Allison Worthy Buchner
Overview
Allison Buchner is a litigation and intellectual property partner whose practice includes unfair competition, false advertising, trademark and copyright matters before federal and state courts nationwide. Allison has represented clients in litigation brought by consumers, competitors and federal regulators, including the Federal Trade Commission. She has provided advice regarding intellectual property and advertising best practices to companies in a variety of industries, including technology companies, media and television, food manufacturers and distributors, personal care and consumer goods, medical devices, apparel manufacturers and ecommerce. She has also advised internet-based businesses on myriad issues, including consumer protection laws, intellectual property issues, and data privacy/security.
Allison also served as the General Counsel for Dollar Shave Club, where she was responsible for managing the company’s legal, regulatory and compliance functions across all substantive areas. During that time, she helped lead the company through its acquisition by Unilever. She brings her experience as a General Counsel to her law firm practice, offering pragmatic, strategic and business-minded approaches to legal issues and finding creative solutions to balance the need for compliance and risk management against her clients’ business goals.
In 2023, Allison was recognized as one of Law360’s “Legal Lions.” In 2022–2023, she was recognized in The Legal 500 United States for Trademarks: Litigation and in 2020 for Media and Entertainment: Litigation. In 2016, Allison was included in the Los Angeles Business Journal as a “Rising Star” in the in-house counsel category and she was nominated again in 2018 as a “Leader in the Law” amongst in-house lawyers. In 2018, she was appointed by the Mayor as a Commissioner for the City of Los Angeles’s Innovation and Performance Commission. Finally, Allison serves on the Boards of Directors for two nonprofit organizations: the Disability Rights Legal Center and the CACNA1A Foundation.
Experience
Representative Matters
Represented consumer fintech company in securing settlement of FTC consumer protection investigation relating to marketing of financial products.
Represented payment processor in litigation against the FTC and securing settlement of multi-year FTC investigation relating to company’s business practices.
Represented educational technology company in investigation by FTC regarding data privacy and marketing issues, resulting in FTC closing its investigation without further action.
Represented major technology company in enforcement action by FTC regarding consumer protection matter.
Won summary judgment for client PepsiCo in trademark infringement suit brought by seller of ready-to-drink coffee.
Represented LifeLock in false advertising, trademark, and unfair competition litigation against private parties and in consumer protection litigation brought by the FTC.
Represented pharmaceutical company in multiple class action litigations alleging false advertising and unfair business practices in connection with wellness supplement. Defeated certification of nationwide class and successfully settled remaining cases.
Won summary judgment and preliminary and permanent injunctions for client Otter Box in trademark infringement case. The injunction required the defendant/infringer to rebrand its line of protective cases for smart phones and other devices.
Won appeal in the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals for client Otter Box, with the Court affirming Otter Box’s earlier summary judgment victory and priority in its LIFEPROOF brand name and trademark.
Won summary judgment for fgf Brands, an international manufacturer and distributor of baked goods, against trademark infringement claims brought by restaurant chain Stonefire Grill. On summary judgment, the court dismissed Stonefire Grill’s claims in their entirety, allowing fgf Brands to avoid the burden and expense of trial.
Represented Converse against numerous shoe retailers in a Section 337 investigation before the International Trade Commission, validating Converse’s intellectual property rights in the iconic Chuck Taylor All Star as featured in the Law360 article: Converse Claims ITC Win Against Wal-Mart Over Chuck Taylors (Nov. 17, 2015).
Member of team that won full defense verdict in patent dispute regarding chemical foam blowing agents. The jury verdict invalidated plaintiff’s patent on three independent grounds.
Represented global manufacturer and distributor of healthcare products in patent case involving medical imaging technology. Case reached successful settlement the night before closing arguments in trial.
Represented life science company in trade secret case involving antimicrobial coating technology for catheters and medical devices.
Clerk & Government Experience
Judicial ExternHonorable Arthur L. Alarcón, Senior JudgeUnited States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit
More
Thought Leadership
Publications
“Sweeping Copyright and Trademark Measures Buried in Consolidated Appropriations Act,” Intellectual Property & Technology Law Journal, March 2021
“Hidden IP Pitfalls of Streaming Video and Best Practices to Avoid Them,” Corporate Disputes, Jul–Sep 2020 issue
“Best Practices to Maintain Confidentiality and Privilege Over Videoconference,” Corporate Counsel, May 8, 2020
“Mitigating Intellectual Property Risks While Collaborating to Help the World,” Corporate Counsel, May 8, 2020
“The Right of Publicity in the Age of Social Media: Will a ‘Share’ Get You #Sued?” Daily Journal, April 18, 2019
Presentations
“Trademark Protection: Staking Your Claim,” Copyright, Trademark & Internet Advertising Symposium, Chicago, IL, March 2023
“How Long Is the Arm of the Law? Enforcement Strategies and International IP Issues,” Copyright, Trademark & Internet Advertising Symposium, Chicago, IL; Los Angeles, CA; Palo Alto, CA, March 2023
“Talk the Talk, Walk the Walk: Ad Substantiation,” Copyright, Trademark & Internet Advertising Symposium, Chicago, IL; Los Angeles, CA; Palo Alto, CA, March 2023
“Staying in Tune: Recent Developments in Music Copyright Law,” Copyright, Trademark & Internet Advertising Symposium, Chicago, IL, March 2023
Guest Lecturer, University of New Hampshire Franklin Pierce School of Law, “Embracing Digital Disruption with Intellectual Property – Hot Topics in the US Regulatory Landscape,” New York, NY, March 25, 2023
“Key Developments On Fair Use, Trademark & Copyright Infringement, And NFTs,” 2022 Copyright and Trademark Caselaw Update for In-House Counsel, December 6, 2022
“eCommerce Companies - Key Regulatory Issues,” TechGC Fullstack GC Conference, San Francisco, California, July 23, 2021
“How eCommerce Companies Avoid a Shipwreck When Working with Customers’ Data,” Kirkland Antitrust & Competition Institute, Virtual Conference, May 11, 2021
“IP Collaboration in the Time of COVID-19: How Not to Fight,” Webinar Hosted by Berkeley Law and Kirkland & Ellis LLP, July 15, 2020
“When to Lawyer Up: Connecting Lawyers & Founders (Intellectual Property Session),” Virtual Conference Hosted by the Fourth Floor and Kirkland & Ellis LLP, June 16, 2020
“Litigation: Approach for High Growth Startups,” TechGC National Summit, New York Stock Exchange, New York, NY, October 24, 2019
Guest Lecturer, Stanford Graduate School of Business, “Protecting Ideas: Copyright & Design,” Stanford, CA, Fall 2019 & Fall 2021
“Protecting Trade Secrets Against Mobility,” Intellectual Property Institute, Lavender Law Conference, Philadelphia, PA, August 9, 2019
“Let’s Make a Deal: IP Issues in the Deal Context,” Copyright, Trademark & Internet Advertising Symposium, Beverly Hills, CA, February 2019
“An Ounce of Prevention is Worth a Pound of Cure: Avoiding Ethical Pitfalls in Trademark Clearance, Advertising Review, and Pre-Suit Investigations,” Copyright, Trademark & Internet Advertising Symposium, Palo Alto, CA, February 2019
“Mock Deposition: Staying Cool Under Fire,” TechGC National Summit, New York Stock Exchange, New York, NY, October 2018
Guest Lecturer, University of Southern California’s “The Entrepreneur’s Guide to Intellectual Property,” Los Angeles, CA, Fall 2017 & 2018
“Big Choices Protecting IP,” Law Seminars International’s California Trade Secrets Conference, Los Angeles, CA, May 2018
“Refresh & Renew: Disclosure Requirements for Automatic Renewal of Digital Subscriptions,” Download LA: A Digital Tech Conference, February 2018
“Silicon Beach and the Explosion of Emerging Companies in Los Angeles,” University of Southern California’s Institute for Corporate Counsel, December 2017
“Building Today’s Legal Department,” Benchmark Women In Business Law Forum, Los Angeles, CA, September 2017
Moderator, EU Data Privacy & GDPR Planning for GCs, TechGC Webinar, May 2017
“Everywhere I Look Online, I See Infringement! What’s Trademark Counsel To Do?” American Intellectual Property Law Association Meeting, San Diego, CA, May 2017
Memberships & Affiliations
Chapter Leader, ChIPs Network (Los Angeles Chapter)
Los Angeles Intellectual Property Law Association
International Trademark Association
Association of Business Trial Lawyers
Founding Member & Steering Committee Member, TechGC (2016–2019)
National Association of Women Lawyers
Credentials
Admissions & Qualifications
- 2007California
Courts
- United States Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit
- United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit
- United States District Court for the Central District of California
- United States District Court for the Eastern District of California
- United States District Court for the Southern District of California
- United States District Court for the Northern District of California
Education
- Pepperdine University School of LawJ.D.magna cum laude2007
Dean’s Scholar
Beck-Pfann Memorial Scholar
Pepperdine Law Review, Staff Member (2005–2006); Symposium Editor (2006–2007)
- University of Missouri-St. LouisM.A.summa cum laude2004E. Desmond Lee Scholar
- Pierre Laclede Honors College at the University of Missouri-St. LouisB.S.summa cum laude2002