Robert Welsh
Partner
Robert C. Welsh is a partner in O’Melveny's Century City office, a member of the Business Trial and Litigation Practice, and a member of
The American Lawyer's 2004 "Litigation Department of the Year." He focuses on civil litigation concentrating in the areas of copyright, trademark, unfair competition, publicity rights, and entertainment.
Bob’s key professional accomplishments include a successful appeal before the Second Circuit Court of Appeals resulting in decision of first impression establishing synchronization rights for sound recording copyright owners; successful appeal before the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals resulting in a decision holding that swap meet owners may be liable for contributory and vicarious copyright infringement for sale of counterfeit recordings; successful representation of record companies in a federal court suit for contributory copyright and trademark infringement resulting in a $7.1 million verdict; successful representation of a trade association of record companies in anti-piracy and anti-counterfeiting litigation and as
amicus in various state and federal jurisdictions (for which he received an honorary gold record from the Recording Industry Association of America).
Bob also has significant trial experience representing entertainment companies, record companies, booksellers, apparel manufacturers and others in state and federal courts.
Prior to practicing law, Bob was a professor of Political Science at the University of California at Los Angeles.
Professional Activities
Member, American Bar Association; Los Angeles County Bar Association; Association of Business Trial Lawyers; California State Bar, Intellectual Property Section
Author, "Are Non-Competition Clauses Kaput?"
National Law Journal (2000); "Safe Harbors For Online Service Providers,"
California Lawyer (March 1999); "Vicarious Triumphs,"
Los Angeles Daily Journal (April 27, 1995); "Reconsidering the Constitutional Relationship Between State and Federal Courts: A Critique of
Michigan v. Long,"
Notre Dame Law Review (1984); "Whose Federalism? - The Burger Court's Treatment of State Civil Liberties Judgments,"
Hastings Constitutional Law Quarterly (1978); "Interrogational Rights: Reflections on Miranda,"
Southern California Law Review (1978); "Reconsidering the Constitutional Common Law,"
Harvard Law Review (1978); "Up From Calandra, the Exclusionary Rule as a Constitutional Right,"
Minnesota Law Review (1974)
Co-Author, "Protecting Products That Go Hollywood,"
California Lawyer (March 2004); "Litigating Raiding Cases in California," PLI Seminar,
Corporate Raiding (2001); "Selected Topics in California Trade Secret Litigation," PLI Seminar,
Corporate Raiding (2000); "Squat Squash: Curtailing Domain-Name Sales,"
Los Angeles Daily Journal (Jan. 23, 1997); "For Name's Sake,"
Los Angeles Daily Journal (Feb. 27, 1997); "Protecting Trade Secrets, Avoiding High-Tech Espionage, and Advising Tech Employers,"
California Lawyer (June 1997); "After
Quality King v. L'Anza, Can a Copyright Owner Still Restrict Unauthorized Importation of Copyrighted Articles Manufactured Abroad?"
New Matter (Spring 1998); "Maintaining Control: Protecting Your Company's Trade Secrets,"
Computing & Communications Law & Protection Report (May 1998)
Co-Chair, Practising Law Institute's Annual Panel "Corporate Raiding: Handling, Preventing and Litigating the Theft of Corporate Employees and Information"
Assistant Professor, UCLA, Department of Political Science, "Constitutional Law and American Judicial Process" (1977-1987)