Ryan Yagura, Chair of the Firm’s Intellectual Property and Technology Practice, steers some of the world’s leading technology companies through their complex patent infringement matters. An accomplished trial litigator, Ryan has extensive experience leading offensive and defensive cases in District Court and ITC litigation. This includes patent infringement, trade secret misappropriation, breach of technology licensing or development contracts, standard setting, antitrust, and other technology-intense claims. Ryan has also practiced before the USPTO in inter partes review (IPR) proceedings.
Prior to attending law school, Ryan worked as an engineer at Intel Corporation on the Pentium microprocessor and at Read-Rite Corporation on the development of thin film magnetic recording heads. Among other accolades, the Daily Journal named Ryan to its list of the Top 75 Intellectual Property Litigators in California, and Law360 featured Ryan in its publication of intellectual property lawyers to watch. Clients too praise Ryan’s legal ability and call him a “pleasure” to work with. (IAM Patent 1000)
- Served as lead counsel representing international consumer electronics companies in multiple patent infringement cases in the USITC and various District Courts involving MPEG video compression standards, graphics processor, microprocessor, wireless/cellular, LCD display, memory, and other technology used in smartphones, tablets, laptops, and other mobile and electronic devices
- Prevailed on summary judgment for a major defense and aerospace company, defeating patent infringement claims involving certain military systems and seeking over US$150 million in alleged damages
- Prevailed at trial and on summary determination, and successfully resolved, numerous Section 337 USITC investigations for several consumer electronics companies involving video compression/decompression standards, graphics processors, LCD display technology, optical disc drives, and other electronic technology used in digital televisions, laptops, computer hardware, and mobile devices
- Defended multiple district court cases in which plaintiff asserted patents allegedly covering video compression standards, including H.264 and H.265
- Defended a leading manufacturer of computer peripherals in multiple trials and matters involving patents alleged to be essential to 802.11 and other wireless standards
- Defended an international consumer electronics company in a high-publicity patent licensing dispute against the world’s leading computer software company; valued by the press at US$1 billion, the case successfully settled on confidential terms
- Defended a satellite broadcasting company in multiple patent infringement matters involving signal abstracting, cryptography, online piracy, and other digital radio technology and applications
- Represented a microprocessor manufacturer in an international, multi-venue antitrust dispute against a competitor, leading to a precedent-setting settlement
Admissions
Bar Admissions
- California
- Texas
Court Admissions
- US District Court, Northern, Southern, and Central Districts of California, and the Eastern District of Texas
- US Court of Appeals, Federal and Ninth Circuits
Registered to Practice
- US Patent & Trademark Office
Education
- University of California at Los Angeles, J.D., 1998: Order of the Coif; Co-Editor-in-Chief, Journal of Law & Technology
- Stanford University, M.S., Material Science & Engineering, 1995
- Harvey Mudd College, B.S., Engineering, 1993: with distinction and Engineering department honors; Tau Beta Pi., I.E.E.E.
Honors & Awards
- Recognized as a “Local Litigation Star” (2020) for Intellectual Property and as a “Future Star” (2019, 2021-2025) by Benchmark Litigation
- Recognized by Chambers USA for Intellectual Property: Patent Litigation in California (2022-2024)
- Recommended by The Legal 500 US for Trade Secrets (Litigation & Non-Contentious Matters) (2017-2018, 2020-2024); Trademarks: Litigation (2018-2022); Patents: Litigation (Full Coverage) (2019-2024); General Commercial Disputes (2020); Intellectual Property: Copyright (2021-2024); and Patents: Litigation (International Trade Commission) (2023-2024)
- Recognized by the Daily Journal as one of the “Top 75 Intellectual Property Lawyers” in California (2015, 2018-2022)
- Shortlisted for Managing Intellectual Property’s “Litigator of the Year Award – California” (2024)
- Recognized by Managing Intellectual Property as an “IP Star” (2020-2023)
- Recognized by IAM Patent 1000 (2015-2023)
- Named by Law360 as one of 10 “IP Lawyers Under 40 to Watch” (2010)
- Repeatedly recognized as a Southern California “Super Lawyer” in surveys conducted by Law & Politics Media Inc. and published in Los Angeles Magazine
Professional Activities
Member
- Los Angeles Intellectual Property Law Association
- Los Angeles Intellectual Property Inn of Court
- American Bar Association
- California Bar Association, Intellectual Property Section
- University of Southern California Intellectual Property Institute, Planning Committee
- Los Angeles County Bar Association
Board of Directors
- Bet Tzedek
- Western Justice Center
Speaker
- “Review of the Recent FRAND Case-Law,” Second Annual Conference on the Future of Standard Essential Patents and FRAND Licensing, LES France, Licensing Executives Society (Paris, November 2019)
- “The Rise of Silicon Beach and LA’s Emerging Hubs,” Select LA Investment Summit (June 2017)