Attorneys

Robert H. Sloss advises clients on matters pertaining to intellectual property counseling and litigation. Bob leverages his experience as a senior in-house lawyer at a major technology company to provide a unique set of skills to resolve clients’ legal disputes. He has broad experience in litigating patents related to a variety of technologies, including software, computer peripherals, mechanical devices and biotechnology, as well as matters involving copyright, trademark and trade secrets. Bob has appeared in courts throughout the U.S. and before the International Trade Commission and the Patent Trial and Appeal Board. He is admitted to practice in California State Courts, the U.S. Courts of Appeal for the Federal and Ninth Circuits, the U.S. District Courts for the Northern, Southern, Central and Eastern Districts of California, and the District of Colorado.

• Defended early stage GPS company against claims of patent infringement brought by a non-practicing entity.  Obtained favorable settlement without having to respond to lawsuit.
• Represented multinational designer and supplier of power equipment in suit brought by non-practicing entity for patent infringement.  Client settled on favorable terms.
• Defended large electronics company in suit claiming infringement of a number of patents.  Obtained favorable settlement before completion of claim construction proceedings.
• Managed numerous software patent infringement cases.
• Defended manufacturer of construction equipment against charges of patent infringement.
• Represented leading developer of resume software in matters relating to patent and trademark infringement.
• Defended German patent prosecution law firm in suit for breach of contract and legal malpractice in connection with the filing of foreign patents.
• Analyzed possible infringement claims on behalf of inventor of micro-turbine engines.
• Defended developer of biotechnology products in suit alleging patent infringement.
• Represented Internet software company in suit for patent infringement.
• Defended producer of electronic music files in action for copyright infringement.
• Defended seller of computer peripheral devices against charges of patent infringement.
• Defended developer of analytics software in trademark cancellation proceeding before the Trademark Trial and Appeal Board.
• Defended advertising agency in suit alleging copyright and trademark infringement.
• Defended CEO of international industrial real estate development company accused of bankruptcy fraud.

• Northern California Super Lawyers, 2020
• 2019 West Coast Top Rated Lawyers, ALM
• AmLaw Top Rated Lawyer in Intellectual Property Law, 2018
• Martindale-Hubbell® AV Preeminent Rating, 2018 - present

• State Bar of California
• American Intellectual Property Law Association

• JD, University of California Hastings College of the Law, Order of the Coif, 1979 (Hastings Law Journal – Editor)
• BS (Mechanical Engineering), Stanford University, 1976
• BA (History), Stanford University, 1975

• Hu, Tiffany. "Fed. Circ. Partly Reverses PTAB Ruling On Phone Jack Patent," Law360, July 1, 2021.
• Posses, Shayna. “Emerson Can't Review Facebook Deal In Trade Secrets Row,” Law 360, November 26, 2018.
• "Corporate lateral continues Procopio’s growth," Daily Journal, August 12, 2013.
• “Oracle Patent Litigator Jumps to Procopio,” Law 360, August 9, 2013.

• Co-presenter. "Are Your Trade Secrets Protected -- Legally and Technically -- in the COVID-19 Era?" Procopio webinar, October 22, 2020. Webinar recording and PowerPoint.
• Co-presenter. "Are Your Trade Secrets Protected - Legally and Technically - In The COVID-19 Era?," Procopio Perspectives Podcast, October 12, 2020. 
• Co-presenter. "Patent Troll Litigation Is On The Upswing," Procopio Perspectives Podcast, June 26, 2020.
• Co-presenter. “Contract Drafting Tips From the Litigator’s Perspective: Avoiding Lawsuits in the Post COVID-19 World,” May 27, 2020.
• Co-presenter. “Avoiding Litigation While Resolving Disputes: Commercial Contract Challenges During COVID-19,” May 5, 2020.
• Co-presenter. “Exploring the Stages of a Trade Secrets Case Through Hypotheticals,” Association of Corporate Counsel, September 12, 2018.
• Co-presenter. “Trade Secrets - An Emerging Force in Intellectual Property,” West LegalEd Center, September 11, 2018.
• Panelist. "How to Get Your Claims Through the Patent Office and Ready for Enforcement," IP Counsel Cafe, Palo Alto, CA, April 22, 2015.  
• Co-presenter. "Recent U.S. Supreme Court Patent Cases," Technology Transfer Center, Industrial Technology Research Institute (ITRI) and Taiwan Commercial Law Offices & KPMG Law Firm, Taipei, Taiwan, December 2014.
• Co-presenter. “Patent Prosecution from a Litigator’s Viewpoint: Position Your Patent to Succeed in Litigation and Post-Grant Procedures,” AIPLA Online CLE Webinar, Nationwide, September 24, 2014.
• Panelist. “Intellectual Property Supreme Court Case Review,” AIPLA 2014 Electronic and Computer Patent Law Summit, Chicago, IL, June 17, 2014.
• Co-presenter. “Ethical Considerations in Intellectual Property Litigation: An Interactive Dialogue and Case Study,” Menlo Park, CA, May 7, 2014.
• “Cost-cutting Strategies for Your Patent Practice,” IP Counsel Café, Palo Alto, CA, April 3, 2014.
• “New Post-Grant Review Procedures Under the AIA,” Fordham University IP Summit, New York, NY, November 18-19, 2013.
• “The Corporate Client’s Perspective: In-House Attorneys Discuss Litigation and the In-House Experience,” Association Business Trial Lawyers of San Diego, San Diego, CA, November 12, 2013.
• “A Look Inside the USPTO – The Realities of Obtaining and Enforcing Patents,” Vietnamese American Bar Association of Northern California, Menlo Park, CA, October 15, 2013

• Co-author. "4 Keys to Protecting Your Trade Secrets with an NDA," December 10, 2020.
• "Recent Court Decision May Provide Willful Patent Infringement Defendants Relief," June 19, 2020.
• Co-author. "Avoiding Litigation While Resolving Disputes: Commercial Contract Challenges During COVID-19," April 27, 2020.
• "Not Appealable" Means Just That Regarding Institution of IPR Timeliness Challenges: U.S. Supreme Court," April 21, 2020.
• "Federal Circuit Rejects Legitimacy of PTAB Judge Appointments: What's Next?" November 1, 2019.
• Co-author. “Recent Court Decisions Drive Strategic Approaches to Pursuing Sound Patent Protection,” September 10, 2019.
• Co-author. “Where Do Patent Owners Fit In The Current Federal Circuit-USPTO Patentability Divergence?,” April 30, 2019.
• “U.S. Supreme Court Holds Some Foreign Sales May Be Included in Patent Infringement Damages,” June 26, 2018.
• “Fed. Circ. Wrestles With Conflicting Court And PTO Rulings,” Law360, October 1, 2014.
• “When is Final Really Final? The Federal Circuit Wrestles with Conflicting Court and PTO Decisions Relating to the Same Patent,” September 22, 2014.
• Co-author. “Protecting Confidences: Applicability of the Attorney-Client Privilege to Communications Made in Japan,” May 29, 2014.
• “Have We Seen This Movie Before? The Supreme Court Again Takes Up Patent-Eligibility in Alice Corp. v. CLS Bank Int’l,” AIPLA Electronic & Computer Law Committee, April 2014.
• “Have We Seen This Movie Before? The Supreme Court Again Takes Up Patent-Eligibility in Alice Corp. v. CLS Bank Int’l,” December 19, 2013.
• Bob was the lead writer of a blog that covered developments in intellectual property law and is a frequent speaker on intellectual property litigation issues.