alto office and is a member of the firm's Sports Industry Team.

Areas of Practice

Mr. Hilbert practices in the areas of sports, intellectual property and commercial litigation.

Mr. Hilbert has extensive experience in all aspects of complex civil litigation, especially in the areas of trademark and unfair competition, copyright, trade dress, rights of publicity, domain names and consumer protection.  He has litigated disputes in federal and state courts nationwide, as well as before the Trademark Trial and Appeal Board.  Mr. Hilbert previously represented Bikram Choudhury in a trademark and copyright case that determined that yoga poses were copyrightable subject matter. 

Mr. Hilbert also has extensive experience counseling clients on the selection, adoption and prosecution of trademarks worldwide as well as in effective resolution of global trademark disputes.  In addition, he routinely counsels clients on cutting edge intellectual property matters, including those involving domain names, computer-related torts, and DMCA take-down notices.

Mr. Hilbert's sports law practice includes representing the United States Olympic Committee, Churchill Downs Incorporated, several NFL Hall of Famers, and others in various litigation, licensing and sponsorship matters.  Mr. Hilbert also was a member of the litigation team that, in 2008, obtained a $28.1 million jury verdict on behalf of 2,062 retired NFL players who had sued the NFL Players Association for unpaid licensing royalties.   

Education

• J.D., Santa Clara Law School, 2000, Editor-in-Chief, Computer & High Technology Law Journal; First Place, California State Bar IP Section Essay Contest (2000)
• B.A., University of California, Los Angeles, 1995

Admissions

• California

Memberships

• Member, Sports Lawyers Association
• Member, American Bar Association (IP and Litigation Sections; Entertainment and Sports Law Forum)
• Member, California State Bar (IP and Litigation Sections)

Articles

• “Trademarks: Registering an Existing Sports Trademark in the US,” World Sports Law Report, April 2013
• "Competing Before the PTO: Four Things a Professional Athlete Should Consider When Seeking a Federal Trademark Registration," Sports Litigation Alert, August 24, 2012
• "A Slam Dunk For Trademarking Sports Catchphrases," Law360, July 3, 2012
  
• "Losing The Race To Trademark Sports Catchphrases," Law360, April 25, 2012 
• Co-author, Player Eligibility: National team eligibility rules: FIFA, UEFA, IOC & the CAS, WORLD SPORTS LAW REPORT (September 2010).
• Reel Confusion (or How I Wasted an Otherwise Productive Weekend: A Brief Look at the Intellectual Property Issues Implicated by the Movie “Simone”), IP LAW & BUSINESS (August 2003).
• Co-author, Toney v. L’Oreal USA Inc.: The Answer to the Question “What Do Hair Relaxer Products Have to Do With the Seventh Circuit’s View on Copyright Preemption and the Right of Publicity?” 19 SANTA CLARA COMPUTER & HIGH TECH. L.J. 531 (2003).
• The Revolution Will Be Televised: A Legal Analysis of the ReplayTV and TiVo Personal Video Recorders, NEW MATTER, Summer/Fall 2000; reprinted in ENTERTAINMENT, PUBLISHING AND THE ARTS HANDBOOK (2001-02 Ed.).
• Co-author, World Wrestling Federation Entertainment, Inc. v. Michael Bosman: A Legal Body Slam for Cybersquatters on the Web, 16 SANTA CLARA COMPUTER & HIGH TECH. L.J. 419 (2000). 

Speeches

• Moderator, "Sports Sponsorships in 2013 and Beyond," California Bay Area SLA event, April 29, 2013
• Moderator, "Sports Sponsorships in 2013 and Beyond," Sports Lawyers Association (SLA) Outreach Event, Barclays Center, Brooklyn, NY, April 9, 2013
• Speaker, "Talent Representation: How to Break in, New Developments & Looking Towards the Future," Bay Area Entertainment and Sports Law Speakers Forum--Berkeley Journal of Entertainment and Sports Law, April 5, 2013
• Moderator, "Creating a Brand: Traditionally and Online," SVForum's CXO Forum, November 13, 2012
• Moderator, "The Intersection of Sports and Technology," California Bay Area SLA event, October 4, 2012
• Moderator, "The Globalization of Sports: Legal Issues for International Sporting Events," California Bay Area SLA event, July 11, 2012
• Speaker, "Television, Intellectual Property, Risk Management and Legal Perspectives in Emerging Sports," Sports Lawyers Association Annual Conference, May 11, 2012
• Moderator, "Sports Lawyers Association Local Outreach Event," SVForum's CXO Forum, March 14, 2012
• Moderator, "Marketing and Branding in the Digital Age," SVForum's CXO Forum, March 13, 2012

Events

• The Intersection of Sports and Technology, October 4, 2012
• The Globalization of Sports: Legal Issues for International Sporting Events, July 11, 2012