John Carson is senior counsel in Womble Bond Dickinson’s Intellectual Property Practice Group. Clients turn to John for strategic planning and licensing, and all phases of eCommerce, patent, trademark, copyright, and trade secret law. John is particularly well-versed in computer hardware and software, electrochemical, optics, and electromechanical systems.

With more than 50 years of experience in intellectual property law, and an impressive array of leadership positions in professional and community organizations, John is often called upon as an arbitrator and mediator, and is considered a national authority on ethics and intellectual property issues. John started his own firm before becoming a partner at a leading international law firm. He has also been a trademark consultant to the California and Idaho secretaries of state.

John’s interest in the arts has led to involvement with the Huntington Library and memberships with their Art Collectors Council, art overseers, and library overseers. He is also a volunteer for the Pasadena Tournament of Roses and Pasadena Humane Society.

Representative Experience

Any result the lawyer or law firm may have achieved on behalf of clients in other matters does not necessarily indicate similar results can be obtained for other clients.

  • Successfully represented defendant, AgaMatrix, in patent infringement litigation where plaintiff's conduct bordered on bad faith, helping to secure a $1.3 million award of lawyers' fees for our client.
  • Successfully represented Herbalife in a trademark infringement and breach of contract suit in the District Court of Oregon.
  • Stopped numerous IP counterfeiting operations, both in the U.S. and internationally.
  • Manages international trademark portfolios.
  • Authored or co-authored several pieces of California legislation, including:
    • Anti-Counterfeiting Law – Civil – Business and Professions Code Sections 14340-14342; Criminal – Penal Code Section 350
    • Trade Secret Act – Civil Code Section 3426 et seq.; Code of Civil Procedure Section 2036.5 et seq.
    • Trademark Use on Collateral Products – Business and Professions Code Section 14330
    • Employee Rights in Inventions – Labor Code Section 2870
    • Prior Trademark Use – Business and Professions Code Section 14342 

Professional & Civic Engagement

  • Huntington Library Overseers, Board of Governors
  • Huntington Art Overseers, Member
  • Huntington Art Collectors Council, Member
  • CaltechMIT Enterprise Forum, Executive Committee, Prior Member
  • Asia Society, Prior Member
  • Chancery Club, Member
  • Pasadena Tournament of Roses, Volunteer
  • Los Angeles Area Chamber of Commerce, Law and Justice Committee, Prior Member
  • Los Angeles Business Journal, Editorial Advisory Board, Prior Member
  • Pasadena Bar Association
  • Los Angeles Intellectual Property Law Association LAIPLA, Prior Member
  • American Bar Association, Prior Member
  • Superior Court, Judge Pro Tem
  • US Ninth Circuit Judicial Conference, Member, 2000–present; Historical Society, Director, 2005–present; Strategic Planning Committee, Chair, 2007; Audit and Risk Management Committee, Chair, 2017-present
  • Central District of California, Standing Committee on Attorney Discipline, Member, 2001–present; Chair, 2006–2011
  • Los Angeles County Bar Association, President, 1994-1995; Senior Lawyers Section, Executive Committee, 2009–present; Senior Lawyers Section, Chair, 2015-2016
  • Federal Bar Association, Board of Governors; State of the Circuit Program; Intellectual Property and Pro Bono Teaching Programs
  • American Arbitration Association, Arbitrator in Intellectual Property, Complex Litigation and International Cases
  • Central District of California, Attorney Admission Fund Board, 2016-present
  • Loyola Law School and Whittier School of Law, Intellectual Property Instructor

Thought Leadership

  • Co-Moderator, "The Price of Virtue: Walking the Tightrope Between Privacy and Security,” Los Angeles Federal Bar Association Seminar, September 2014

Honors & Awards

  • Received the Best Lawyers™ Trademark Law "Lawyer of the Year" award in Los Angeles, 2023
  • Recognized in The Best Lawyers in America (BL Rankings), Trademark Law, 2017-2025
  • Received the Los Angeles County Bar Association’s Shattuck-Price Outstanding Lawyer Award, 2022
  • California and Idaho Secretaries of State, Advisor
  • Rated, AV Preeminent® 5.0 out of 5
  • Recognized in Legal 500, Intellectual Property – Trademarks, Non-Contentious
  • Super Lawyers Honoree, Southern California Super Lawyers magazine (Thomson Reuters)
  • Chambers USA Ranked Lawyer
  • Central District Court, Attorney Settlement Officer, 1998-present; Most Cases Handled, Most Cases Settled