Alan Cope Johnston

Partner

Palo Alto, (650) 813-5610

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Education

Yale University (B.A., 1968)
;
Harvard Law School (J.D., 1975)

Practices

Patent Litigation

Intellectual Property Litigation

Trials

Bar Admissions

California
District of Columbia
New York

Alan Cope (“A.C.”) Johnston is a partner in the firm’s Intellectual Property Group and the Managing Partner of the Palo Alto office. A trial lawyer with more than 30 years of experience, Mr. Johnston focuses his practice on disputes involving patent infringement, theft of trade secrets, and technology licensing. He has significant experience with ITC 337 investigations.

Mr. Johnston has represented companies in the LCD manufacturing and design, semiconductor processing, semiconductor equipment manufacturing, medical device, diode laser, disk drive, lithium ion battery, software development, and biotechnology industries, as well as a variety of other commercial business enterprises.

Mr. Johnston has been listed by Chambers USA and Chambers Global as a leader based abroad in U.S. and Japan intellectual property for several years and as an international leader in UK intellectual property. He also is recommended as a leading lawyer by Legal 500 US 2010, PLC Which lawyer? 2009 and Super Lawyers 2012.

Mr. Johnston was one of the founders and served as managing partner of the firm’s Washington, D.C. and Palo Alto offices, and he was resident in the Tokyo and London offices for several years. He was formerly co-head of the firm's Intellectual Property Litigation Group.

Certain Liquid Crystal Display Modules and Products Containing the Same and Methods for Using the Same

(International Trade Commission, 337-TA-634; Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit). Represented Sharp Corporation against Samsung in four patent infringement -based investigations involving technology to improve viewing angle and response time for LCD panels used in LCD TVs and monitors. ITC found for Sharp on all four asserted Sharp patents and three of four asserted Samsung patents, and issued exclusion order and cease and desist orders banning imports and sales of Respondents' LCD products.

Magsil Corporation and Massachusetts Institute of Technology v. Seagate Technology, et al.

(District of Delaware). Represented defendant Headway Technologies and affiliates in patent infringement suit concerning tunneling magnetoresistive technology used in disk drive read heads.

Certain Rechargeable Lithium-Ion Batteries, Components Thereof, and Products Containing Same

(International Trade Commission, 337-TA-600). Represented respondent Sanyo Electric Co. Ltd. in patent infringement -based investigation. Case settled after winning partial summary determination sharply limiting the products subject to the investigation.

Ramax Semiconductor, Inc. v. Seiko Epson Corp.

(Santa Clara Superior Court). Won complete dismissal and award of costs on summary judgment for client against contract breach for failing to provide foundry capacity. Dismissal and cost award affirmed on appeal.

Spectra-Physics, Inc. v. SDL Inc.

(Santa Clara Superior Court). Represented SDL in a dispute over license rights to proprietary manufacturing technology for semiconductor lasers and critical components in fiber optic communication networks. Case settled favorably after opening statements and cross-examination of plaintiff's first witness at trial.

Avantek Inc. v. Celeritek Inc.

(Santa Clara Superior Court). Represented Avantek Inc. in a suit for theft of proprietary techniques for manufacturing gallium arsenide field effect transistors. Case settled favorably shortly before opening statements at trial.