Rodenbaugh Law advises and represents clients in transactions and disputes relating to intellectual property and/or internet commerce, specializing in trademark and domain name law and business matters.  Since 2007, we have provided legal and consulting services regarding trademarks, domain names, rights of publicity, copyright and internet marketing. Our services focus on global trademark protection, enforcement and strategy advice relating to non-patent intellectual property, particularly trademark and copyright registrations, brand policing to combat infringement, licensing transactions, alternative dispute resolution and litigation in California state courts and in United States federal courts nationwide. We have a vast expert network of colleagues around the world that assist our clients in these endeavors, most of them have worked directly with us for ten years or more. Mike has been named by World Trademark Review as a WTR 1000 top global trademark attorney for many years.

Mike is an expert in domain name matters, including sales and lease transactions, dispute resolution, and consulting with respect to ICANN contracts, compliance and operations of domain name registries and registrars. Since 2011, Mike has been a UDRP dispute resolution panelist for the Czech Arbitration Court, deciding more than twenty UDRP cases. We file UDRP complaints and defend against them, our clients include Hitachi, Ricoh and the University of Phoenix. We also have successfully defended many clients in UDRP and cybersquatting cases.  Mike has deeply engaged in ICANN policy development and dispute resolution since 2004, and has much experience representing clients in contract and/or dispute with ICANN. Mike is one of very few attorneys with deep experience fighting ICANN decisions, via its Bylaws, gTLD objection processes, Independent Review Process or otherwise.

PRIOR CAREER EXPERIENCE

Sr. Legal Director, Yahoo! Inc.
March 2000 – September 2007
Mike handled trademark, domain name, right of publicity, copyright and marketing issues as a core member of Yahoo!’s IP Asset Management team. Responsibilities included trademark prosecution and enforcement, anti-cybersquatting and anti-phishing efforts, domain name portfolio management, marketing and sponsorship agreements, counseling IP strategy to business teams, responding to legal threats, and handling myriad other legal issues.  Mike managed the preparation and filing of more than 100 UDRP complaints, managed Yahoo!’s global domain name inventory of more than 50,000 domains, and handled the legal needs of Yahoo!’s web hosting and domain name registrar businesses. Mike also led the legal task force that negotiated and implemented Yahoo!’s global Official Sponsorship for the FIFA World Cup in 2002 and 2006, and Yahoo!’s operation of fifaworldcup.com for FIFA.

Mike was a board member of the Yahoo! Employee Foundation for more than five years, and served as President in 2006 and 2007.  During his time at Yahoo!, YEF grew from a few dozen to several thousand employee volunteers and donors, managing committees that collected and granted funds for worthy non-profit organizations serving children and fighting poverty.

Associate Attorney, Lillick & Charles LLP
January 1995 – February 2000
Mike litigated commercial and products liability cases in state and federal courts, and advised clients with respect to trademark and domain name registration and dispute resolution. Major clients included Air France and the Golden Globe Awards.

University of San Francisco School of Law
J.D., 1992 – 1995
Law Review editor; Lefkowitz National Moot Court team (focusing on trademark law) coached by Prof. McCarthy.

Santa Clara University
B.S., Political Science, 1987 – 1991
University Honors Program