Steve Charles Vondran
Vondran Legal® Intellectual Property
Our law firm is a leader in intellectual property and piracy law. We have handled more software audits and torrent defense lawsuits than most other firms combined. We have a niche speciality practice in copyright infringement law and handle the following types of cases:
1. Software Audits and Licensing Disputes (Business Software Alliance, BSA, SIIA, Vero, Siemens, Solidworks, Autodesk, Adobe and Microsoft)
2. Torrent Defense Cases (ex. Malibu Media pornography, Flava Works and Strike 3 Holdings, LLC BitTorrent litigation cases in California Federal Court in the Southern, Central, Eastern and Northern District)
3. TV Signal Piracy cases (boxing match PPV infringement). Joe Hand Promotions, G&G Closed Circuit Events, Zuffa and J&J Sports Productions
4. Direct TV cases / Dish-Nagrstar piracy and IPTV defense (streaming media piracy)
5. Copyright infringement litigation (jewelry, photo infringement, DMCA anti-circumvention of software access control, p2p file-sharing defense, drone video footage)
6. Trademark infringement & registration (including domain name UDRP disputes with NAF, WIPO), IPR filings, Trademark Clearinghouse, and Cancellation and Opposition Proceedings.
7. California Right of Publicity Law / social media - celebrity endorsement agreements
8. UDRP domain name dispute arbitrations (WIPO, NAF, CIIRD)
9. New for 2022 - Metaverse, NFT, and Cryptocurrency arbitration and IP disputes.
We offer low flat rate legal fees in most non-litigation cases (ex. responding to ISP subpoena, or cease and desist or demand letters). We have appeared in over 300 state and federal litigation court cases since 2004.
- Intellectual Property
- Communications & Internet Law
- Internet Law, Media & Advertising, Telecommunications Law
- Entertainment & Sports Law
- Trademarks
- Trademark Litigation, Trademark Registration
- Software Audits (BSA, Microsoft, Solidworks, Adobe, Oracle, IBM, Autodesk)
- Torrent Defense (Strike 3 Holdings, Flava Works)
- Copyright Infringement (federal court lawsuits)
- Fair Use Defense & Opinion Letters
- UDRP Domain Name Arbitration (WIPO, NAF, CIIDRC)
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Free Consultation
On Select cases and subject to availablity. Call us at (877) 276-5084 for more information. -
Contingent Fees
We may agree to take all or part of your case on a contingency fee basis. -
Rates, Retainers and Additional Information
We offer low flat rate legal fees for most non-litigation cases. We offer tenacious legal representation and great customer support and responsiveness.
- Arizona
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- California
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- English
- The Law Offices of Steven C. Vondan, P.C
- Current
- Business & Real Esate & IP & Entertainment Law.
- President and Founder
- Copyright Policy Institute
- - Current
- Oversee a Washington D.C. based copyright policy and advocacy non-profit organization and think tank. Focused on fair copyright policy and fair use rights.
- California St Univ Fullerton
- Undergraduate Degree
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- Whittier Coll School of Law
- Law Degree
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- Top 25 Copyright Infringement Law Firm in United States
- Lex Machina
- Our firm has appeared in over 200 federal court cases (mainly dealing with copyright infringement defense and Strike 3 Holdings, LLC torrent lawsuit litigation. We are now moving close to top 20 in the United States and will update this when that happens, as it will. This is judged per cases handled.
- Recognized as #1 Copyright Infringement defense law firm in U.S.
- Unicourt
- Unicourt identified Vondran Legal® as the top copyright infringement defense law firm in 2020. We have handled many cases including photo, software, movie, video and jewelry infringement. This came as quite an honor.
- CALI award for excellence in the study of Intellectual property law
- CALI
- Top Grade Entertainment Law
- CALI award for Excellence in Legal Study
- American Jurisprudence Award in Torts
- Whittier Coll School of Law
- California State Bar # 232337
- Member
- - Current
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- Arizona State Bar
- Executive Counsel for Intellectual Property Committee
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- Activities: Discuss and analyzed issues such as trademark, parody, copyright, and patent trolling.
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- Inside tips of handling GoDaddy and Domains by Proxy subpoenas
- Steve Vondran, Esq.
- The MOST IMPORTANT thing to know if you receive a subpoena from your ISP
- Steve Vondran, Esq.
- Understanding Vero software "phone-home" IP protection technology
- Steve Vondran, Esq.
- Copyright "Fair use
- Steve Vondran, Esq.
- Copyright "Fair use" tips for video producers
- Steve Vondran, Esq.
- What every Doctor needs to know about Photo Infringement, Medical Liability, Internet Seminar
- MedicalJustice.com
- One hour podcast directed toward 50,000 medical professionals designed to highlight the key risk areas of photo infringement and provide practical tips to avoid costly infringement matters. Discussed Higbee & Associates and Pic Rights demand process, infringement rights and remedies, and other key aspects of responding to disputes over websites used on a medical professionals social media and corporate websites.
- How to obtain a trademark WITHOUT hiring a law firm!, InventRight Training Seminar, California
- InventRight
- This was a free webinar presentation that featured Steve Vondran, Esq. ("Attorney Steve®"" as guest speaker teaching patent licensing candidates how they can seek federal trademark protection on the USPTO principal register without having to pay for costly attorney fees.
Youtube Fair Use Tips by Attorney Steve
Copyright and YouTube Fair Use Tips by Attorney Steve the Video Lawyer.
Siemens PLM software piracy lawsuits overview
Attorney Steve provides an overview of Siemens PLM lawsuits.
Busted for stealing the PPV boxing fight?
Attorney Steve explains boxing match piracy claims (stealing Pay Per View signals) without having the proper commercial license.
Understanding Autodesk Software Audits - what you need to know.
Our law firm is most likely the #1 leader in the United States. We have handled hundreds of these software audits.
Copyright infringement damages
Attorney Steve discusses possible penalties and damages in a copyright infringement case such as video, software and photos.
Business Software Alliance (BSA) Audits by Attorney Steve
Attorney Steve explains what a BSA software audit is.
Attorney Steve Social Media Marketing Law Copyright Nightmares
Copyright nightmares for real estate brokers
How to win a small claims court lawsuit
Attorney Steve;s top ten tips to help you have a better chance to win your small claims case.
How to pick a great slogan for your business by Attorney Steve
How to pick a great trademark slogan for your company part 1
Penalties for pirating a PPV boxing fight by Attorney Steve®
Potential damages a bar, restaurant, lounge or night club owner may face for pirating a boxing, UFC, martial arts or PPV soccer match. Key players (Plaintiffs in this area include Joe Hand Promotions, G&G Closed Circuit Events, Zuffa, Integrated Sports and J&J Sports. In these cases you can face damages up to $100,000 or more (enhanced damages plus attorney fees). This is enough to put many small businesses out of business. We have helped many companies get these cases settled.
Strike 3 Holdings hit with HUGE Attorney Fee in non-infringement case
Strike 3 Holdings, LLC hit with attorney fee award following loss on appeal in a torrent lawsuit case in Washington State. Important case in BitTorrent litigation. In this case, there was no copyright infringement found and the Defendant was able to recover its attorney fees which was affirmed on appeal.
- Q. I have a question regarding cybersquatting/domain name sales
- A: The legality of selling domain names that are the trademarks of other companies is a complex issue and one that has been the subject of much legal debate. In order to understand the law on this matter, it is necessary to look at both trademark law and domain name law. Trademark law protects the names, logos, and other identifying marks of a company or individual. This protection prevents others from using their mark to promote their own businesses or products. When a company or individual registers a trademark, they gain exclusive rights to the use of that mark. This means that they can prevent others from using their mark and can even seek damages if someone uses it without their permission. When it comes to domain names, the law is slightly different. The domain name system (DNS) is a hierarchical structure that allows computers to locate each other on the internet (like an address). It also assigns domain names to particular websites and computers. Anyone can register a domain. name, but it is often not wise (and can be seen as cybersquatting) to register domains that contain the trademark of another company. The legal question of whether it is legal to sell domain names that are the trademarks of other companies depends on the particular circumstances. Generally, it is not illegal to sell domain names that are the trademarks of other companies, as long as you do not infringe upon the trademark rights of the other company. However, if the domain name is confusingly similar to the trademark of the other company, or if you are using the trademark in bad faith, then you may face legal action for trademark infringement or possibly cybersquatting under the ACPA. This can also lead to a potential UDRP action (ex. WIPO or NAF) where the owner can lose their domain name of the complainant can prove the three elements in a UDRP action: 1. Domain is confusingly similar to their trademark 2. No legitimate use 3. Registered and used domain in bad faith. So, in these types of cases, you really need to get a legal opinion from a Trademark lawyer. All the best, see you at the top! Attorney Steve® This is general legal information only and not legal advice.
- Q. Is it illegal for someone to take photos off of my Facebook account of my child to post on there account
- A: If you took the image, it is your image (i.e., you own the copyright - even if you never registered it). Being that the use by the imposter would not appear to be commercial in nature, suing for copyright infringement may not be the most exciting option (especially since you cannot get attorney fees or "statutory damages" if the image is not registered. However, since you own the copyright, you could send Facebook a DMCA takedown (making sure to follow all the applicable rules to do that), and have them take down the photo since: 1. it appears to infringe your copyright and 2. It violates their terms of service (at least, that is what I would argue along the lines of posing as an imposter and possibly child endangerment). This is general legal information only and not legal advice. See you at the top! Attorney Steve®
- Q. I'm starting a video podcast. Can I use still images from various tv and movies?
- A: Generally speaking, when it comes to using copyrighted images in a video podcast, it’s important to understand the laws surrounding copyright and fair use. In general, it is illegal to use copyrighted images without permission. However, there are certain exceptions to this rule, and one of them is fair use. Fair use is a legal concept that allows limited use of copyrighted material without permission or payment. In order to qualify as fair use, the use of the copyrighted material must meet certain criteria. The criteria are as follows: 1. The purpose and character of the use: Is the use commercial in nature, or is it mainly for nonprofit educational purposes? 2. The nature of the copyrighted work: Is the copyrighted work factual or creative? 3. The amount and substantiality of the portion used: Are you using the entire work, or just a small portion of it? 4. The effect of the use upon the potential market for the copyrighted work: Is the use likely to have an effect on the market for the copyrighted work? If your use of a copyrighted image in a podcast, on balance, meets these four criteria, then it may qualify as fair use. Using an image for a very short duration (what I call the "minimum necessary" to make your point) then that may qualify as a fair use, but realize, some larger companies are very protective of their IP, so while its best to get permission, if you are within the 4 factors on balance (no one factor is definitive) and commenting on the photo, then you might be good. This is not legal advice or a substitute for legal advice. All the best, see you at the top! Attorney Steve®
- Bell v. Wilmott Storage Services, LLC
- US Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit
