Intro
Raffi specializes in intellectual property and commercial litigation, with an emphasis on trademark and copyright litigation.
Raffi has a 360-degree trademark practice, handling all facets of counseling, clearance, prosecution, enforcement, and litigation. He has pursued hundreds of trademark enforcement disputes and has been lead counsel in many federal court trademark infringement actions. He has extensively litigated opposition and cancellation proceedings before the United States Patent and Trademark Office's Trademark Trial and Appeal Board, as well as domain name disputes through the Uniform Domain Name Resolution Policy (UDRP).
As part of his practice, Raffi also manages domestic and international trademark portfolios, and has overseen opposition and cancellation proceedings in countries and jurisdictions outside the United States with his network of trusted local attorneys.
He also has experience in stopping the sale of counterfeit goods. This ranges from investigating and stopping the counterfeiting at its source (often internationally) through litigating counterfeiting disputes in federal court.
Raffi is a recommended specialist in the World Trademark Review, and is ranked in the gold category for “Individuals: enforcement and litigation” and “Individuals: prosecution and strategy” and holds a national silver ranking for "Individuals: Enforcement and Litigation." “Concise and hands-on”, Zerounian possesses “superior knowledge of trademark law, including the procedures for both trademark prosecution and litigation.” Enforcing and protecting a brand’s value is his specialty: “He is dogged about going after infringers and always gets results.” “He is the type of fierce advocate that a client wants on its side – yet he is always practical and affable, keeping the client’s business and interests at the heart of his efforts.” Raffi has been named to SuperLawyers and previously SuperLawyers Rising Stars for Intellectual Property Litigation.
Raffi also has significant experience with copyright litigation, including matters ranging from copyright infringement litigation involving cutting-edge technology to stopping the sale of knock-off art. He also has significant knowledge in using copyright law to stop infringement on the Internet. He has experience with fair use claims, literal and non-literal copying claims, secondary liability, contributory infringement, and copyright prosecution and counseling.
In addition, Raffi counsels clients in a variety of domestic and international commercial litigation disputes in state and federal courts as well as in arbitration. This includes disputes involving breach of contract, fraud, business torts, partnerships, trade secret misappropriation, and adversary proceedings in bankruptcy court.
He began his legal career as a law clerk to The Honorable Ernest M. Robles, U.S. Bankruptcy Judge for the Central District of California. Prior to joining the firm, he practiced at Townsend and Townsend and Crew LLP (now Kilpatrick Townsend & Stockton LLP) and founded a boutique intellectual property law firm in Beverly Hills.
Areas of Focus
Education
Academic Distinction
Berkeley Technology Law Journal, Annual Review Editor and Articles Editor
Student Association at Berkeley Law (formerly Boalt Hall Student Association), 3L Class Co-President
McBaine Honors Moot Court Competition, Co-Director; Moot Court, Board Advisor; Law & Technology Writing Seminar, Advisor
Admissions and Courts
Role
Los Angeles Market Leader
Entertainment Practice Co-Leader
Leadership Council on Legal Diversity, Fellow (2020)
The Trademark Reporter® – International Trademark Association, Editorial Board (2008–present), Senior Editor (2012–present), Vice Chair (2020–2021), Chair (2022), Editor-in-Chief (2022-2023)
USC Law School Intellectual Property Institute, Planning Committee (2020–2021), Executive Committee Member (2021), Co-Chair of Trademark Subcommittee (2021-2022)
Continuing Education of the Bar's Internet Law and Practice in California Guide: “Domain Name and Trademark Issues,” Update Author
California Minority Counsel Program
Association of Business Trial Lawyers
Los Angeles Intellectual Property Law Association, Member
Armenian Bar Association, Member
Cyberspace Law Committee, Business Law Section of the State Bar of California (2011–2015), Co-Chair (2014-2015), Co-Vice Chair (2013–2014)
"All the IP News that Mattered in 2024," IPWatchdog (December 2024)
"California Law Firms Staffing Up Intellectual Property Ranks to Meet Growing Demand," The Recorder (July 2024)
"Law Firm Hanson Bridgett Expands to 15K sf at Rising Realty’s CalEdison Tower," The Real Deal (June 2024)
"High Court Makes It Harder To Stop Foreign Counterfeit Goods," Law360 (June 2023)
"Jack Daniel’s Showdown Arrives at SCOTUS," World Intellectual Property Review (March 2023)
"High Court Dog Toy Case Ushers in ‘Exciting’ Trademark Law Year," Bloomberg Law (December 2022)
"Hanson Bridgett in Growth Mode, Particularly in LA," Daily Journal (September 2022)
"Columbia Spat Tests Question of When Professors Own Their Work," Bloomberg Law (November 2019)
World Trademark Review, Gold Category - "Individuals: Enforcement and Litigation" (2021-2024)
World Trademark Review, Gold Category - "Individuals: Prosecution and Strategy" (2021-2024)
World Trademark Review, National Silver - "Individuals: Enforcement and Litigation" (2022-2023)
Los Angeles Business Journal, Community Impact Award of the Year, Finalist (2023)
World Trademark Review, Silver Category - "Individuals: Enforcement and Litigation" (2017-2020)
World Trademark Review, Global Leaders: Private Practice (2021, 2024)
Super Lawyers, Intellectual Property Litigation; Business Litigation (2013-2023)
World Trademark Review, Bronze Category - "Individuals: Prosecution and Strategy” (2017-2020)
Law Clerk for the Honorable Ernest M. Robles of the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Central District of California
Extern to The Honorable Andrew J. Wistrich, Magistrate Judge for the United States District Court for the Central District of California
"An Introduction to the Trademark Modernization Act," The Trademark Lawyer Magazine (May 2021)
"Northern District of California Grants Motion to Dismiss TCPA Case against WhisperText with Prejudice," Cyberspace Law Committee E-Bulletin (September 2015)
"The FTC’s Revised .com Disclosures Guidelines and Celebrity Endorsements in Space-Constrained Ads Using Social Media," Cyberspace Law Committee E-Bulletin (2013)
"Ethical Implications of Attorneys’ Use of the Cloud," Cyberspace Law Committee E-Bulletin (2012)
"Practice Tips for Dealing with Brand Misuse in Social Media," co-author, American Bar Association, Section of Litigation, Corporate Counsel (2011)
"Foreword of the Annual Review of Law and Technology," 18 Berkeley Tech. L.J. 1 (2003), Berkeley Technology Law Journal (2003)
"Note, Bonneville International v. Peters," 17 Berkeley Tech. L.J. 47, Berkeley Technology Law Journal (2002)
"Developments and Updates for the Trademark Modernization Act’s Reexamination and Expungement Proceedings," panelist, LAIPLA Washington In The West (January 2024)
"The Legal Academy: Small Brands and Compliance in the Beverage Alcohol Industry,” panelist, Spirits on the Rise Summit (April 2023)
“Trademark Prosecution and Enforcement Tips in Light of the Trademark Modernization Act,” moderator, USC Gould IP Institute (March 2023)
“Experts on Board: Advanced Practice at the TTAB,” USC Gould IP Institute (September 2021)
“Survey of Surveys: Tips and Traps for Trademark Survey Evidence," USC Gould IP Institute (September 2020)
“Trademark and Brand Protection,” UCLA Trademark Colloquium (January 2020)
"Issues Under the New Ethics Rule for In-House and Outside Counsel/Ethics Issues Related to Transactions," co-panelist, CLE Marathon by Kaiser Permanente and CMCP (January 2019)
“Basic Legal Skills to Advise Clients Doing Business Online,” State Bar of California's Sections Conventions (August 2017)
“Ethics of Lawyering in a Digital Age,” State Bar of California Webinar (February 2017)
"Cyberspace Law 101: Representing Clients on the Internet," California State Bar Annual Meeting (September 2016)
"Basic Legal Skills Necessary for Advising Clients Doing Business Online," State Bar 88th Annual Meeting (October 2015)
"Hot Topics: Digital Evidence at Trial," State Bar of California Cyberspace Law Committee Webinar (June 2015)
"Cyberspace Law: Recent Developments in Intellectual Property, eCommerce and Privacy," panelist, California State Bar Annual Meeting (September 2014)
"Review of Recent and Pending Trademark Cases and Predicting Their Effect," panelist, Intellectual Property Institute of the Pennsylvania Bar (March 2014)
"Review of Recent and Pending Trademark Cases and Predicting Their Effect," panelist, American Bar Association Annual Meeting (August 2013)
"Cyberspace Law Boot Camp," panelist, California State Bar Annual Meeting (2013)
“Ethical and Practical Implications of Cloud Computing,” First District Appellate Project’s Annual Seminar (2013)
“Legal Ethics in the Cloud and Practical Tips for Intellectual Property Enforcement in Social Media,” California State Bar Hot Topics Series (2012)
“Top 10 Ethical and Practical Implications of Moving to the Cloud,” LegalTech Conference (2012)
“Intellectual Property and Social Media: What You Need to Know,” panelist, Armenian Bar Association (2011)