Barbara N. Barath is a seasoned intellectual property litigator and experienced trial lawyer based in the San Francisco office, who helps lead the firm’s technology litigation practice within the Intellectual Property Litigation Group.
She has led the case strategy for numerous notable IP disputes and helped clients secure trial victories, or favorable settlements, in patent, trade secret, copyright, and trademark disputes. She has litigated cases involving a broad range of technologies, including semiconductor fabrication, data compression, CAD, USB, user interface, mobile device management, wireless, cellular, networking, water filter, and spinal derotation.
Ms. Barath is vice chair of the Trade Secrets and Interferences with Contracts Committee of the American Bar Association Section of Intellectual Property Law; has represented clients in multiple multi-million-dollar trade secrets cases, including helping secure a $764.6 million jury verdict and $34.2 million in attorneys’ fees for Motorola in a case involving a competitor’s use of confidential documents and copyright-protected source code relating to two-way radios; and regularly presents on trade secret issues, including at the AIPLA Trade Secret Summit.
Ms. Barath also presents on the intellectual property implications of using artificial intelligence products, including providing advice to clients on how to safely adopt high-value AI applications and mitigate potential legal risks.
Ms. Barath is active in pro bono efforts. She has taken to trial, or successfully settled, several Section 1983 cases. She also successfully tried a copyright infringement matter on behalf of a pro bono defendant after the Ninth Circuit remanded the case back to the district court for a jury trial. She represented California public school children alleging that the State failed to provide them equal access to literacy.
Prior to joining Debevoise, Ms. Barath was a partner of another international law firm where she practiced in the Intellectual Property Litigation Group, focusing on trade secret and patent cases. Earlier in her career, Ms. Barath served in the Major Crimes Division of the Los Angeles District Attorney’s office before entering private practice as an associate in the Intellectual Property practice of another premier law firm. Ms. Barath received her J.D. from the University of Southern California in 2009, her M.A. from Johns Hopkins University in 2006 and her B.A. from Stanford University in 2004.