Mark W. Danis

Partner

San Francisco, (415) 268-7675

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Education

University of California, Berkeley (B.A., 1982)
;
University of California, Hastings College of the Law (J.D., 1989)

Practices

Intellectual Property Litigation

Commercial Litigation

International Arbitration

Bar Admissions

California

Clerkships

Hon. Lawrence W. Pierce, U.S. Court of Appeals, Second Circuit (1989-1990)

Mark Danis is a partner in the firm’s Intellectual Property Group. He is a trial lawyer with 20 years of experience handling patent, trade secret, and other complex litigation matters. He represents clients in a variety of industries, including software, hardware, consumer electronics, medical devices, biotechnology and pharmaceuticals.

Mr. Danis was resident in the firm’s Tokyo office from 2006 to 2010. From 2003 to 2006, Mr. Danis served as a managing partner for operations of the firm. Prior to that, he was a founder of the firm’s San Diego office, where he served as managing partner from 1999 to 2003.

Mr. Danis is a member of the executive committee of the California State Bar’s International Law Section, past director of the Association of Business Trial Lawyers and a former vice president of the San Diego Volunteer Lawyer Program. He is an active member of the Association of Business Trial Lawyers and of the Northern California International Arbitration Club. He is a founding member of the Constitution Day Council, which supports annual classroom programs on the U.S. Constitution and the Bill of Rights.

Mr. Danis is recommended as a leading lawyer by Chambers Global 2009, Chambers Asia 2009 and Legal 500 Asia-Pacific 2009-2010.

Mr. Danis clerked for Judge Lawrence W. Pierce of the United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit. He received his J.D., magna cum laude, from the University of California, Hastings College of the Law, where he served as the senior articles editor of the Hastings Law Journal. Mr. Danis received his undergraduate degree from the University of California, Berkeley. Between college and law school, Mr. Danis wrote financial software for Automatic Data Processing.

Marvell International Ltd. v. Link_A_Media Devices Corp.

(District of Delaware, Northern District of California). Represented Link_A_Media in patent infringement suit, successfully obtaining Federal Circuit writ directing transfer of the case to the Northern District of California. The case settled shortly therafter.

Applied Materials, Inc. v. Advanced Micro-Fabrication Equipment, Inc.

(Northern District of California). Defended Shanghai-based Advanced Micro-Fabrication Equipment, Inc. in a California trade secret action involving semiconductor manufacturing equipment. The case settled shortly before trial on confidential terms.

W. L. Gore & Associates, Inc. v. GI Dynamics, Inc.

(District of Arizona). Represented Gore as to patent, contract and trade secret claims arising from a joint development project for a gastric sleeve.

XenoPort, Inc. v. Glaxo Group Limited

(Northern District of California, District of Delaware). Represented XenoPort in claim for breach of a commercially reasonable efforts clause as to launch and commercialization of drug.

Enzon v. Yoshitomi Pharmaceutical Industries, Ltd.

(American Arbitration Association). Arbitration counsel to Yoshitomi in a royalty dispute regarding future sales of recombinant albumin. Following a two-week arbitration, a favorable result was obtained on behalf of Yoshitomi.

Watson v. H.J. Heinz Company

(Southern District of California). Lead counsel to H.J. Heinz in a trade secret and correction of patent inventorship action. Successfully moved to dismiss the action based upon plaintiff’s lack of standing, and the Federal Circuit unanimously affirmed.

Brosterhous v. The State Bar of California

(Sacramento Superior Court). Lead trial counsel to the State Bar of California in a First Amendment challenge to expenditures on specific Bar programs and activities.

In Re Extradition of Kevin Artt

(Northern District of California, Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit). Trial and appellate counsel for the respondent in an international extradition case. Successfully argued for bail following client’s three-year confinement. The Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit affirmed the grant of bail, and the request for extradition was withdrawn following trial and appeal on the merits.