An innovative provider of sophisticated legal services in over 45 practice areas.

Weintraub Tobin Intellectual Property attorneys understand that protecting intellectual property is vital to achieving and increasing commercial success for individuals and businesses in the global marketplace. Our Intellectual Property team provides the highest quality legal services using practical and effective approaches that consistently achieve outstanding results for our clients in cutting-edge transactions and complex intellectual property disputes.

Weintraub Tobin is a full-service IP firm representing clients in both transactional and litigation matters. We provide strategic advice and counseling to companies at all stages of growth to help them develop or acquire all forms of intellectual property, and to protect, manage, license, enforce, and defend that intellectual property.

Our attorneys have broad industry experience and specialized academic backgrounds, including advanced technical and scientific degrees. We understand our clients’ technology as well as their business objectives.

We have substantial experience in a wide array of fields, including:

  • Biotechnology, pharmaceuticals, and medical devices
  • Biochemistry
  • Molecular biology and microbiology
  • Genetics and genomics
  • Immunology
  • General chemistry and water treatment chemistry
  • Electronics, wireless communication devices and protocols, aeronautical applications, Wi-Fi enabled devices, energy management, microprocessors/microcontrollers, memory devices, smartphones and smart TVs (along with applications), embedded systems, in-home networking for computing and entertainment, consumer electronics, semiconductor process and fabrication technology, packaging, power conversion, and software
  • E-commerce and business and financial methods
  • Digital media and advertising
  • Mechanical systems
  • Entertainment
  • Fashion and apparel

Matthew Sugarman Speaks at Comic-Con 2025: From Idea to Shelves

On July 24, Weintraub entertainment and intellectual property attorney Matthew Sugarman co-presented, ‘From Idea to Shelves.’ Speaking on a panel alongside literary agents, managers, publishing pros, and producers, they addressed the state of the publishing and adaptation businesses.  The panel covered: How to take your writing career from the blank…

  • When: Jul 24, 2025 02:30 pm PDT – 03:30 pm PDT
  • Where: San Diego Convention Center, Room 24ABC

Webinar: IP Law Update: Understanding the Important Changes to Copyright and Trademark Law Contained in the December 2020 Stimulus Package

Weintraub attorney Jessica Corpuz hosted a one-hour webinar about Intellectual Property Law and will specifically address The Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2021. A recording of this webinar can be viewed on the Weintraub Tobin YouTube page. Please note that this webinar is for educational purposes only and should not be construed…

  • When: Feb 25, 2021
  • Where: Webinar

Webinar: IP Year in Review

Weintraub attorney Scott Hervey was a speaker for the IP Year in Review Webinar co-hosted by The SCBA Intellectual Property Law Section and the Intellectual Property Student Association of McGeorge School of Law.

  • When: Jan 28, 2021
  • Where: Webinar

Women Leadership in San Diego Intellectual Property

Attorney Jo Dale Carothers speaks at the Women Leadership in San Diego Intellectual Property event on Thursday, October 24, organized by the San Diego Intellectual Property Law Association. Please join us as the panelists provide their thoughts and perspectives about the past, present, and future of careers within the San…

  • When: Oct 24, 2019

Postponed: Don’t Let Your IP Float Away in the Cloud!

Summary of Program Join attorneys from Weintraub Tobin’s Intellectual Property Group (Jo Dale Carothers and Audrey Millemann) for this 1 hour MCLE program. Program Highlights Overview of Cloud Computing and Cloud StorageWho owns the information in the Cloud?How are Patents, Copyrights, Trademarks and Trade Secrets affected by the Cloud?How private…

  • When:

Raising Capital for Startups

Summary of Program Join a panel of Weintraub Tobin attorneys and Touchdown Ventures venture capitalists to discuss the preliminary work that must be done before looking for investment and the details of seed and A round financing.

  • When: Mar 16, 2016
  • Where: Bespoke

Upcoming Seminars for Wineries

Three Weintraub attorneys will speak to wineries and winemakers about legal challenges for facility development, land management and business operations at two half-day seminars on Wednesday, November 9th and Thursday, November 17th. The seminar for the Motherlode & Northern California Wineries and Vineyards will cover recent trends and topics relating…

  • When:

Year in Review: The Briefing’s Top 3 Podcast Episodes in 2025

Weintraub Tobin’s legal podcast, The Briefing, published nearly 50 episodes in 2025 covering the latest legal developments shaping the media, entertainment, and creator economy industries. As we wrap up the year, we’re sharing the most popular episodes of 2025. 3: Court Drowns Pepperdine’s “Waves” Trademark Battle Against Netflix Pepperdine University challenged…

WT Deals: U Beauty Announces Partnership with Sephora

Weintraub client and luxury skincare brand, U Beauty, is coming to Sephora. The company, known for its science-backed formulas that simplify skincare, has been highly praised by celebrities and industry leaders since its launch in 2019. As part of the deal, U Beauty products will be available for purchase on…

Why Lady Gaga Prevailed in the “Mayhem” Trademark Dispute 

by Scott M. Hervey
The IP Law Blog

The intersection of trademark law and the First Amendment remains one of the most complex battlegrounds in intellectual property. A recent ruling in the dispute between the surf and lifestyle brand Lost International and Lady Gaga provides a critical look at how courts are navigating trademark conflicts involving expressive works in a post-Jack Daniel’s landscape.  In December,…

Who Really Owns Your Startup’s IP?

by Jeffrey Pietsch
The IP Law Blog

The Most Overlooked Mistake That Can Kill Your Company Before It Starts Most founders assume their company owns what it builds. It doesn’t, at least not automatically. Under U.S. law, the person who creates intellectual property owns it unless they’ve assigned it in writing. That means your company may not…

USPTO Issues Guidance on Patentability of Inventions Developed with the Assistance of Artificial Intelligence

by Eric Caligiuri
The IP Law Blog

On February 12, 2024, the United States Patent and Trademark Office (“USPTO”) issued guidance on the patentability of inventions developed with the assistance of artificial intelligence, saying that a human must have made a “significant contribution” to the invention. The USPTO explained that while AI-assisted inventions are not categorically unpatentable,…

MERRY CHRISTMAS!

by Audrey A. Millemann
The IP Law Blog

Every year, I write about patents that have to do with Christmas. Here are a few I have found, some of which were issued in 2023 and others of which are older. Design patent D990,096 is a rather strange patent entitled “Elf Hand.”  The design looks like a prickly glove…