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Intellectual Property Lawyers in Butte County, California

Every intellectual property attorney and intellectual property lawyer listing on this page traces back to the State Bar of California's official roll, filtered to intellectual property matters arising in Butte County. Verification describes profile identity, not quality or outcomes.

A Sacramento Valley county seated in Oroville, with Chico as its largest city; the 2018 Camp Fire, which destroyed the town of Paradise, kept insurance and rebuilding matters on the local docket for years. The court of record is the Superior Court of California, County of Butte · 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 Butte County chapter of the registry's statewide record · Intellectual Property Attorneys in California collects all 58 counties.

The clock & the court

Statute of limitations

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.

Court of record

Superior Court of California, County of Butte.

County seat: Oroville

Official court information, locations, and filing rules: www.butte.courts.ca.gov

Intellectual Property · Butte County roster

2 attorneys on the official State Bar of California roll list intellectual property among their practice areas with an address of record in Butte County.

Admission years on this roster run from 2005 to 2012.

Michael J. Smith

Intellectual Property · Chico

Bar #282590 · Admitted 2012

Official record

William W. Bodnar

Intellectual Property · Chico

Bar #236557 · Admitted 2005

Official record

Intellectual Property counsel in the counties bordering Butte County

2 attorneys on the official State Bar of California roll list intellectual property among their practice areas with an active licence and an address of record in Butte County.

The county that share a border with Butte County holds 2 attorneys with intellectual property among their practice areas, counted by the county of their address of record:

Intellectual Property matters in Butte County

The matters this field covers, as Californians search for them. Each attorney's own profile states which of these they take.

  • trademark registration and disputes
  • copyright infringement
  • patent prosecution and litigation
  • trade secrets
  • licensing agreements
  • domain name and online infringement
  • DMCA takedowns
  • entertainment and brand rights
  • software and technology licensing
  • IP due diligence in business sales

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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

Related counsel in Butte 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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