Gregory P. Barbee

Greg Barbee is a partner in the Governmental Practice in the firm's Los Angeles office.

Areas of Practice

Greg specializes in commercial litigation, with an emphasis on general business disputes and intellectual property. In the general business context, he represents businesses and individuals in litigation and arbitrations related to contractual disputes, business torts, real estate, the entertainment industry and government contracts.

Greg's intellectual property expertise includes patent, trademark, trade dress, trade secret, unfair competition, computer, internet and domain name litigation and arbitrations. In the government contracts area, he provides compliance program advice and counsel and conducts investigations concerning the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA) and the False Claims Act (FCA).

Greg is an editor of, and authored several chapters in, the 2016-2022 Cloud Computing Legal Deskbook (Thomson Reuters), an annual publication addressing cloud computing issues and solutions for commercial and government end users and suppliers.

Experience

Representative Experience:

• Successfully defended a transportation company in a putative class action. The court dismissed the case and granted our client's Anti-SLAPP motion, awarding our client attorney's fees. The case settled on appeal.
• Lead trial counsel in which representing a telecommunications company defending against a putative class action related to a partnership and royalty dispute. The putative class action settled favorably. He represented the same company in several patent infringement lawsuits brought by the company (all of which also settled favorably, before and after trial), and in a prior dispute by another partner.
• Successfully defended an aircraft part manufacturer accused of patent infringement.
• Lead counsel hired post-verdict to represent several international food companies accused of trade secret infringement and breach of contract. Successfully avoided punitive damages and injunctive relief.
• In 2007, tried a real estate dispute seeking the return of a $6 million parcel from a trustee. The claims for breach of contract, breach of fiduciary duty and fraud were all decided in our client's favor, and the parcel was returned.
• Represented Avery Dennison Corporation in several patent suits related to infringement by competitors. The suits settled favorably.
• Lead counsel in a financial arbitration on behalf of an international food company against the purchaser of its assets. Case settled favorably for our client at conclusion of arbitration.
• Lead trial counsel on behalf of Northrop Grumman in case brought by one of Northrop Grumman's subcontractors, Merit Engineering, for breach of contract, conversion, unfair business practices, interference with contract and fraud. After a series of favorable rulings on various motions, the case settled while Merit was in the process of appealing those rulings.
• Lead trial counsel in a case brought by Hi-Rel Connectors against, among others, Northrop Grumman, alleging trade secret misappropriation and breach of contract. The case settled on favorable terms on the eve of trial.
• Represented a defense contractor in a dispute regarding counterfeit and inadequately sourced components. The case settled favorably while avoiding bankruptcy of the sourcing subcontractor.
• Represented Buena Vista Home Entertainment in case against Blockbuster Inc. related to the distribution of BVHE's videocassettes. After the court awarded BVHE summary adjudication on the issue of the validity and enforceability of the parties' contract, and specifically the liquidated damages clause therein (covering approximately $39 million in damages), the case settled favorably.
• Successfully represented the Societe des Bains de Mer et des Etrangers a Monaco in a trademark dispute against a cybersquatter. The parties submitted cross-motions for summary judgment, and the Eastern District of Virginia found SBM's mark valid and infringed; the court ordered return of the infringing domain names. The Fourth Circuit affirmed the judgment.
• Participated in a three-month jury trial successfully defending Avery Dennison Corporation against claims of trade secret misappropriation and unfair competition.
• Represented Suissa Miller in breach of contract and declaratory relief claims against and by Beech-Nut Nutrition Corporation. After a three-day court trial, the U.S. District Court for the Central District of California found for Suissa Miller and entered a judgment awarding Suissa Miller its contractual damages.
• Advised a credit card company accused of patent infringement by a competitor and procured a favorable settlement.
• Lead trial counsel in an arbitration defending a beauty supply company in a suit brought by an investment bank. Won summary judgment and received an award of all costs and attorneys fees.
• Currently represent a multi-national security company in numerous post-acquisition disputes and cases.

Honors

• Southern California Super Lawyer, Super Lawyers, 2014-2017
• Rising Star, Super Lawyers, 2009

Articles

• "Cloud Computing Legal Deskbook," Thomson Reuters, 2015-2022, authored numerous chapters
• Co-author, "Spurred On," Daily Journal, March 3, 2000
• "Attorney's Fee Awards to Pro Se Attorney Litigants After Kay v. Ehrler: No Fees. It's Simple. But Is It Absolute?" Southern California Law Review, 69:1795, 1996

Government Contracts, Investigations & International Trade Blog Posts

• "Get Your Head In The Cloud!" September 26, 2018 
• "Foggy on the Cloud?" September 21, 2015
• "Sarbanes-Oxley Whistleblower Protections Cover Employees of a Public Company’s Private Contractors," March 25, 2014

Video Game Law Blog Posts

• "The FTC Continues Its Focus on the Mobile Arena," May 13, 2014

Books

• "Cloud Computing Legal Deskbook," 2015-2022 (editor)