Doug Dixon and Christy Von Der Ahe Rayburn earned spots on the Daily Journal’s list of “Top Intellectual Property Lawyers” in California.
The Daily Journal noted Mr. Dixon’s two trial wins in 2021 – securing a $25 million trial victory in the Eastern District of Texas on behalf of the patentee-plaintiff, Acorn Technologies, against Samsung involving utility patents relating to semiconductor technology, and securing a complete defense verdict of no infringement and invalidity representing ClearOne Inc. against Shure Incorporated in a design patent case in the District of Delaware—an extremely rare invalidity result in a design patent case.
“Trials are about organizing facts around a memorable story,” Dixon explained. “Asking the inventor to describe the process that led to that ‘eureka’ moment when he or she discovered something novel, something new, helps humanize and dramatize what can often be complex technology in a very memorable way.”
Rayburn—who participated in both the Acorn and ClearOne trials—credits “a lifelong ability to translate issues that people might not understand into plain English, to explain things in simple terms” and a mechanical engineering degree from Stanford University as assets in representing clients in intellectual property litigation.
Daily Journal editors noted the multi-district battle between ClearOne and Shure, describing it as a “David and Goliath story.” In a related case in the Northern District of Illinois, Rayburn was able to show, before trial, that Shure likely infringed a ClearOne patent, thus obtaining a preliminary injunction, something rare in patent litigation. ClearOne then obtained a contempt finding against Shure for Shure’s violation of that preliminary injunction and had that contempt finding upheld on appeal before the Federal Circuit.
The list recognizes the very best intellectual property attorneys in California who have made an impact on the law and society within the last year.