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Overview
Robert Shore is a partner at Raines Feldman Littrell LLP and a trial attorney. He has tried more than a dozen cases in state court, federal court, and arbitration, before juries, judges, and arbitrators. Bob also has won numerous cases in the appellate courts. In addition to patent litigation, Bob’s experience runs the gamut from contract cases to copyright, from First Amendment defense to government procurement, and from trade secrets to real estate disputes. Bob prides himself on obtaining superb results for his clients, often in a surprisingly economical fashion.
Bob heads up the firm’s patent litigation, a position he previously held during his tenure at prominent plaintiffs’ firm Motley Rice LLC.
From Bob’s very first case, as part of the trial team that obtained a first-of-its-kind $120 million patent infringement verdict against Microsoft, Bob’s practice has focused on high-stakes business litigation, typically in high technology settings. Bob’s technical education and communication skills make him a trusted guide for judges and juries struggling to understand scientific and technological issues, as well as legal issues.
Education
- J.D., University of California at Berkeley’s Boalt School of Law, Order of the Coif.
- M.A., University of California at Los Angeles, Mathematics
- B.S., California Institute of Technology, Honors, Mathematics
Admissions
- State Bar of California
- United States Supreme Court
- United States Patent and Trademark Office
- U.S. District Courts, California
- U.S. District Court, Northern District of Illinois
- United States Appeals Courts, First, Ninth, and Federal Circuits
Significant Engagements & Transactions
- Represented Stac Electronics as part of the trial team in a patent infringement suit against Microsoft. After a three-week trial in Federal court, the jury awarded Bob’s client $120 million in damages for patent infringement.
- Represented Automated Facilities Management Corporation, a subsidiary of Acacia Research Corporation, in prosecuting its licensing campaign against infringers of its patent portfolio. Bob was responsible for all aspects of the campaign, from the selection of defendants to litigation, to licensing negotiations.
- Represented 3D, Inc., in numerous patent infringement actions involving 3D printing and stereolithography. One of the cases involved 24 patents and discovery throughout the world.
- Represented Polaroid Corporation in a dispute over the award of California’s statewide contract to manufacture driver’s licenses. Drafted the appellate brief that resulted in a published decision by the Court of Appeal reversing the trial court and ordering the contract awarded to Bob’s client. NBS Imaging Sys., Inc. v. State Bd. of Control, 60 Cal. App. 4th 328 (1997).
- Defended Playgirl, Inc., against privacy-related claims filed by Brad Pitt following the publication of nude photographs of Pitt and his then-girlfriend, Gwyneth Paltrow. The case settled on the eve of argument before the Court of Appeal.
- Represented a company in a challenge by dissident shareholders who contended they had ousted prior management. In an expedited trial occurring two weeks after the Complaint was filed, Bob’s motion for nonsuit after the presentation of plaintiff’s evidence was granted and judgment was entered in favor of Bob’s client.
- Represented two owners of Universal Transportation, Inc., in their dispute with the company’s other two owners. Bob’s opponents had loaned money to the company and had induced Bob’s clients to guarantee the loans and provide their shares as security for their guarantee. Bob’s opponents then had the company fail to repay the loan, and purported to take control of the company by seizing the shares of Bob’s clients. Bob defeated their claims prior to discovery via a motion for judgment on the pleadings. In the words of opposing counsel, this ruling “gutted their case.”
- Represented a distributor of diamond blades (diamond-encrusted saw blades used to cut concrete) in Federal court trade secret litigation against its former head of sales and his new employer. The defendant filed a counterclaim for trademark infringement. Bob defeated the counterclaim on summary judgment and then prevailed again via summary judgment on both liability and compensatory damages on his client’s affirmative claims, leaving nothing to be tried other than punitive damages. The case settled the day before trial was scheduled to begin.
- Represents real estate investors in a complex dispute with former consultants seeking a share of the project’s profits. Bob successfully resisted one consultant’s effort to remand his case from Federal court to State court, and then drafted a successful summary judgment motion wholly defeating the consultant’s claim.
- Represents a claimant in a bad-faith insurance defense dispute. Bob defeated the carrier’s summary judgment motion and then eliminated a number of the carrier’s affirmative defenses via motion practice. The case (as narrowed by Bob’s successful motion practice) is presently being prepared for trial.
Publications, Recognitions & Speaking Engagements
- American Jurisprudence Awards in Remedies and Evidence
- Prosser Prizes in Patent Law and Civil Trial Advocacy
- California Law Review and Member
- High Technology Law Journal (now the Berkeley Journal of Law and Technology)
- Guest speaker on CNBC to discuss legal issues.
- Saving the Right of Publicity in NEW MATTER, December 2003.
- Public Property in Cyberspace (co-author) in CYBERSPACE LAWYER, June 2000.
- Trade Secret or Patent Protection? Pros and Cons (co-author), in CURRENT DEVELOPMENTS IN COMPUTER LITIGATION: NEW THEORIES, NEW APPROACHES.
- A game show enthusiast, Bob has appeared on Jeopardy!, where (thanks to fortuitous timing) he enjoyed a four-month tenure as reigning champion.
Professional Affiliations
- Bob’s pro bono activities have included the representation of parents seeking to finalize adoptions and the representation of a plaintiff seeking wheelchair access to a local restaurant.
- Bob’s community activities include his current service as President of the West Los Angeles Unit of the American Contract Bridge League, as well as his District’s Disciplinary Chairman.