- Counsel for major owner of music and video copyrights in leading litigation in district courts concerning the legality under the copyright laws of practices on user generated content and social networking sites, including the unauthorized reproduction of music and videos.
- Lead appellate counsel for NBC Universal, Recording Industry Assoc. of America, Nat’l Music Publishers Assoc., American Federation of Musicians, American Assoc. of Independent Music in filing amicus brief before the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals in UMG Recordings v. Veoh Networks concerning the application of the Digital Millennium Copyright Act to social networking websites.
- Represented a leading new media company in precedential litigation in several jurisdictions throughout the United States concerning whether user-interactive television programming through text messaging violates lottery and other trade practice laws.
Managing Intellectual Property IP Star 2013
Daily Journal 2013 "California's Top Intellectual Property Litigators"
Chambers Global: The World's Leading Lawyers for Business 2008-2013 for Intellectual Property: Trademark, Copyright & Trade Secrets: USA
- JD, Order of the Coif, University of Southern California Law School, 1973
- BA, California State University at Fullerton, 1970
- California
- "Recent Developments in Intellectual Property That Will Impact the Internet" 26 The Computer & Internet Lawyer, 1 - 22, 2009
- "The New White House 'Cyber Czar'" (PDF: 263 kB) Jun 2009
Executive and Planning Committees, Intellectual Property Institute, University of Southern California (2003-present)
Member, Board of Directors, Computer Law Association (1986-2002)
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Intellectual Property
Ronald Johnston is a senior litigation partner in the firm's international intellectual property and technology practice group. He has been a leader in the IP and litigation bars for more than 25 years, including representing clients in leading cases in the information technology and entertainment industries. Mr. Johnston has been featured in LA Magazine as a "trailblazer of the law," and recognized by the US and International editions of Chambers for Litigation and IP, the California Daily Journal as one of the Leading Intellectual Property Lawyers in 2012, the California Daily Journal as one of the Top 100 Lawyers in 2011, the LA Business Journal as "the best of the bar," and Best Lawyers as Los Angeles "Information Technology Law Lawyer of the Year" for 2012. Mr. Johnston's experience covers all aspects of commercial litigation, including jury and nonjury trials, appeals, arbitrations, and class actions.
Mr. Johnston has represented clients in leading cases in the information technology and entertainment industries both at the trial and appellate levels. He also provides strategic counseling to computer, software, entertainment, and internet businesses on a broad range of intellectual property, contractual, and competitive issues. The substantive areas of his practice include copyright, patent, trade secret, trademark, right of publicity, antitrust, unfair competition, contract, and corporate law.
Mr. Johnston was the founder and chairperson of the University of Southern California's Computer & Internet Law Institute (1979-2003). He also co-founded The Computer & Internet Lawyer (Aspen Publications, 1984-present), the leading journal on computer and online commerce law, and serves as its Editor-in-Chief. Mr. Johnston has been a frequent chairperson and speaker at national institutes in the areas of trial practice, intellectual property, and technology law. He also has been a frequent author on these subjects and serves on several editorial boards.
Mr. Johnston was a partner in the law firm of Blanc Williams Johnston & Kronstadt from 1981 through July 2000, when he and the other attorneys at that firm joined Arnold & Porter LLP. Prior to 1981, Mr. Johnston was a partner in the law firm of Irell & Manella.
Mr. Johnston graduated Order of the Coif from the University of Southern California School of Law in 1973, where he served as a note and article editor for the University of Southern California Law Review.
Intellectual Property Representative Matters
- Counsel for major owner of music and video copyrights in leading litigation in district courts concerning the legality under the copyright laws of practices on user generated content and social networking sites, including the unauthorized reproduction of music and videos.
- Lead appellate counsel for NBC Universal, Recording Industry Assoc. of America, Nat'l Music Publishers Assoc., American Federation of Musicians, American Assoc. of Independent Music in filing amicus brief before the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals in UMG Recordings v. Veoh Networks concerning the application of the Digital Millennium Copyright Act to social networking websites.
- Represented a leading new media company in precedential litigation in several jurisdictions throughout the United States concerning whether user-interactive television programming through text messaging violates lottery and other trade practice laws.
- Lead counsel in related antitrust actions, US governmental agency proceedings, congressional committee hearings, international arbitrations, and contract negotiations in connection with the operation of Internet registries for the domain name system.
- Lead counsel in the trial and appellate courts in Coalition for ICANN Transparency, Inc. v. VeriSign, Inc, 611 F.3d 495 (9th Circuit, 2010), addressing monopolization and conspiracy claims under the Sherman and Clayton Acts; following repeated dismissals of claims, plaintiff dismissed case with prejudice without consideration.
- Successfully argued Lockheed Martin Corp. v. Network Solutions, Inc., 194 F. 3rd 980 (9th Cir., 1999), the first appellate opinion, and now landmark decision, determining critically important legal standards for secondary liability law on the Internet.
- Successfully argued Abdul-Jabbarv. General Motors Corp., 75 F.3d 1391 (9th Cir. 1996), a leading case on right of publicity, fair use, and trademark law.
- Representing Jamster International SARL in defense of coordinated consumer class actions regarding advertising and contracting practices in the cellular content industry.
- Lead trial counsel for Microsoft Corp. in jury trial resulting in one of the largest jury verdicts (compensatory and punitive damages) in a trade secret case in the information technology industry.
- Secured preliminary injunction on behalf of a publisher against an Internet portal, Perfect 10, Inc.v. Cybernet Ventures, 213F.Supp.2d.1146 (C.D. Cal. 2002), based on rulings of first impression that the portal had contributory and vicarious liability for conduct on a network of more than 300,000 websites, and was required to monitor them, and that it was unfair competition to infringe third party celebrity rights of publicity by displaying unauthorized images.
- Secured summary judgment in Guba v. Perfect 10(N.D. Cal, 2003), entering judgment of copyright infringement against an ISP and USENET indexer, based on compiling copyrighted materials.
- Successfully argued Balzar-Wolf Assoc., Inc. v. Parley Corp., 753 F.2d 771 (9th Cir. 1985), a leading case on dealer termination law and the covenant of good faith and fair dealing.
- A lead counsel in the landmark coordinated antitrust actions, In re Data General Antitrust Litigation, 529 F.Supp. 801 (9thCir. 1981)(tying and attempted monopolization).
- Counsel for major owner of music and video copyrights in leading litigation in district courts concerning the legality under the copyright laws of practices on user generated content and social networking sites, including the unauthorized reproduction of music and videos.
- Lead appellate counsel for NBC Universal, Recording Industry Assoc. of America, Nat’l Music Publishers Assoc., American Federation of Musicians, American Assoc. of Independent Music in filing amicus brief before the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals in UMG Recordings v. Veoh Networks concerning the application of the Digital Millennium Copyright Act to social networking websites.
- Represented a leading new media company in precedential litigation in several jurisdictions throughout the United States concerning whether user-interactive television programming through text messaging violates lottery and other trade practice laws.
- Lead counsel in related antitrust actions, US governmental agency proceedings, congressional committee hearings, international arbitrations, and contract negotiations in connection with the operation of Internet registries for the domain name system.
- Lead counsel in the trial and appellate courts in Coalition for ICANN Transparency, Inc. v. VeriSign, Inc, 611 F.3d 495 (9th Circuit, 2010), addressing monopolization and conspiracy claims under the Sherman and Clayton Acts; following repeated dismissals of claims, plaintiff dismissed case with prejudice without consideration.
- Successfully argued Lockheed Martin Corp. v. Network Solutions, Inc., 194 F. 3rd 980 (9th Cir., 1999), the first appellate opinion, and now landmark decision, determining critically important legal standards for secondary liability law on the Internet.
- Successfully argued Abdul-Jabbarv. General Motors Corp., 75 F.3d 1391 (9th Cir. 1996), a leading case on right of publicity, fair use, and trademark law.
- Representing Jamster International SARL in defense of coordinated consumer class actions regarding advertising and contracting practices in the cellular content industry.
- Lead trial counsel for Microsoft Corp. in jury trial resulting in one of the largest jury verdicts (compensatory and punitive damages) in a trade secret case in the information technology industry.
- Secured preliminary injunction on behalf of a publisher against an Internet portal, Perfect 10, Inc.v. Cybernet Ventures, 213F.Supp.2d.1146 (C.D. Cal. 2002), based on rulings of first impression that the portal had contributory and vicarious liability for conduct on a network of more than 300,000 websites, and was required to monitor them, and that it was unfair competition to infringe third party celebrity rights of publicity by displaying unauthorized images.
- Secured summary judgment in Guba v. Perfect 10(N.D. Cal, 2003), entering judgment of copyright infringement against an ISP and USENET indexer, based on compiling copyrighted materials.
- Successfully argued Balzar-Wolf Assoc., Inc. v. Parley Corp., 753 F.2d 771 (9th Cir. 1985), a leading case on dealer termination law and the covenant of good faith and fair dealing.
- A lead counsel in the landmark coordinated antitrust actions, In re Data General Antitrust Litigation, 529 F.Supp. 801 (9thCir. 1981)(tying and attempted monopolization).
- Substantial experience regarding copyright protection, fair use and secondary liability issues concerning books, films, magazines, and still images.
- Substantial experience regarding copyright, fair use, and competition issues concerning digital databases, external and internal computer software interfaces, computer languages, command sets, videogames, and online content.
- Substantial experience representing companies in intellectual property and contract litigation regarding reverse engineering and "clean room" practices.
- Substantial experience representing companies in litigation concerning "linking" and "framing" practices on internet, search engine practices, and related issues of contributory and vicarious liability.
- Numerous cases concerning proprietary information, contract and competition issues in connection with competition by former employees in various areas of technology.
Managing Intellectual Property IP Star 2013
Daily Journal 2013 "California's Top Intellectual Property Litigators"
Chambers Global: The World's Leading Lawyers for Business 2008-2013 for Intellectual Property: Trademark, Copyright & Trade Secrets: USA
Best Lawyers 2013 for Copyright Law, Information Technology Law and Litigation-Patent
Lawyers World: Leading Lawyer Award 2012
Daily Journal 2012 "Leading Intellectual Property Lawyers"
Southern California Super Lawyers 2012 for Intellectual Property Litigation
Los Angeles Magazine as a "Trailblazer of the Law" for Technology Law
The Best Lawyers in America 2012 for Copyright Law, Information Technology Law and Litigation: Patent
Daily Journal 2011 “Top 100 Lawyers in California”
Best Lawyers 2012 "Los Angeles Information Technology Law Lawyer of the Year”
The Legal 500 US 2011 for Intellectual Property: Copyright
Southern California Super Lawyers 2004-2011 for Intellectual Property Litigation, Business Litigation, and Appellate
The International Who's Who of Internet, e-Commerce & Data Protection Lawyers 2010
Los Angeles Daily Journal's "75 Leading IP Litigators in California" 2009
Los Angeles Business Journal's "The Best of the Bar" August 2007
Los Angeles Daily Journal as a California leading "Rainmaker"
Professional Activity
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Executive and Planning Committees, Intellectual Property Institute, University of Southern California (2003-present)
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Member, Board of Directors, Computer Law Association (1986-2002)
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Arbitrator for the International Chamber of Commerce
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Member, Technology and Intellectual Property Panels, American Arbitration Association
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Co-founder and editor-in-chief, The Computer & Internet Lawyer (Aspen Publications, 1984-present)
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Editorial Board, The Cyberspace Lawyer
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Editorial Board, The Journal of Proprietary Rights
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Founder and Continuing Chair, University of Southern California Computer & Internet Law Institute (1979-2003)
"The New White House 'Cyber Czar'" (PDF: 263 kB) Jun 2009