Dylan Ruga

Associate

• druga@steptoe.com
• vCard
• Century City Office

Mr. Ruga is an associate in the Century City office of Steptoe & Johnson LLP.  He has extensive experience litigating both general commercial and intellectual property matters.

Mr. Ruga regularly is called upon to defend Fortune 500 companies in all aspects of general commercial litigation.  In one recent case, Mr. Ruga and another Steptoe attorney successfully defended Louis Vuitton and Christian Dior against a claim for malicious prosecution by bringing an anti-SLAPP motion that was granted by the trial court and affirmed in a published decision on appeal.

Mr. Ruga also has handled several legal malpractice cases.  In one recent case, a former client filed claims against a large international law firm for civil RICO and legal malpractice.  After removing the case from state court to federal court, the Court granted, in a published opinion, a motion to dismiss the RICO claim with prejudice. In another case where a plaintiff asserted civil RICO and malpractice-based claims, the plaintiff agreed to voluntarily dismiss Mr. Ruga’s client without payment of any consideration in response to a Rule 11 demand letter.

Mr. Ruga also handles large, complex litigation matters.  For example, Mr. Ruga has been defending claims brought by purchasers of a condominium project located outside of the United States in a consolidated proceeding involving hundreds of plaintiffs.  Mr. Ruga also has experience with federal Multi-District Litigation (MDL) proceedings.

Mr. Ruga has litigated many entertainment and intellectual property claims, including actions for copyright, trade secret, trademark and trade dress infringement. Mr. Ruga's trademark litigation work runs the gamut, from litigating trademark infringement claims on behalf of large corporations to representing a non-profit dance group in a dispute with another dance company using a confusingly similar name.  Mr. Ruga also assists clients in licensing their marks in the apparel and entertainment-related fields, as well as prosecuting their marks in the United States Patent and Trademark Office.  Mr. Ruga has spearheaded anti-counterfeiting programs for several well-known apparel companies.

Recently, Mr. Ruga and another Steptoe attorney successfully defended the watchmaker Breitling, in a lawsuit involving Breitling’s alleged infringement of plaintiff’s “Red Gold” trademark, by convincing the court that the term “red gold” is generic and thus unprotectable as a matter of law.

In addition to acting as the Vice-Chair of the American Bar Association’s Copyright Litigation committee, Mr. Ruga regularly litigates copyright infringement claims in courts around the country.  These cases involve issues related to alleged infringement of everything from music, to furniture and fabric designs.  Mr. Ruga has represented both copyright owners and alleged infringers in all aspects of litigation, from pre-lawsuit strategy development to ultimate resolution of the case, and consistently is praised for his ability to efficiently achieve desired results.

Representative Matters

• Solid 21, Inc. v. Breitling USA, Inc., 2011 WL 2938209 (C.D. Cal. 2011).  The district court granted a motion to dismiss plaintiff’s trademark claims with prejudice.  The court held that the plaintiff’s mark for “RED GOLD” was generic and thus unprotectable as a matter of law, despite the fact that it was registered and had achieved “incontestable” status.
• Antounian v. Louis Vuitton Malletier, et al., 189 Cal. App. 4th 438 (2010).  The trial court granted the anti-SLAPP motion filed on behalf of Steptoe clients Louis Vuitton and Christian Dior.  After this decision was affirmed on appeal, Louis Vuitton and Christian Dior were awarded their attorneys’ fees in connection with the defense of the case.
• Aversano v. Greenberg Traurig, LLP, 753 F. Supp. 2d 1063 (C.D. Cal. 2010).  The district court granted a motion to dismiss plaintiff’s civil RICO claim with prejudice.  The court held that the claim was barred by the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act (PSLRA).
• OGM, Inc. v. Televisa, S.A. de C.V., 2009 WL 1025971 (C.D. Cal. 2009).  Mr. Ruga created new law regarding service of process on Mexican residents under the Hague Convention by successfully convincing the court that the US State Department’s website was inaccurate and that all other cases on the subject were mistaken.
• Larin Corp. v. Alltrade Inc., et al., 2008 WL 2745881 (C.D. Cal. 2008).  In a trade dress and false advertising case, the district court entered summary judgment in favor of Steptoe client, Alltrade Inc..
• Textile Secrets Int’l, Inc. v. Ya-Ya Brand, Inc., 524 F. Supp. 2d 1184 (C.D. Cal. 2007).  In a copyright infringement action, Mr. Ruga prevailed on summary judgment regarding the interpretation of a section of the Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA) that was an issue of first impression in the Ninth Circuit.

Noteworthy

• Vice-Chair, Copyright Litigation Committee of the American Bar Association
• Southern California Super Lawyers "Rising Star," IP Litigation, 2009-2011 
• Judicial Extern, Honorable Jeremy Fogel, US District Court for the Northern District of California, 2002

Select News & Events

• Super Lawyers Recognizes Steptoe’s Southern California Rising Stars
• How to Practice in Federal District Court: Learn Practical Civil Procedure from Current and Former Law Clerks, 2005

Selected Publications

• Apparel Lawsuits Caught Up in Legal Loophole
  April 6, 2011, Daily Journal
• Performance Anxiety
  July 7, 2009, Los Angeles Daily Journal
• The PRO-IP Act: Another Weapon Against a Failing Economy
  January 2009, Landslide
• Piece of Fake
  July 23, 2008, Los Angeles Daily Journal
• All Dressed Up
  August 15, 2007, Los Angeles Daily Journal
• Zankou Chicken Ruling Leaves a Confusing Mark
  December 13, 2006, Los Angeles Daily Journal
• Fashion Designers Deserve More Legal Protection
  October 5, 2006, Los Angeles Daily Journal
• The Role of Laches in Closing the Door on Copyright Infringement Claims
  2005, 29 Nova Law Review 663, cited at 3 Nimmer on Copyright § 12.06 [A]

Professional Affiliations

• American Bar Association
• Los Angeles Intellectual Property American Inn of Court
• Los Angeles Intellectual Property Law Association