The RegistryCounty Record · California
Intellectual Property Attorneys in Sonoma County, California
Counsel for what you invent, write, and brand. In Sonoma County, that work runs through the Superior Court of California, County of Sonoma. This directory presents intellectual property records from official State Bar of California data in neutral order.
Wine country's most populous county; wildfire recovery has kept insurance, rebuilding, and property matters prominent on the Santa Rosa docket since 2017. Venue for most intellectual property matters arising in the county lies with the Superior Court of California, County of Sonoma, seated at Santa Rosa.
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 Sonoma County chapter of the registry's statewide record — Intellectual Property Lawyers 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 Sonoma.
County seat: Santa Rosa
Official court information, locations, and filing rules: sonoma.courts.ca.gov
Intellectual Property · Sonoma County roster
68 attorneys on the official State Bar of California roll list intellectual property among their practice areas with an address of record in Sonoma County.
65 of them hold an active licence; the remainder are recorded as inactive and are not currently eligible to practise.
The roster concentrates in Santa Rosa (34), Petaluma (10), Sebastopol (7) and Sonoma (6).
1 hold a State Bar Certified Legal Specialist designation — a certification issued by the State Bar's Board of Legal Specialization, and not a rating or a ranking.
Admission years on this roster run from 1973 to 2025.
The employers most represented here are Carle Mackie Power & Ross LLP (3) and Spaulding McCullough & Tansil LLP (3).
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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 Sonoma County
Related counsel in Sonoma 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.
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