John Yates is a litigator and trial lawyer who has tried over 30 civil cases to verdict or judgment in California’s state Superior courts and federal district courts, on behalf of clients ranging from individuals to Fortune 500 corporations. John has extensive experience in matters involving copyright, trademark, trade secret, and business competition law, and regularly litigates cases and counsels clients concerning these subjects.
Representative Matters
- Represented website owner accused by six major movie studios of contributory copyright infringement, and settled case for a tiny fraction of sum originally demanded. (Case ID Confidential)
- Member of litigation team for an action which resulted in a published Federal District Court opinion permitting client to use defendant’s violations of third parties’ publicity rights as a basis for client’s unfair competition claim, and in a substantial confidential settlement. (Perfect 10, Inc. v. Cybernet Ventures, Inc.)
- Defeated plaintiff’s motion for preliminary injunction and seizure, despite client’s deposition testimony that client had collected and melted down allegedly infringing jewelry after being sued, and subsequently obtained judgment in client’s favor on copyright infringement claim at trial. (Cosmos Jewelry, Ltd. v. Po Sun Hon Company)
- Obtained temporary restraining order and preliminary injunction against use of confidential customer and pricing information after client’s sales employee accepted employment with client’s major competitor. (Poma Companies v. General Petroleum Corporation)
- Prepared direct and cross-examinations for all major witnesses in unfair competition and trade secrets case tried in McAllen, Texas – notorious as one of the worst venues for defendants in the U.S. Jury verdict of $1 million awarded after plaintiff’s counsel requested $200 million. (Americana Juice Imports v. Nestle-USA)
- Lead trial counsel for Honeywell in three-week trial in which plaintiff’s 1,000-unit senior citizens’ residential facility alleged fraud, breach of warranty and breach of contract, and requested punitive damages. Jury verdict for Honeywell on fraud and breach of express warranty causes of action, and total verdict of $356,000 after plaintiff’s counsel requested award of $7 million plus punitive damages. (Angelus Plaza v. Honeywell Inc.)
Professional and Community Activities
- Member, State Bar of California
- Member, Los Angeles County Bar Association
- Member, San Fernando Valley Bar Association
- Member, All Cities Resource Organization
- Member, Los Angeles Copyright Society
- Member, California Fashion Association
Publications and Presentations
Publications available online at
www.losangelescopyrightlaw.com
Speaker, Risk Management Association
Speaker, Acordia Insurance Services
Admissions
State of California
District of Colorado
District of Kansas
Eastern, Central and Southern Districts of California
Education
B.A. magna cum laude, Phi Beta Kappa, Carleton College, 1976
M.A., University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, 1980
J.D., University of California, Berkeley, 1985
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