Bruce T. Goto
Principal
With more than 20 years of experience, Bruce has provided advice to numerous technology and Internet companies with respect to various aspects of their intellectual property and strategic alliance work. He has also assisted many other companies, in a wide range of industries, with the purchasing or licensing of software, digital content and other assets. Bruce has drafted and negotiated numerous types of agreements, including those relating to:
- Development, distribution, and licensing of software and computer games (including agreements with developers, publishers, VARs, online stores, CD resellers, big box retailers and end users)
- ASPs and other hosted service providers
- Co-marketing, joint promotions and trademark licensing
- Outsourcing of call centers, product fulfillment, IT and other services
- Confidentiality and trade secret protection, privacy policies and HIPAA compliance
- Internet agreements involving website development, content licensing, credit card processing, search engine marketing, banner advertising, linking and website terms of use
- Book publishing, video production and celebrity endorsement transactions
Over the years, Bruce has provided strategic counseling to numerous clients on branding and trademark issues, and has filed hundreds of trademark applications with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office. He has also filed applications to register copyrights, and regularly counsels clients on trademark, copyright and patent licenses and assignments.
Bruce also has extensive experience working on corporate transactions, especially with foreign clients and on matters involving the Pacific Rim. He spent four years working in Tokyo; first, at a private law firm, and then as in-house counsel at a Japanese trading company. While there, he gained extensive experience dealing with legal issues involving international sales, distribution and licensing. He also developed an acute appreciation for the characteristics necessary for effective outside counsel.
Education and Admissions
Bruce was a Regents Scholar at the University of California at Davis, where he received his B.A., with high honors, Phi Beta Kappa. He received his J.D. from the University of California at Berkeley, where he was a member of the Moot Court Board and the Industrial Relations Law Journal. Bruce also studied at the Keio University Center for Japanese Language Studies, in Tokyo, and is conversant in Japanese. He is admitted to practice in California, Hawaii and Washington.
Awards and Recognition
- Listed in Chambers USA, America’s Leading Lawyers for Business
- Featured as one of “Seattle’s Top Lawyers” by Seattle Magazine
- Named one of Seattle's Top Business Lawyers by Seattle Business Monthly
- Named one of the “Top 40” IP Lawyers in Seattle, and a Washington Super Lawyer®
- Peer Review Rating of “AV Preeminent 5.0 out of 5” with Martindale-Hubbell, achieving the highest ratings for both professional ability and ethics
Selected Publications and Presentations
“Starting Out Smart: Growing Your Tech Business On A Shoestring,” RW/COJK Breakfast Briefing, April 13, 2010.
“Intellectual Property Considerations,” a section in the “Washington Nonprofit Handbook,” published by the Washington Attorneys Assisting Community Organizations and the King County Bar Association, 2009.
“What Every In-House Counsel Needs to Know About Open Source Software Licensing,” National Asian Pacific American Bar Association Annual Convention, November 21, 2008.
“Open Source Software,” Hispanic National Bar Association Midyear Conference, March 10, 2006.
“Some Practical IP Tips CFOs Should Know,” Tatum Partners Breakfast, June 17, 2005.
“Intellectual Property Law for the Non-Specialist,” NALS: The Association of Legal Professionals, Greater Seattle Meeting, January 7, 2003.
“On-line Benefits and Privacy,” Western Pension and Benefits Conference Annual Meeting, August 19-20, 2002.
“HIPAA Security: Focusing on Fundamentals,” Western Pension & Benefits Conference Seattle Chapter Spring Seminar, April 24, 2002.
“Where is it Safe to do Business on the Internet?,” Twelfth Annual Seattle Conference on Computer Law, November 29, 2001.
“Privacy and Benefits in an On-Line World,” Western Pension & Benefits Conference Annual Meeting, July 16-17, 2001.
“Registering Trade Names and Trademarks,” a chapter in "How to Form and Maintain a Nonprofit in Washington State," published by the King County Bar Association, Spring 2001.
“Legal and Privacy Issues Related to the Internet and Health Care,” Washington Dental Service Focus on the Future Seminar, September 12-13, 2000.
“Legal Issues in Internet Marketing,” University of Washington MBA Program, October 21, 1999.
“Intellectual Property Fundamentals for Software Entrepreneurs,” University of Washington MBA Program, February 11, 1998.
“Business in Asia Meets the Electronic Age,” American Bar Association Annual Meeting, August 5, 1997.
“Intellectual Property Issues in Sales, Mergers, and Acquisitions,” The Cambridge Institute Seminar, November 15, 1996.
“Intellectual Property Rights in the Information Age,” University of Washington School of Communications, May 4, 1995.
“Who Owns Custom Software?” published in The Washington Journal, March 16, 1995 issue.
