Joseph M. Rothberg

Joe supports a diverse practice and a number of the Firm’s attorneys on complex litigation matters including civil real estate fraud, partnership disputes, and high profile commercial and intellectual property disputes both within and outside the apparel industry. Joe also has experience both imposing and representing receivers at the state and federal level. Joe serves as “outside general counsel” for a number of privately held small to medium sized businesses in the Los Angeles area.

Before joining Brutzkus Gubner, Joe worked on products liability and mass tort claims for a boutique Los Angeles Firm. Additionally, he spent a semester as an extern for the Honorable Judge Maureen Tighe in the San Fernando Valley Division of the United States Bankruptcy Court for the Central District of California. Joe spent the summer of 2011 as a special holocaust reparations clerk for Bet Tzedek legal services in Los Angeles, personally working on over one hundred and fifty individual cases.

Education

• UCLA School of Law (J.D., 2012)
• University of California, Berkeley (B.A., History with high honors, 2008)

Admissions

• U.S. District Court for the Central District of California
• U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California
• U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York
• Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals
• State Bar of New York (2017)
• State Bar of California (2012)

• Knight v. DeMarco, et al. (BC 471358) (successfully placed into receivership and sold real property so to reach a seven figure settlement, despite an investigation revealing that title was held by an individual using a false alias).
• Anhing Corp. v. Thuan Phong Co., Ltd. (13-05167) (unanimous jury verdict finding that defendant willfully infringed client’s federally registered MY-THO trademark)
• Anhing Corp. v. Thuan Phong Co., Ltd. (13-05167) (summary judgment granted in client’s favor on defendant’s counterclaim that client obtained its federal trademark registration by committing fraud on U.S. Patent and Trademark Office)
• Borden Co. (PTE) Ltd. v. Grandway Enterprises, Inc. et al. (14-02858) (obtained permanent injunction against importer of counterfeit goods, as well as $1.2 million in statutory damages, plus attorney fees and interest in client’s favor)
• Serves as outside general counsel for a number of privately held small to medium sized businesses in the Los Angeles area.
• Guided several clients through the small claims collections processes, from preparing petition paperwork to coaching clients for their trial.
• Represented a Successor Liquidating Trustee in a twenty year old chapter 11 bankruptcy in order to determine final distributions to over two hundred creditors.
• Represented discrete out of state clientele in fast paced real estate transactions.

• Judicial extern to the Honorable Maureen A. Tighe, United States Bankruptcy Court, Central District of California (2012)

• “Best Lawyers in America” (2018-Present)
• Thomson Reuters Southern California “Super Lawyers – Rising Stars” (2016-Present)

• Author, “March Madness Or Strong Defense: NCAA Opposes Company’s ‘March Mulligans’ Trademark,” Forbes (March. 28, 2019)
• Author, “In-N-Out vs. Smashburger: A Juicy US Burger Lawsuit Invokes Multiple Trademark Law Doctrines,” Intellectual Property Watch (Sept. 4, 2017)
• Author, “Legal Inklings On Ink: Are Tattoos Reproduced In Video Games Fair Use?” Forbes (Aug. 22, 2017)
• Author, “Prime Time For Pink Slime: BPI’s Defamation Case Against ABC Heads To Trial,” Forbes (June 2, 2017)
• Author, “Rogue One: A Star Wars Story – A New Hope (For Deceased Actors),” Forbes (Dec. 22, 2016)
• Co-Author, “Why The Court Threw Out Lindsay Lohan’s ‘Grand Theft Auto V’ Lawsuit,” Forbes (Sept. 2, 2016)
• Author, “Cheating In Gaming: Will Copyright Laws Level Up?” Forbes (Sept. 1, 2016)
• Author, “‘Pokémon GO’ Field Guide: What You Need To Know About Civil Trespass Laws,” Forbes (July 21, 2016)
• Co-Author, “808s And Wiretapping: The Legal Implications Of Kanye West And Taylor Swift’s Phone Call,” Forbes (July 18, 2016)
• Co-Author, “‘So Sue Me’: The Kanye West Guide To Using Celebrity Images In Your Music Video,” Forbes (June 28, 2016)
• Co-Author, “A Trademark Lawsuit ‘Lager’ Than Life,” IP Watchdog (June 19, 2016)
• Co-Author, “In ‘Stairway To Heaven’ Case, A Rock Band On Trial,” Forbes (June 10, 2016)
• Co-Author, “The importance of using your brand: How the Naugles trademark got a new owner,” Nation’s Restaurant News (Aug. 28, 2015)
• Author, “Beyond Thunderdome: Ch. 9 And Saving The Blighted City,” Law360 (2013)