The trade secrets practice at Morrison Foerster is headed up by ‘true star’ Kenneth Kuwayti and Bryan Wilson who is experienced handling IP disputes for a range of well-known clients from the team’s impressive portfolio, which includes such notable names as Lime and Walmart. Wilson and Kuwayti, both based in Palo Alto, are supported by the firm’s global IP litigation co-chairs, being Los Angeles-based Bita Rahebi, Washington DC-based Mark Whitaker, Austin’s Brian Nash and Tim Saulsbury who works from San Francisco. The team’s caseload includes representing both defendant employees and plaintiff corporations in complex and high-stakes matters of alleged misappropriation, patent infringement and breaches of NDAs. Its cases often reach state Supreme Court level. Tech, life sciences, aviation and retail are key areas of industry focus across the team. Ragesh Tangri is particularly adept at advising major tech companies in significant disputes while Benjamin Fox is well-equipped to assist in relation to software and gaming. Eugene Novikov departed to private practice in January 2024.

Legal 500 Editorial commentary

Testimonials

Collated independently by Legal 500 research team.

  • ‘Extremely knowledgeable and creative lawyers that deliver very convincing argumentation in briefs and in court.’

  • ‘Kenneth Kuwayti is a very intelligent and knowledgeable lawyer that comes up with creative solutions to even the trickiest cases. He is a true star.'

Key clients

  • Archer Aviation
  • AROA Biosurgery Limited
  • Cedar AI
  • Lime
  • National Institute of Aviation Research at Wichita State University (NIAR)
  • RoadSync Inc.
  • Snap-on, Inc.
  • Teradata Corp.
  • Walmart Inc.

Work highlights

  • Represented the National Institute of Aviation Research at Wichita State University (NIAR) in a trade secrets lawsuit filed against the National Institute of Aviation Research at Wichita State University (NIAR) in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of California.
  • Defending 17 former Wisk Aero employees in a high-profile trade secret misappropriation case brought by Wisk.
  • Representing Walmart in a case filed by Fintiv alleging the misappropriation of trade secrets relating to Walmart’s mobile payment tech, including Walmart Pay.

Lawyers

Leading lawyers
The strongest partners in their field, leading on market-leading deals and endorsed by peers and clients alike.

Practice head

The lawyer(s) leading their teams.

Bita Rahebi, Mark Whitaker, Brian Nash, Tim Saulsbury, Kenneth Kuwayti, Bryan Wilson

Other key lawyers

Arturo González, Daralyn Durie, Ragesh Tangri, Benjamin Fox, Eric Tate