Tanya is a trial lawyer with nearly 20 years of federal court experience in every Texas district and across the nation. She has also handled civil cases in state courts throughout Texas. Tanya’s practice focuses on intellectual property law and litigation. She has worked on patent, trademark, copyright and trade secret matters, and has first-chair experience in all aspects of intellectual property litigation, including preliminary injunction hearings, Markman claim construction hearings, jury trials and appeals.

Tanya has also handled post-grant review proceedings before the Patent Trial and Appeal Board and trademark opposition and cancellation proceedings before the Trademark Trial and Appeal Board. 

In addition to intellectual property matters, Tanya has handled a wide variety of commercial cases. Representative cases include breach of contract, tort claims, personal injury and employment issues. She also represents clients in mediations, arbitrations and other alternative dispute resolution proceedings.

 

Representative Matters

Patent

  • Defended a sports memorabilia purveyor in a patent infringement suit concerning a method for authenticating signatures. The plaintiff sought $4 million in damages plus enhanced damages; Tanya obtained a jury verdict of no infringement for her client.
  • Represented a seismic technology company in enforcing its patent rights against a competitor and obtained a multimillion-dollar jury verdict and a permanent injunction.

Trade Secrets

  • Represented an oilfield services company whose trade secrets had been misappropriated by a competitor and obtained a multimillion-dollar jury verdict including both compensatory and punitive damages.
  • Represented an oilfield services company whose trade secrets had been stolen by a departing employee and obtained a preliminary injunction against the employee and his new employer. The case later settled.

Copyright

  • Represented several major entertainment companies accused of copyright infringement and obtained summary dismissal of all claims; successfully defended the judgment on appeal.

Trademark and Trade Dress

  • Represented a consumer electronics manufacturer accused of trademark infringement and dilution and obtained a jury verdict of no liability.
  • Represented a manufacturer of radio-controlled vehicles in negotiations with a software company to create an app featuring its vehicles, trademarks and trade dress.
  • Represented a major food-service distributor in protecting its trademark rights against cancellation by a competitor.

Publications

Divided Patent Infringement in the Wake of Akamai, Law360, April 8, 2013.

Survive and Thrive in the IP Jungle, Houston Business Journal, May 9, 2005 (with Bob McAughan).

Presentations

Avoiding Evidentiary Pitfalls in Patent Litigation, Annual Meeting of the American Intellectual Property Law Association, Washington, D.C., October 1, 2019.

Extraterritoriality Issues and Impact on Patent Law, Houston Intellectual Property Law Association and University of Houston Law Center Institute for Intellectual Property and Information Law 35th Annual Fall Institute on Intellectual Property Law, Galveston, Texas, September 28, 2019 (with Fiona Bell).

Determining Venue in the Wake of TC Heartland, Houston Bar Association, CLE, February 16, 2018 (with Fiona Bell).

What Every Attorney Should Know About Intellectual Property … In About an Hour, Association of Corporate Counsel (Houston Chapter) Back to School CLE Symposium, August 16, 2016.

Patent War on Two Fronts, Update of the Law CLE, Kansas City, Missouri, June 22, 2016 (with Fiona Bell and Colman McCarthy). 

Beyond the Basics of IP Law: IP Practice Tips for Non-IP Attorneys, Association of Corporate Counsel (Houston Chapter) Back to School CLE Symposium, August 21, 2014.

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