The RegistryCounty Record · California
Intellectual Property Lawyers in Kern County, California
Searching for a intellectual property attorney in Kern County? Counsel for what you invent, write, and brand. This page indexes the county's intellectual property coverage from the State Bar of California's official roll, with identity-verification markers where available.
Oil, agriculture, and logistics country at the Valley's southern end; the Metropolitan Division in Bakersfield anchors the county's calendars. The court of record is the Superior Court of California, County of Kern — counsel who appear there regularly read the local calendar better than any brochure.
The law also keeps time: three years for copyright claims; trade secret claims run three years (Cal. Civ. Code § 3426.6) under 17 U.S.C. § 507(b). Patent damages reach back six years (35 U.S.C. § 286). Trademark claims under the Lanham Act borrow analogous state periods and are shaped by laches. The plaque below carries the citation; the roster that follows carries the rest.
This page is the Kern County chapter of the registry's statewide record — Intellectual Property Attorneys in California collects all 58 counties.
The clock & the court
Three years for copyright claims; trade secret claims run three years (Cal. Civ. Code § 3426.6).
17 U.S.C. § 507(b)
Patent damages reach back six years (35 U.S.C. § 286). Trademark claims under the Lanham Act borrow analogous state periods and are shaped by laches.
Superior Court of California, County of Kern.
County seat: Bakersfield
Official court information, locations, and filing rules: www.kern.courts.ca.gov
Intellectual Property · Kern County roster
16 attorneys on the official State Bar of California roll list intellectual property among their practice areas with an address of record in Kern County.
The roster concentrates in Bakersfield (13), Edwards (1), Rosamond (1) and Shafter (1).
Admission years on this roster run from 1992 to 2025.
The employers most represented here are Klein DeNatale Goldner (2).
James MacClatchie Duncan
Intellectual Property · Bakersfield
Bar #161474 · Admitted 1992
Official record
Have a intellectual property matter? State your case.
Describe what happened in your own words — attorneys who practice in your area read it and may send you fee terms, and your contact details stay masked until you choose your attorney. Free, and the choice is always yours.
State Your CaseLegal information, not legal advice · The AI reception identifies itself
Intellectual Property questions, cited
Do I need to register a copyright to be protected?
Protection attaches automatically when an original work is fixed in tangible form (17 U.S.C. § 102), but registration is required before a U.S. author can file an infringement suit (17 U.S.C. § 411, confirmed in Fourth Estate v. Wall-Street.com (2019) 586 U.S. 296), and timely registration unlocks statutory damages up to $150,000 for willful infringement and attorney fees (17 U.S.C. §§ 412, 504–505).
What is the difference between a trademark, copyright, and patent?
A trademark protects brand identifiers — names, logos, slogans — in commerce (15 U.S.C. § 1051 et seq.); rights arise from use and strengthen with federal registration. A copyright protects original creative works (17 U.S.C. § 102). A patent protects inventions for roughly 20 years from filing (35 U.S.C. § 154) and only a registered patent attorney or agent may prosecute applications before the USPTO.
How are trade secrets protected in California?
Under the California Uniform Trade Secrets Act (Cal. Civ. Code § 3426 et seq.) and the federal Defend Trade Secrets Act (18 U.S.C. § 1836): information with independent economic value from secrecy, subject to reasonable protection efforts, is enforceable against misappropriation. Claims run three years from discovery (Civ. Code § 3426.6). California pairs this with a strong ban on employee non-competes (Bus. & Prof. Code § 16600).
Does my employer own what I invent or create in California?
Work created within the scope of employment is generally the employer's (17 U.S.C. § 201(b) for copyrights; invention-assignment agreements for patents). But Cal. Lab. Code § 2870 voids assignment provisions reaching inventions developed entirely on your own time without employer equipment or trade secrets, unless they relate to the employer's business or your work — a protection unique to a handful of states.
What should I do if someone is infringing my trademark or copying my work?
Document the infringement, confirm your registrations are in order, and act promptly — remedies favor diligent owners, and laches can bar delayed claims. Options range from DMCA takedown notices for online copies (17 U.S.C. § 512) and cease-and-desist letters to federal suits seeking injunctions and damages (15 U.S.C. § 1116–1117 for trademarks; 17 U.S.C. §§ 502–505 for copyrights).
Legal information, not legal advice.
From the answer files
Intellectual Property by city in Kern County
Related counsel in Kern County
Intellectual Property in nearby counties
Source: 17 U.S.C. § 507(b) · State Bar of California licensee records · Checked: · Maintained by the California Attorney Registry from official State Bar of California records. Legal information, not legal advice.
Read the record. Then decide.
Describe your matter once, review the verified records, and place the call — the choice is always yours.
Find Your Counsel278,688 attorneys · 58 counties · Official State Bar records