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Kelly W. Cunningham
Kelly Cunningham holds a B.S. in Materials Engineering from the University of California at Los Angeles (UCLA) and J.D. from UCLA School of Law. He is admitted to practice before the California Supreme Court, the Federal Circuit Court of Appeals, the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals, the Central District of California, the Northern District of California, the Southern District of California, and the District of Colorado. Mr. Cunningham is also a registered patent attorney admitted to practice before the United States Patent and Trademark Office and is experienced in all aspects of drafting, prosecuting, procurement, analysis, protection, and enforcement of his client's intellectual property rights under patents, copyrights, trademarks, trade secrets, nondisclosure agreements, and related areas of the law.
Mr. Cunningham is a member of the Federal Bar Association, the Federal Circuit Bar Association, the California State Bar Association, including its Intellectual Property Section, the Los Angeles County Bar Association, the Santa Monica Bar Association, the Beverly Hills Bar Association, the Los Angeles Intellectual Property Association, and the Association of Business Trial Lawyers. Mr. Cunningham also served as a member of the Board of Trustees for the Santa Monica Bar Association from 2003 - 2008 and served as its President from 2006 - 2007.
Mr. Cunningham is the Chairperson of the Games, Gaming, and Entertainment practice at Cislo & Thomas LLP
About Cislo & Thomas LLP
Cislo & Thomas LLP does a vast amount of patent, trademark and copyright application and prosecution work. We take on all types of technological issues. Recently, the firm has filed and prosecuted domestic and international patents in various mechanical applications, automotive components, optical wave conjugation, optic arrangements, computer applications, electromechanical apparatuses, aerospace advanced electronics, exercise equipment and varied chemical compositions. Trademark and copyright applications have also been filed and successfully prosecuted throughout the United States and the world.
With our brilliant lawyers, the firm handles a substantial amount of litigation in the Federal and State Trial Courts of California. In recent years, we have successfully litigated cases through trial or obtained summary judgments or injunctive relief to the benefit of our clients. Several of these decisions can be found in the United States Patents Quarterly Reporter or the Federal Reporters. The firm has also successfully handled a number of appeals to the United States Courts of Appeal for both the Ninth Circuit and the Federal Circuit.
Our work entails counseling clients seeking to obtain patent, trademark, copyright and trade secret protection, and looking to enforce these rights in court when they are violated. We advise our clients how to avoid infringing on the intellectual property rights of others, as well as protecting them from those who might infringe upon theirs.
Typically, we begin by performing patent, copyright and trademark availability searches and opinions to advise clients whether they should proceed with their project. We can then file and prosecute patent, copyright or trademark applications through the respective government offices.
We work directly with the United States Patent & Trademark Office, the United States Copyright Office, the U.S. Department of Customs, and Federal Courts throughout the United States. We also work with patent and trademark offices throughout the world through our foreign associates.
Using our unique Intellectual Property Cost Control™ or IPCC™ methods we can provide quality patent, trademark and copyright filing, licensing and prosecution at reasonable costs which are at or below the median expected costs as reported by American Intellectual Property Law Association.
Cislo & Thomas LLP’s story begins in 1970 when Donald M. Cislo, a patent attorney from Chicago, Illinois, decided to leave the Midwest cold and venture west. Having earned his chemical engineering degree from ITT, and going to night law school at DePaul, Don decided that intellectual property would be extremely important in Southern California. Passing up a great opportunity at Hughes Aircraft, Don liked his prospects better at a small patent firm in Santa Monica, even if it meant less money.
Chuck Thomas also studied electrical engineering in Illinois and, in fact, attended DePaul Law School several years after Don. They formed their two-attorney partnership in 1979, and have faithfully served the Southland’s inventors and small businesses as California has grown into an innovative powerhouse.
Dan Cislo grew up with a special fondness for science, reading Scientific American when other kids were reading the sports pages. He went to UCLA and graduated with a degree in Systems Engineering – a combination of electrical and mechanical engineering with computer science. Like his Dad, he went on to study law at night while engineering by day. With a strong background in engineering, and a law degree from Loyola Law School, he went to work for a prominent downtown intellectual property law firm.
Dan also started a company, SecureCase Co., around the same time, developing and manufacturing patented locking cases for firearms, still used by the military, FBI and law enforcement agencies throughout the world. In 1986, Don wanted to grow the Cislo & Thomas practice, and made Dan an offer he could not refuse. Dan became the managing partner in 1996 and has never looked back, loving the wonders of science, the possibilities of technology and the excitement of business.
The firm has grown, technology has changed, and the speed of business has increased. Yet, the firm continues to focus on an integrated approach to protecting, licensing and litigating patent, copyright, trademark and trade secret matters. Few firms can match Cislo & Thomas’ Quality Client Care® (QCC®) approach, which requires IP specialists who know engineering and science as well as litigation and business strategies. The firm is not only AV rated by Martindale-Hubble (the highest rating that can be received), but also listed in the Bar Register of Preeminent Lawyers, which places the firm in the top 5% of law firms nationwide.
With offices in West Los Angeles, Westlake Village/Thousand Oaks and Santa Barbara, California, the firm’s patent attorneys serve the greater Southern California area, including Los Angeles, Ventura, and Orange Counties. We work in all aspects of patent, trademark, copyright, trade secret and domain name law. Our lawyers have the technical training and experience to handle any matter, and excel in searching, clearing, filing, licensing, maintaining and litigating of intellectual property matters. Our local offices provide a convenient venue to meet our attorneys and discuss how we can best protect your intellectual property. Alternatively, if you live in a different area, we can also schedule a live web-consultation with you.
