Brian LaCorte

Brian W. LaCorte

Partner
Phoenix

Brian W. LaCorte leads the firm’s Intellectual Property Group in Phoenix. Nationally recognized as a preeminent intellectual property lawyer, he handles bet-the-company patent litigation and high-profile infringement disputes with invaluable IP assets on the line. As lead trial counsel for GoDaddy, he recently secured a victory in Delaware following a weeklong jury trial, obtaining a complete defense verdict in a patent infringement case with hundreds of millions of dollars at stake.

Brian focuses on patent and trademark litigation, and many of his cases have made new law, as well as national headlines. He represents public and privately held companies across several industry sectors, including e-commerce technologies, software, automotive, medical devices and data security. He has litigated more than 100 IP matters with a long record of accomplishment in state, federal, and appeals courts across the country—including in hotbeds of IP litigation like Delaware, Texas, New York and California.

Experience 

Representative Matters

Among the many notable cases in which Brian has appeared as lead counsel, he has represented national retailers, innovative startup companies, and large technology firms, including:

  • Express Mobile, Inc. v. GoDaddy.com, LLC (District of Delaware): Defeated a $400+ million claim of infringement on patents relating to concepts that allow web designers to integrate third-party services into their websites. The trial court preserved the defense verdict in denying all post-trial motions.
  • Data Widget v. USA DATA (S.D.N.Y. and District of Arizona): Invalidated asserted patent on 101 grounds following dispositive motion and secured victory at Federal Circuit affirming lower court judgment in all respects.
  • The Reinalt-Thomas Corp. (Discount Tire) v. Mavis Tire Supply LLC (U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Georgia) On behalf of Discount Tire, secured a victory in a nationally followed case obtaining a preliminary injunction barring Mavis from using an infringing mark in its expansion in the Southeast and throughout the West. Made law in protecting one of the Country’s iconic trademarks.

Professional Highlights

Judicial Externship

Hon. Glenn Archer, Jr., U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit

Professional Activities

American Intellectual Property Law Association, member, Committee on Alternative Dispute Resolution

Arizona "Smart Beginnings" Task Force, member

Arizona Governor's Statewide Youth Development Taskforce, past member, Education Subcommittee

Association of Trial Lawyers of America/American Association for Justice, past member

Arizona Coalition to End Homelessness, past member

Recognition & Accomplishments

World Trademark Review 1000: The World’s Leading Trademark Professionals, 2021-2023

The Best Lawyers in America, Intellectual Property Litigation, Patent Litigation, Trademark Law, 2009-2024; "Lawyer of the Year," Trademark Law (Phoenix), 2019

IAM Patent 1000: The World's Leading Patent Professionals, 2021-2023

Speaking Engagements

Co-speaker, "Post-Grant Proceedings before USPTO's PTAB", Managing Intellectual Property International Patent Forum 2016, London, March 9, 2016 

Panelist, "International Business: Navigating Risk on the Road to Growth," Ballard Spahr, City National Bank, Eversheds, and McGladrey seminar, Las Vegas, June 22, 2012 

Emerging Copyright Issues in the Internet, National Education Telecommunications Association, 2000

Board Memberships & Community Service

Arizona State University, ex-officio member, Board of Trustees

Arizona State University Alumni Association, Chair, Board of Directors

Crisis Nursery, past executive board member

Southwest Human Development, past President

Publications

Brian is frequently quoted in national and local media publications, such as American LawyerIP Law 360, and the Phoenix Business Journal concerning franchise and intellectual property issues.

Credentials 

Education

George Washington University Law School (J.D. 1988)
Recipient, Trial Lawyers' Award

Arizona State University (B.S., cum laude, 1985)

Admissions

Arizona

U.S. District Court for the Western District of Texas

U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit

U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit

U.S. Supreme Court