Michael R. Heimbold

Partner

2121 Avenue of the Stars
Suite 2800
Los Angeles CA 90067
TEL: 310.734.3225
FAX: 310.734.3300

Michael Heimbold is a partner in the Century City office of Steptoe & Johnson LLP, where he is a member of the Commercial Litigation and Intellectual Property departments. In addition to representing clients in high-stakes business and intellectual property litigation, he has extensive experience in licensing and technology transfer transactions and serves as outside general counsel to several companies. He also has advised clients in M&A and financing transactions valued at over $1 billion.

Mr. Heimbold is a seasoned trial lawyer with experience litigating a broad array of complex business and intellectual property matters, including cases involving shareholder and partnership disputes, misappropriation of trade secrets and unfair competition, trademark and copyright licensing and infringement, patent infringement, fraud, defamation, breach of contract, product defects, breach of fiduciary duty, and related business torts. He has represented clients in the technology, manufacturing, entertainment, finance, telecommunications, apparel, and consumer products industries.

Mr. Heimbold has served as lead counsel in jury and bench trials, arbitrations, administrative agency hearings, and appellate proceedings throughout the United States.

Representative matters include: defeated an $18 million dollar breach of contract claim brought against an international telecommunications company; defended a major apparel manufacturer and its founder in a 6-week jury trial in which plaintiffs sought over $75 million in damages for fraud and breach of contract and the forced liquidation of the company; successfully represented a semiconductor manufacturer against breach of warranty claims alleging defects in one of the world’s most complex microprocessors; obtained the dismissal of civil extortion and interference claims brought against a major apparel manufacturer and its CEO; defeated copyright claims brought under the DMCA against a luxury clothing brand; and defended a major foreign broadcast network against hundreds of copyright claims.

Mr. Heimbold also has extensive experience and expertise in domestic and international anti-counterfeiting and trademark enforcement matters. He has designed and implemented numerous counterfeit enforcement programs for his clients, which have resulted in seizures of millions of dollars worth of counterfeit products via civil and criminal actions throughout North America, Europe and Asia. In addition to representing plaintiffs in civil counterfeiting cases, he regularly works with the Department of Homeland Security and federal and state law enforcement in conducting criminal seizures of counterfeit products. He is frequently quoted on trademark counterfeiting and enforcement issues.

On the transactional side, Mr. Heimbold advises middle-market and start-up clients in a wide range of licensing, financing, and corporate transactions. He has negotiated numerous trademark and technology licenses, and has advised clients in the consumer products and entertainment industries on over $1 billion worth of M&A transactions.

Prior to attending law school, Mr. Heimbold was a structural dynamics engineer with the McDonnell Douglas Corporation where he specialized in shock isolation and dynamic stability analysis on commercial and military aircraft projects.

In 2008, Mr. Heimbold was named a Southern California “Super Lawyer” by Law and Politics and Los Angeles magazines. He was recognized as a “Super Lawer - Rising Star” by the same publications from 2004 through 2006.

Mr. Heimbold is a member of the board of directors of Los Angeles Team Mentoring, the largest middle school mentoring organization in California.

Representative Matters

Qwest Communications Corp. v. Jonathan Weisz, 278 F.Supp.2d 1188 (S.D. Cal 2003).
Textile Secrets International, Inc. v. YA-YA Brand Incorporated, 524 F.Supp.2d 1184 (C.D. Cal 2007).

Noteworthy

Listed in Southern California Super Lawyers 2008 for Business Litigation
Judicial Extern to Honorable Vincent P. Zurzolo, US Bankruptcy Court, Central District of California

Select News & Events

Steptoe Welcomes Partner Michael Heimbold to Century City Office

Professional Affiliations

American Bar Association, Litigation and Intellectual Property Sections
Association of Business Trial Lawyers
Los Angeles County Bar Association, Litigation and Intellectual Property Sections