Keker, Van Nest & Peters LLP

In an intellectual property case watched by the tech community for more than a decade, the Supreme Court ruled 6 to 2 today that Google’s use of the programming language in its Android operating system is fair use. (Google v. Oracle, No. 18-956, U.S. Supreme Court). The court found Google’s use of JAVA transformative and established that reimplementing APIs is fair use. It’s a huge win for Google and for innovation, said Robert Van Nest, lead trial lawyer representing Google. Congratulations to the Keker trial and appellate team: Robert Van Nest, Christa Anderson, Gene Paige, Matthias Kamber, Reid Mullen, Steven Hirsch, Steven Ragland, and Ed Bayley. https://bit.ly/3mncIsg

At Keker, Van Nest & Peters we condemn the growing racism and violence perpetrated against members of the Asian American and Pacific Islander communities. We hold the victims of the Atlanta shootings and their families in our hearts. Inclusion, equality, and justice are bedrock principles of our Firm. We will stand strong together to build a better, fairer, more just world. #endAsianhate

Register now for our upcoming CLE workshop January 25 and 26, 9 am to 1:45 pm. KVP is an approved activity provider by the State Bar of California. The event qualifies for 6 hours of general credit and 2 hours of ethics credit. https://conta.cc/392kDq8 Speakers include Brook Dooley, Eric MacMichael, Nick Goldberg, Paven Malhotra, Matan Shacham, Christine Zaleski, Sharif Jacob, Franco Muzzio, Matthew Werdegar, Ajay Krishnan, Kristen Lovin, Rachael Meny, Jo Golub, Michelle Ybarra, Travis Silva, Erin Meyer, Christopher Sun, Steven Ragland.

Please share: We are now accepting applications for our Diversity Scholars program. The deadline to apply is February 12, 2021. The program offers scholarship money and mentorship to diverse 1Ls with an interest in pursuing a litigation career in the Bay Area. Find out more here: https://bit.ly/3nejS12

Keker, Van Nest & Peters is pleased to announce that the firm elevated associates Julia Allen and Sophie Hood to partners effective January 1, 2021. Read more: https://bit.ly/2JJAxvN

KVP Partner Paven Malhotra was featured on Fast Company’s podcast, "Fast Break" discussing Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act. The best way to think about the debate over Section 230 and why it has been so politicized in recent years is to recognize that there are two sides to the coin. In almost any Section 230 case, there’s either going to be an issue of the decision the platform has taken over removing content or the decision a platform has taken to not remove content. And what the DOJ proposal does is it offers reform for both of these categories. Listen to the full podcast: https://bityl.co/4TSO

Congratulations to our partner, colleague and friend Brian Ferrall who has been appointed by Governor Gavin Newsom to the San Francisco Superior Court. Brian has led Keker teams representing clients in some of the most significant trade secrets and patent cases in the country. During his 25 years at KVP, Brian has served on our firm’s management committee and as a mentor to many lawyers. We will miss him tremendously, but we know he will make an excellent judge. https://bit.ly/38QsWp5

Congratulations to Khari Tillery on his election to the board of The Bar Association of San Francisco. BASF provides a collective voice for public advocacy, advances professional growth and education, and attempts to elevate the standards of integrity, honor, and respect in the practice of law. https://www.sfbar.org//ne/09222020-basf-board-nominations/

Congratulations to Susan Harriman and Jan Little for their recognition in the Daily Journal’s 2020 Top Women Lawyers. Susan has handled a wide range of complex business litigation, and Jan represents clients in high-stakes criminal investigations and trials and complex civil litigation. Read more: https://bit.ly/2IrlJBh

On Day 3 of National Pro Bono Week, we’d like to give a special shout-out to the amazing attorneys at Keker, Van Nest & Peters LLP who recently achieved a huge ...triumph on behalf of one of LSC’s longtime clients. Our client was a victim of human trafficking, who was placed in foster care only to be then picked up by ICE, transported across the country to spend months in juvenile hall, and then adult ICE detention, before LSC was able to get him out on bond. Despite this government-inflicted trauma, on top of the previous trauma he’d experienced, our client has shown tremendous fortitude and resiliency, rebuilding his own life while also helping others. Keker attorneys Jose Martinez, Travis Silva, Nick Goldberg, and Deeva Shah challenged the egregious denial of our client’s T visa by filing a case under the Administrative Procedure Act in federal district court and won!! Our client now has his T visa, is authorized to work, has been freed of the ankle monitor he was required to wear for THREE YEARS, and is preparing to apply for lawful permanent residency. Thank you Keker, for your ongoing work on behalf of this inspiring young person, and for never shying away from the tough cases that are so worth the fight. See more

With @LCCRSF, Laurie Mims, Jay Rapaport and Niall Roberts are representing cosigners of credit bail agreements in a class action lawsuit against Bad Boys Bail Bonds. The suit seeks to hold the company responsible for systemic and pervasive violations of California’s consumer and fair competition laws. Bad Boys’ conduct represents the worst of California’s cash bail system. They have made a lucrative business out of systematically violating California’s consumer protection laws, and in particular preying on the well-meaning family members and friends of people held in jail before trial. Bad Boys, and other commercial bail bond companies like them, cannot continue operating outside the law, said Niall Roberts. https://bit.ly/35Mlclb

Along with the Center for Justice and Accountability, Ajay Krishnan, Franco Muzzio, and John Keker are representing descendants of Trelew massacre victims. In August 1972, at an isolated naval base in Trelew, Argentina, military officers shook 19 political prisoners out of their sleep in the middle of the night, lined them up against a wall and opened fire with lethal weapons. Sixteen died and three survived. Most of the officers responsible for the massacre have been prosecu...ted and found guilty in Argentinean courts. However, Roberto Guillermo Bravo has evaded justice while living in the United States since 1973. We are proud to be part of an effort to give a voice to families whose loved ones have been silenced by Bravo and the Argentine military regime, said Keker, Van Nest & Peters partner Ajay Krishnan. We will continue to push forward until Bravo is held accountable before the law. https://bit.ly/3ozYq8z See more

For the Northwestern University Law Review, Deeva Shah co-authored an essay with Leah Litman, Assistant Professor, at the University of Michigan Law School. The essay examines the legal profession’s role in sexual harassment, particularly in the federal courts. Read more here: https://bit.ly/3kHyOnS

Congratulations to Adam Lauridsen on his election to the American Law Institute, the leading independent organization in the United States producing scholarly work to clarify, modernize, and otherwise improve the law. https://www.ali.org/news/articles/ali-elects-36-new-members/

The answer is: The first KVP attorney on jeopardy. The question: Who is Kristin Hucek? KVP associate Kristin Hucek is on a three-day Jeopardy winning streak having ousted the previous five-day champ on Thursday. We're all rooting her on, and claiming Kristin as our pub trivia teammate. https://today.westlaw.com//Id8e5e93012/View/FullText.html

Congratulations to Bob Van Nest, Law360's Tech MVP. His proudest moment: "We've been locked down for six months, and yet everybody is still getting their client work done and taking care of their cases, handling depositions and hearings," he said. "Just recognizing how dedicated our attorneys are to our clients and to the firm has been my proudest moment." Read more at: https://www.law360.com//mvp-keker-van-nest-s-robert-van-ne

After a four-day bench trial, the Delaware Chancery Court ruled that former FerroKin shareholders were entitled to a overdue $45 million milestone, as well as five years of interest on the payment and their attorneys’ fees and costs. Congratulations to KVP's trial team Laurie Carr Mims, Stuart Gasner, Jennifer Huber, Bailey Heaps, and Christina Lee. Read more: https://bit.ly/375qSbZ

Congratulations to Keker, Van Nest & Peters partner Laurie Mims for being named among the Top Trade Secrets Lawyers in California by the Daily Journal. Since 2017 she has been part of a KVP team representing Genentech against JHL Biotech, its co-founders, and other conspirators in a massive trade secret theft suit. Read more: https://bit.ly/33Fmz5i

Congratulations to Rachael Meny and Laurie Mims for their recognition by The Recorder as 2020 California Trailblazers. Rachel handles employee mobility and trade secret disputes for large tech companies, and this year won an incredible $179 million award for Google against Anthony Levandowski. Laurie Mims counsels biotech and med device companies, most recently representing Genentech in its trade secret win against JHL Biotech. Read more: https://www.keker.com/Templ//files/2020%20Trailblazers.pdf

Congratulations to John Keker and Bob Van Nest on their selection to the Daily Journal’s 2020 list of the top 100 leading lawyers in California. John and Bob spoke with the publication about their recent wins and how they are continuing cases through the pandemic. Read their full profiles here: https://www.keker.com/Templates//files/2020%20Top%20100.pdf

Register here https://bit.ly/3i1e4Wb for "Playing with Fire: What To Do When the Government Comes Calling ... and When You May Need to Call the Government," a 1 hour CLE program with the ACC San Francisco Bay Area. Brook Dooley and Laurie Mims will discuss recent trends in white collar criminal investigations and enforcement and the risks and challenges companies face in dealing with criminal investigations.

KVP partners Ben Berkowitz and Tom Gorman have asked a federal court to dismiss once and for all location privacy claims against Google. Read more: https://www.law360.com//google-again-seeks-toss-of-users-s

KVP partner Tina Sessions spoke with Bloomberg Law about the Department of Justice’s allegations that Teva Pharmaceuticals conspired with other drugmakers to fix prices and engage in anticompetitive practices. According to Sessions, [e]ven if there were exchanges of information, whether those actually rise to the level of an agreement to set prices, or an agreement to follow one another’s price increases, is the question. She adds, There’s a distinction between a conspiracy to set prices and exchanging some non-public information. Read the full article here: https://news.bloomberglaw.com//fending-off-price-fixing-ch

John Keker and Jamie Slaughter are leading the team representing Oakland’s former police chief in a lawsuit against the city claiming the Police Commission and mayor fired her for reporting misconduct. Read more: https://www.law.com//keker-reps-former-oakland-police-chi/