Sharon R. Smith

Sharon Smith is a partner in Goodwin’s IP Litigation group.

Sharon R. Smith helps clients practically and aggressively solve intellectual property issues including commercial disputes involving IP.  Sharon is a first chair trial lawyer with 24 trials to resolution or verdict and a litigator specializing in intellectual property disputes.  Sharon has more than two decades of experience representing clients in hundreds of copyright, trade secret, right to publicity and trademark matters.  Sharon has been recognized as "one of the “top IP pathfinders on the West Coast” who is known for making “decisive plays in IP and commercial cases.""  Sharon has also been recognized by third-party organizations as a leader in Copyright Enforcement and Litigation, Trade Secrets, and Trademark Enforcement and Litigation.  Sharon has developed specialties in scraping, the Computer Fraud and Abuse act, and AI and copyright matters.  

She is also a leading attorney providing advice to clients pre-and post-litigation regarding intellectual property issues.  She also counsels clients on matters involving trademarks, privacy, trade dress, trade secrets, domain names, copyrights, advertising, unfair competition, and rights of publicity, as well as trademark and copyright prosecution and strategy. Sharon also advises clients regarding advertising and promotional programs including comparative advertising, contests, and sweepstakes. Her practice involves strategic IP advice including global prosecution, brand strategies, transactions, enforcement programs, Trademark Trial and Appeal Board cases, and domain name proceedings.

Sharon’s representative experience includes:

• Successful defense of copyright and trade secret claims for technology company
• Successful claims for trademark infringement for technology company
• Successful defense of fraud claims following trial before the Trademark Trial and Appeal Board for an American multinational financial technology company which operates an online payments system*
• Successful grant of contempt in copyright infringement case following contempt trial for Oracle*
• Successful defense of trade dress claims involving fashion product following trial*
• Successful resolution of right to publicity litigation involving celebrity plaintiff*
• Successful defense of claims for more than $50 million against a medical device maker following arbitration*
• Successful jury verdict involving pharmaceutical development with an award to client for $547M in compensatory damages and $30M for punitive damages*
• Successful defense of artists by LiveNation Merchandise, Inc., in a claim for breach of a license agreement including a pursuit of counterclaims for copyright and trademark infringement*
• Successful defense of claim by Business Software Alliance (BSA) against a major technology client*
• Successful prosecution of claims for pharmaceutical company in an arbitration, in favor of client for $91 million*
• Successful defense verdict motion for dismissal during trial for client in case involving a $450 million claim for misappropriation of corporate opportunity, among other claims*
• Successful defense of leading direct marketing company in multi-million dollar case alleging copyright infringement, trade dress infringement, and false advertising claims*
• Successful jury verdict in trade dress infringement claim*
• Successful grant of summary judgment in favor of client against trademark infringement claim*
• Successful grant of motion to dismiss in favor of client against Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA), fraud, unfair business practices, and tortious interference claims*
• Successful defense of a defamation claim based on a novel Communications Decency Act defense*
• Successful prosecution of numerous ICANN proceedings on behalf of major technology clients for transfers of domain names*
• Counseling and advice regarding advertising and privacy law including to consumer-focused gaming company*
• Counseling and advice to several top-tier non-profits — including the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation — running competitions and providing grants and awards*
• Global trademark portfolio management for numerous clients in fields including technology, pharmaceuticals, and biotechnology*

*Denotes experience prior to joining Goodwin

Sharon is a member of the International Trademark Association, Copyright Society, and the American Bar Association.

Prior to joining Goodwin, Sharon was a partner at Morgan Lewis in the firm’s IP Litigation group.

Sharon’s expertise throughout the IP litigation industry has earned her a number of recognitions:

• Recommended, Trade Secrets (Litigation and Non-Contentious Matters), The Legal 500 (2024)
• Recommended, Intellectual Property: Copyright, The Legal 500 US (2022)
• Leading Trademark Practitioner, Enforcement & Litigation, California, WTR 100, World Trademark Review (2020-2022, 2024)
• Member, Practice Group of the Year, Intellectual Property, Law 360 (2019)
• Member, Litigation Department of the Year – Intellectual Property, The American Lawyer (2019)