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Joseph C. Gratz and Timothy Chen Saulsbury Named Top Intellectual Property Lawyers by The Daily Journal

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The Daily Journal has recognized San Francisco partners Joseph C. Gratz and Timothy Chen Saulsbury as Top Intellectual Property...

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The Daily Journal has recognized San Francisco partners Joseph C. Gratz and Timothy Chen Saulsbury as Top Intellectual Property Lawyers in its 2026 edition. The award honors 100 of California’s “top performing intellectual property attorneys working in patent litigation, trademark, and copyright.”Joe is widely recognized as one of the country’s leading copyright litigators at the forefront of artificial intelligence, fair use, and online platform disputes. He is ranked by Chambers USA and recognized by The Legal 500 for intellectual property litigation and is a frequent writer and speaker on cutting-edge copyright and technology issues. His thought leadership and courtroom advocacy have placed him at the center of precedent-setting cases shaping the intersection of copyright law and emerging technologies.Tim is a trial lawyer who represents technology companies in high-stakes disputes. In its recognition of Tim, The Daily Journal highlighted a series of recent complete defense victories, which eliminated billions of dollars in intellectual property claims. In particular, the feature noted Tim’s defense verdict on behalf of Epic Games and complete summary judgment wins on behalf of Palo Alto Networks and others. It also highlighted Tim’s recent plaintiff’s-side jury trial win on behalf of Postscript.Profiles of all the winning lawyers were featured in a <a href="https://dailyjournal.com/special_reports/717" target="_blank">special issue published on May 20, 2026</a> (subscription required).

Joseph C. Gratz and Timothy Chen Saulsbury Named Top Intellectual Property Lawyers by The Daily Journal

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Clients turn to Joe Gratz to handle trailblazing litigation where copyright and trademark law meet new technologies. An experienced litigator, Joe draws on his strong technical background to distill complex issues into simple, accurate concepts for judges, juries, and clients. Joe’s cases have set key precedents in Internet law, from the Google Books case that laid the groundwork for today’s generative AI innovations to key cases establishing the boundaries of intermediary liability. In addition to representing their interests in the courtroom, Joe helps his clients navigate their thorniest product counseling puzzles to reduce the risk of litigation.His appellate victory in Long v. Facebook set the standard for platforms in carrying out DMCA removals of user-generated content. And Joe’s win in Stevens v. CoreLogic established limitations on DMCA 1202 claims that have since been adopted by numerous other courts. His amicus brief on behalf of independent booksellers was cited by the Supreme Court in its opinion in Wiley v. Kirtsaeng, and he has submitted amicus briefs in other copyright cases on behalf of Center for Democracy & Technology (in Oracle v. Google) and on behalf of art law professors (in Warhol v. Goldsmith).A recognized commentator on copyright and internet law, Joe was selected as an advisor for the American Law Institute’s project to develop a Restatement of Copyright, and serves on the Advisory Board of the Electronic Frontier Foundation. He frequently speaks on emerging issues in Internet law and was called upon by the Senate Judiciary Committee in 2020 to testify about the interaction between the DMCA 512 safe harbor and fair use. Joe was the 2022 recipient of the California Lawyers Association’s IP Vanguard award, presented to one private practitioner each year for achievements at the forefront of emerging issues in intellectual property law.

Joseph Gratz

Partner

Tim Chen Saulsbury is a partner in the Intellectual Property Litigation group, based in the San Francisco office.His exceptional track record has earned him consistent recognition from leading publications.  IAM Patent 1000 describes Tim as a “formidable lead trial attorney,” highlighting wins for Zoom and others.  The Daily Journal labeled him one of the “Top Intellectual Property Lawyers” in California, as well as one of California’s top 40 lawyers under the age of 40.  Bloomberg Law named Tim one of the top 40 lawyers in the country under 40, and Law360 named him one of the top 6 IP lawyers in the nation under 40.  Tim also was recognized by Benchmark Litigation (on its 40 & Under Hot List) and by The Legal 500 (for Copyright, Patent Licensing, Patent Litigation, and Trade Secrets).Tim’s recent wins include:<ul><li>In the 6-month period from March 2025 to August 2025 alone:</li><ul><li>On behalf of a leading American cybersecurity company, Tim argued and won summary judgment of noninfringement in a multi-patent case in which the patentee sought hundreds of millions in damages, earning recognition by the Daily Journal as one of the biggest defense wins of 2025.</li><li>On behalf of an eCommerce client, Tim argued and won another summary judgment of noninfringement that disposed of all three patents asserted by a competitor.</li><li>A complete non-infringement verdict on behalf of a leading videogame company in a patent infringement suit involving one of the most popular videogames of the past decade, earning “Legal Lion” honors from Law360 and recognition in The American Lawyer’s Litigator of the Week column.</li><li>A clean sweep plaintiff’s verdict in a Delaware patent infringement trial involving eCommerce marketing technology.</li></ul><li>As lead defense counsel in a hotly contested AI patent litigation, Tim secured an early, decisive victory when the Court granted a motion to dismiss and found all of the plaintiff’s claims patent-ineligible.  </li><li>As lead counsel for Zoom in a six-patent case involving end-to-end encryption technology, Tim defended against claims seeking $100M+ annually and amounting to $1.5B+ over the life of the patents. After winning successive dismissal motions, Zoom moved to dismiss the entire case with prejudice. The Court issued a tentative ruling indicating that it was inclined to grant the motion, and the case promptly resolved.</li><li>As lead counsel for the country’s largest integrated healthcare system, Tim secured a complete summary judgment victory in a $900M+ trade secret case involving wearable medical device technologies, earning him Litigator of the Week runner up honors in The American Lawyer.</li><li>A complete defense verdict in a competitor patent trial involving USB technology that powers Apple CarPlay. Tim’s cross-examination of the lead inventor was later described as a “climactic moment” and potentially “a big reason why the jury would later reject Microchip’s case.”</li><li>In the months leading up to that trial, Tim put together a streak of five complete walkaways as lead counsel for Zoom, Atlassian, and Brightcove.</li></ul>Tim also maintains an active pro bono docket, serving as full scope counsel in a range of cases, including FTCA, First Amendment, wrongful termination, and Section 1983 matters.Tim serves on Morrison Foerster’s Board of Directors and previously co-chaired the firm’s Global Intellectual Property Litigation group. Prior to joining MoFo, Tim was a partner at a national trial boutique, where he served on the firm’s management committee.

Timothy Chen Saulsbury

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