Overview
Nicholas M. Zovko is a partner in our Orange County office.
Mr. Zovko represents clients in various industries in intellectual property disputes, with a focus on patent litigation. Mr. Zovko also has experience litigating cases involving trademarks, trade secrets, copyrights, unfair competition claims, and false advertising claims. In addition, Mr. Zovko is a registered patent attorney and has experience before the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office prosecuting patents in a variety of technical areas, and representing clients in contested proceedings such as inter partes review.
Mr. Zovko has participated in several pro bono activities. For example, Mr. Zovko participated in the Trial Attorney Partnership program with the Orange County District Attorney’s Office where he successfully handled multiple jury trials. Mr. Zovko has also served as an attorney volunteer for the Public Law Center of Orange County and the Pro Bono Civil Rights Panel of the Central District of California.
Mr. Zovko has a mechanical engineering degree and worked as an engineer before law school. During law school, Mr. Zovko served on the Board of Editors of the McGeorge Law Review. Mr. Zovko graduated law school with great distinction and is a member of the Order of the Coif.
Mr. Zovko was a summer associate with the firm in 2004. He joined the firm as an associate in 2005 and became a partner in 2011.
Education
- University of the Pacific - McGeorge School of Law (J.D., 2005), with great distinction, Order of the Coif, Law Review, Anthony M. Kennedy Fellow
- University of Washington (UW) (B.S. Mechanical Engineering, 2001)
Representative Matters
Separation Design Group IP Holdings, LLC v. Inogen, Inc., Case. No. 2:15-cv-08323-JAK-JPR (C.D. Cal.).
Represented defendant in action involving claims of patent infringement, trade secret misappropriation, and breach of contract relating to portable oxygen concentrators.
Otto Bock HealthCare LP v. Össur hf and Össur Americas, Inc., Case No. 8:13-cv-00891-CJC-AN (C.D. Cal.).
Represented defendants in patent infringement action relating to vacuum pump systems for artificial lower-limb prosthetics. See 2013 WL 4828791, 109 U.S.P.Q.2d 1071 (C.D. Cal.) and 557 F. App’x 950 (Fed. Cir.).
Dane Technologies, Inc. v. Gatekeeper Systems, Inc., Case No. 0:12-cv-02730-ADM-JJK (D. Minn.).
Represented defendant in patent infringement action relating to motorized shopping cart collectors.
Össur hf and Össur Americas, Inc. v. iWalk, Inc., Case No. 1:12-cv-11061-FDS (D. Mass.).
Represented plaintiffs in patent infringement action relating to microprocessor‑controlled prosthetic foot and ankle systems. See 2013 WL 4046709.
Frias Holding Company and Las Vegas Limousines v. Limousine International.com, Inc. et al., Case No 2:12-cv-00841-GMN-CWH (D. Nev.).
Represented plaintiffs in action involving, inter alia, claims of trademark infringement and false advertising.
Inogen, Inc. v. Inova Labs, Inc., Case No. 8:11-cv-01692-JGB-AN (C.D. Cal.).
Represented plaintiff in patent infringement action relating to portable oxygen concentrators.
BCD Foods, Inc. v. CJ America, Inc., Case No. 2:10-cv-06300-GHK-AGR (C.D. Cal.).
Represented defendant in trademark infringement action relating to Korean food products.
WeCosign, Inc. v. IFG Holdings, Inc. et al., Case No. 8:10-cv-01200-JST-MLG (C.D. Cal.).
Represented plaintiff in action involving, inter alia, claims of trademark infringement and cybersquatting relating to financial services. See 845 F. Supp. 2d 1072.
Gary-Michael Dahl v. Swift Distribution, Inc. d/b/a Ultimate Support Systems, Inc. et al., Case No. 2:10-cv-00551-SJO-RZ (C.D. Cal.).
Represented defendants in action involving, inter alia, claims of patent infringement, trademark infringement, and trade secret misappropriation relating to collapsible carts for transporting music and video equipment. See 757 F. Supp. 2d 976 and 2010 WL 1458957.
Sperian Respiratory Protection USA, LLC v. Draeger Safety, Inc., Case No. 8:08-cv-01010-AG-MLG (C.D. Cal.).
Represented plaintiff in patent infringement action relating to self-contained breathing apparatus for emergency workers, such as firefighters.
Cimcore Corp. and Romer, Inc. et al. v. Faro Technologies, Inc., Case No. 03-cv-2355-B-WMc (S.D. Cal.)
Represented plaintiffs in patent infringement action relating to coordinate-measuring machines. See 2007 WL 935665.
Affiliations
American Bar Association
Association of Business Trial Lawyers – Orange County
Federal Bar Association – Central District of California
Orange County Bar Association
State Bar of California – Intellectual Property Law Section
News & Insights
Articles
“Exploring a Powerful Legal Tool in Trade Secret Clashes,” World Intellectual Property Review (March 2024) (co-author).
“Shifting Venue for Patent Infringement Lawsuits,” Orange County Business Journal, Intellectual Property Supplement (2017) (co-author).
“Three New Tools to Challenge Patents,” Orange County Business Journal, Intellectual Property Supplement (2013) (co-author).
“Anti-counterfeiting Strategies: What You Need to Know,” Orange County Lawyer (Aug. 2007) (co-author).
“Bringing Counterfeiters to Justice,” World Trademark Law Report (Oct. 11, 2006) (co-author).
“Pre-litigation Anti-counterfeiting Toolkit,” World Trademark Law Report (Sept. 27, 2006) (co-author).
“Nanotechnology and the Experimental Use Defense to Patent Infringement,” 37 McGeorge Law Review 129 (2006).
Speeches & Seminars
“How Can Young Lawyers Prosper in Today’s Market,” Interview with Law Practice Today (2015).
“Who Defines the Law? USPTO Rulemaking Authority,” 8 Northwestern Journal of Technology and Intellectual Property 410 (2010) (co-speaker).