Jason R. Bartlett
Partner • Managing Partner, San Francisco Office
Education
J.D., University of California College of Law, San Francisco (formerly Hastings College of the Law), cum laude
B.A., Economics, University of California, Davis
Expertise
Technology Litigation • Patent Litigation • Commercial Litigation • Commercial Arbitration • International Arbitration • International Practice
Jason Bartlett is the Managing Partner of Maschoff Brennan's San Francisco office. His practice focuses on complex intellectual property, technology, and commercial disputes, with particular experience in patent litigation, trade secret disputes, and domestic and international arbitration. Jason represents clients on both sides of technology disputes, including companies defending claims and inventors and patent owners seeking to protect and enforce their intellectual property. Jason previously served as Co-Chair of the firm's Litigation Department.
A significant part of Jason's practice involves trade secrets and employee mobility. He advises companies on disputes and sensitive investigations arising when employees move between competitors, including the protection of proprietary technology and know-how, information brought by new employees, onboarding and offboarding practices, and the line between an employee's general knowledge and experience and a former employer's protectable information. His recent work has also focused on how generative AI is changing these issues, including the ways in which AI tools affect companies' treatment of confidential information, employee know-how, information governance, and litigation readiness. Those subjects were the focus of a roundtable Jason led at The Economist's 2026 General Counsel Summit and a panel he moderated at the 2024 IP Counsel Cafe Annual Meeting.
Jason has extensive experience litigating patent disputes involving complex technology. He has handled cases involving software and internet infrastructure, semiconductors, smartphones and consumer electronics, cellular telecommunications, GPS and geolocation technology, computer animation, and medical and life-sciences technology. His patent practice includes district court litigation, proceedings before the Patent Trial and Appeal Board, and appeals. Jason has litigated dozens of federal matters across patent, contract, trade secret, and other technology-related disputes.
Jason also has substantial experience in commercial and international arbitration, including technology, intellectual property, licensing, and commercial disputes. He has handled arbitrations under AAA, ICDR, JAMS, ICC, UNCITRAL, and JCAA rules, including serving as lead or co-lead counsel in AAA, ICDR, and JAMS matters. His arbitration experience complements a broader cross-border practice developed over more than two decades representing U.S. and international companies.
Jason has particular experience representing companies based in or doing business with Asia. He spent four years practicing in Tokyo and has represented Japanese and other Asian clients in U.S. litigation and cross-border disputes.
Before joining the firm that became Maschoff Brennan, Jason spent fifteen years in Morrison & Foerster's Intellectual Property Litigation Group and was a partner from 2008 to 2015. His work there included major patent and technology disputes in U.S. district courts and the International Trade Commission. Jason began his legal career at Brown & Bain, a prominent technology law firm.
My Focus
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Representative Matters
Patent owner litigation involving internet content-delivery technology. Served as lead counsel for a patent owner in litigation concerning technology for optimizing and delivering rich-media content over the internet. The representation included district court litigation and related Patent Trial and Appeal Board proceedings and concluded with a settlement on confidential terms.
Proxy-network patent proceedings. Served as lead counsel in inter partes review proceedings involving proxy-network technology. The proceedings, including the ensuing appeal, resolved in the client's favor.
Smartphone patent litigation. Member of the trial team in landmark smartphone patent litigation that resulted in a jury verdict exceeding $1 billion.
Technology and commercial arbitration. Served as co-lead counsel for Dolby Laboratories in a technology and licensing arbitration that resulted in a favorable award. Jason has also represented U.S. and international companies in other complex arbitrations involving intellectual property, technology, licensing, and commercial disputes.
International rail-technology arbitration. Served as co-lead counsel in an eleven-day international arbitration concerning alleged failures of passenger-rail wheelsets. The matter involved extensive fact and expert testimony, mechanical and electrical failure analysis, contract and warranty issue analysis.
High-stakes commercial trial. Represented a medical-technology company in a contract and trademark dispute concerning synthetic bone-graft technology in which the opposing party sought damages threatening the client's business. After trial, the jury rejected the opposing party's damages analysis and awarded the amount advocated by the defense.
Computer animation litigation. Served as lead counsel in federal district court litigation involving technology for realistic simulation of large geometric systems.
Technology-company patent defense. Has represented technology companies in patent disputes involving semiconductors, wireless and networking technologies, software, internet services, and consumer electronics, including cases involving non-practicing entities.
Trade secrets and employee mobility. Regularly advises companies in confidential disputes and investigations involving departing and incoming employees, proprietary technology, confidential information, and competitive hiring. His work includes both litigation and counseling designed to prevent disputes before they arise.
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Professional Admissions & Associations
U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit
U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit
U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit
U.S. District Court for the Northern, Eastern, Central, and Southern Districts of California
State Bar of California
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Publications & Presentations
Jason frequently speaks and writes about developments in intellectual property and technology law, with recent programs focusing on trade secrets, artificial intelligence, and employee mobility.
• The Economist, General Counsel Summit US (2026), discussion leader, "Protecting the Secret Sauce of Corporate Proprietary Knowhow in an AI-Enabled Workforce." The roundtable addressed generative AI, workforce mobility, onboarding and offboarding, internal AI use, investigations, information governance, and litigation readiness.
• IP Counsel Cafe, Annual Palo Alto Meeting (2024), panel moderator, "What Do Trade Secret, Confidentiality and Privacy Mean in an AI World?" The panel addressed protection of corporate data, AI governance, trade secrets, and contractual controls governing data used with AI systems.
• Practising Law Institute, Patent Law Institute, faculty, "Anatomy of a Design Patent Case."
• University of Texas School of Law Conference on Patent Damages, speaker, "Interpleader and FRAND Royalties."
• Patent Litigation (Third Edition), Practising Law Institute, co-author of the chapter "Case Strategy and Management."
• "Rationalizing FRAND Royalties: Can Interpleader Save the Internet of Things?", co-author with Jorge L. Contreras, Review of Litigation.