Intellectual Property Litigation Attorney in Orange County

Last updated: November 2026

An intellectual property litigation attorney in Orange County enforces and defends trademarks, copyrights, trade dress, and trade secrets in court. Kolmogorov Law, P.C. is an Irvine firm that handles IP disputes for businesses in Orange County and Los Angeles. Federal trademark and copyright cases for Orange County companies are heard in the Central District of California at the Ronald Reagan Federal Building in Santa Ana. Trade secret and unfair competition claims under California law may be filed in Orange County Superior Court. The firm litigates. It does not prosecute patents.

Call (909) 235-6116 or contact us online to discuss an intellectual property dispute in Orange County.

IP litigation services for Orange County businesses

Trademark and trade dress. Infringement and unfair competition claims when a competitor adopts a confusingly similar name, logo, or packaging, and defense of businesses that receive a cease and desist letter. The Lanham Act protects registered marks and, through its false designation provision, unregistered marks and trade dress. (15 U.S.C. § 1125(a)(1).) Our Orange County trademark page is written for small businesses facing these disputes.

Copyright. Infringement claims over photographs, product designs, software, websites, catalogs, and marketing content, and defense of businesses accused of using someone else's work. Copyright claims belong in federal court; state courts have no jurisdiction over them. (28 U.S.C. § 1338(a).)

Trade secrets. Claims under California's Uniform Trade Secrets Act and the federal Defend Trade Secrets Act when an employee, partner, or vendor takes confidential information, and defense of companies and individuals accused of taking it. Where data was accessed without authorization, the firm pursues the civil remedy under Penal Code section 502. See our trade secret hub.

False advertising and unfair competition. Claims that a competitor is misrepresenting its products or trading on your reputation, under the Lanham Act and the state unfair competition law.

Three IP disputes from Orange County businesses

A Costa Mesa apparel brand discovers an online seller offering copies of its best-selling design, using the brand's own product photographs. That is a copyright claim on the photographs, possibly a copyright or trade dress claim on the design, and a marketplace takedown as the first step.

An Irvine software startup learns that a departed engineer has joined a competitor and that the competitor's new product shipped in a fraction of the usual time. The company has a trade secret claim if its code and architecture were protected as secrets, and a Penal Code section 502 civil claim if the engineer accessed systems after his authorization ended.

A Laguna Beach restaurant group receives a letter from a national chain claiming the group's name infringes a registered mark and demanding a rebrand within ten days. The group has used the name for years. Prior use, the differences between the marks, and the chain's delay in objecting are the defenses, and the first move may be a declaratory judgment action in Santa Ana.

Where Orange County IP cases are heard

Federal IP claims for Orange County businesses are filed in the United States District Court for the Central District of California, Southern Division, at the Ronald Reagan Federal Building and United States Courthouse, 411 West Fourth Street, Santa Ana. Copyright claims must be filed there. Lanham Act trademark claims may be filed in federal or state court, and most plaintiffs choose federal.

Trade secret claims under California law, unfair competition claims, and contract claims over IP licenses may be filed in Orange County Superior Court at the Central Justice Center, 700 Civic Center Drive West, Santa Ana. Larger matters may be designated complex and assigned to the Civil Complex Center. Federal trade secret claims under the Defend Trade Secrets Act, which requires that the secret relate to a product or service in interstate commerce, go to the federal court in Santa Ana. (18 U.S.C. § 1836(b)(1).)

Injunctions, the remedy that usually matters

In most IP cases the client's first goal is to make the other side stop. Trademark, copyright, and trade secret law each allow a court to enjoin ongoing infringement or misappropriation, and a temporary restraining order can be heard within days where the harm is immediate. California's trade secret statute expressly provides that actual or threatened misappropriation may be enjoined. (Civ. Code, § 3426.2, subd. (a).)

An injunction motion is expensive and front-loads the case, so it is not the right opening in every matter. Our TRO and preliminary injunction page explains the standard and the timeline.

The Orange County businesses we represent

Consumer brands and apparel companies in Costa Mesa and Irvine. Software and technology companies around the Irvine Spectrum. Restaurants, fitness studios, and service businesses whose names are their most valuable asset. Design, photography, and marketing agencies. Medical device and manufacturing companies in Anaheim and Lake Forest with engineering secrets to protect.

Chambers and Partners ranks the firm in its USA Spotlight 2026 guide for general commercial litigation in Orange County. The firm is a BBB Accredited Business, rated A.

How the firm works on an IP case

One attorney handles the matter. I read the registrations, the agreements, and the evidence of infringement myself, and I write the demand letter and the pleadings. For a trade secret case, I work with a forensic examiner early to preserve the devices and the logs.

Many IP disputes are resolved before a complaint is filed: a demand letter with the registration and the confusion evidence attached, a marketplace takedown, or a negotiated coexistence or license agreement. We say so when that is the better path. When the case must be filed, we file it where the remedy is fastest.

What to bring to the first meeting

Your registrations or application numbers, federal and state, or the evidence of first use if nothing is registered. The agreements with whoever created the logo, the photographs, the software, or the content. Dated screenshots of the infringing use and a log of any confused customers. For a trade secret matter, the confidentiality agreements, the access policies, and any forensic evidence already collected. For a defense matter, the demand letter and the sender's registration if one is cited.

Frequently asked questions

Do I need an intellectual property attorney or a business litigation attorney?

For a dispute, you need a litigator who handles IP. IP litigation is business litigation with a federal overlay: the procedure is the same, but the claims, the remedies, and the courthouse are different. A trademark prosecution attorney who files applications may not try cases.

Are IP cases in Orange County heard in federal or state court?

Copyright cases must be in federal court, which for Orange County means the Reagan Federal Building in Santa Ana. Federal trademark cases may be filed in either court; most go federal. California trade secret, unfair competition, and license disputes may be filed in Orange County Superior Court unless a federal claim is joined.

Can I sue for copyright infringement if I never registered the work?

Not until you register. For United States works, a civil action cannot be instituted until the Copyright Office has registered or preregistered the claim, or refused it. (17 U.S.C. § 411(a).) Registration can be expedited for a fee when a lawsuit is pending. See our Orange County copyright page.

A competitor is bidding on my business name in Google Ads. Is that infringement?

Sometimes. Buying a competitor's name as a keyword is not infringement by itself; using the name in the ad text in a way that confuses customers may be. The evidence that matters is the ad text itself, dated screenshots, and any customers who were misled.

What does an IP litigation lawyer in Orange County cost?

It depends on whether the matter resolves with a demand letter, a takedown, or a lawsuit, and whether an injunction is needed at the outset. We give a budget by stage once we have seen the registrations and the evidence. Many IP matters are resolved for a fraction of the cost of a lawsuit.

Talk to an Orange County intellectual property litigation attorney

Call (909) 235-6116 or contact us online. Kolmogorov Law, P.C. is located at 327 Magnet, Irvine, CA 92618, and represents businesses throughout Orange County.

This page provides general information about federal and California law and is not legal advice. Outcomes depend on the registrations, the facts, and the court.