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Trevor Coddington’s practice focuses on intellectual property law, with deep experience in patent litigation and procurement. He pairs a doctorate in physics with decades of courtroom and prosecution experience to help clients protect, monetize, and defend the innovations reshaping their industries, always with an eye toward how intellectual property strategy advances clients' actual business objectives.

Trevor’s career began at the intersection of science and law. While completing his Ph.D. in physics, he served as a patent examiner at the United States Patent and Trademark Office, evaluating applications in applied cryptography and emerging technologies across e-commerce, telecommunications, and cybersecurity. That early immersion in foundational computing and security technologies gives him a rare fluency in the algorithms and system architectures that now underpin modern artificial intelligence.

Trevor has also spent decades litigating patent infringement and validity disputes in federal district courts nationwide and has drafted and secured hundreds of patents before the USPTO. Among his nationally recognized work is a niche in the holographic and digital projection technologies used in live entertainment, where he played an integral role in disputes behind some of the most notable digital resurrections in entertainment, including the holographic performances of Tupac Shakur at Coachella and Michael Jackson at the Billboard Music Awards. That work reflects a broader pattern in his practice, namely a willingness to engage with technologies before the law has fully caught up with them.

Beyond patents, Trevor advises clients on the full spectrum of intellectual property matters. He has secured trademark registrations on a global scale and regularly counsels businesses on protecting their brands, trade secrets, and other intangible assets in a way that supports growth, financing, and competitive positioning.

Away from the Office

Trevor stays engaged with his community and with the next generation of innovators and leaders. He volunteers with the Lake Travis Youth Association and coaches youth sports, where he focuses on team building and on helping kids develop the discipline, resilience, and collaborative instincts that serve them well on and off the field. He also speaks to elementary school discovery programs, sharing his enthusiasm for science and invention with young students.

Trevor’s commitment to the profession extends beyond client work. He has provided pro bono counsel to teams competing in the Biomimicry Global Design Challenge, an initiative of the Biomimicry Institute that develops nature-inspired solutions aligned with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). He is also a dedicated mentor, actively working to expand access and opportunities for underrepresented groups in business, technology, and the law.

Bar Admissions

  • State Bar of Texas
  • State Bar of California
  • U.S. Patent and Trademarks Office
  • U.S. Court of Appeals
  • U.S. Court of Federal Claims
  • U.S. District Court, Central District of California
  • U.S. District Court, Southern District of California
  • U.S. District Court, District of Colorado
  • U.S. District Court, Southern District of Texas
  • U.S. District Court, Western District of Texas
  • Trademark Cancellation: Represented petitioner Pathway in successfully cancelling two registered trademarks by Respondent HangZhou in Pathway Innovation and Technologies, Inc. v. HangZhou Zero Zero Technology Co., Ltd., Cancellation Nos. 92067884 and 92068617 (TTAB,  May 31, 2023). The Board found that the registered and senior trademarks HOVER CAMERA and HOVERCAMERA PASSPORT, for “cameras for drones” and “drones,” respectively, are likely to cause consumers to be confused between the source of HangZhou’s products and Pathway’s document camera products, which bear Pathway’s prior-registered HOVERCAM design mark and prior-registered word marks HOVERCAM and HOVERCAM SOLO.
  • Patent Reexamination: Successfully defeated all grounds of anticipation and obviousness raised by the challenger to continue the patentee’s enforcement campaign of United States Patent No. 8,756,845.
  • Federal Circuit Reversal: Represented patentee and appellant Evolusion before the Federal Circuit, which reversed and vacated the district court’s summary judgment ruling of non-infringement and vacated the defendant’s award of attorney’s fees in Evolusion Concepts, Inc. v. HOC Events, Inc., No. 2021-1963 (Fed. Cir., Jan. 14, 2022).
  • Contributory Infringement Avoided: Established that mylar film used in Hologram theatrical performances had substantial non-infringing uses, and defendant client was granted summary judgment of no contributory infringement in Hologram USA, Inc. v. Pulse Evolution Corp., et al., Case no. 2:14-cv-0772 (D. Nev., Jan. 31, 2017).
  • Patent Royalty Standard: Obtained an 18.77 percent royalty for a patentee via a non-confidential settlement with an alleged infringer. Evolusion Concepts, Inc. v. Cross Engineering, LLC, et al., Case No. Case No. 3:18-cv-00871-MSB (S.D. Cal.). The 18.77 percent royalty rate now serves as a standard in the client’s enforcement/licensing campaign.
  • Patent Infringement Claim Abandoned: Sought declaratory judgment of non-infringement for a client, which resulted in patentee abandoning its infringement claim and purchasing client’s product line for a significant amount of money.
  • Patent Validated Over Alice Challenge: Defeated a motion to dismiss on Alice grounds with the court adopting client’s argument. Confident Technologies Inc. v. AXS Group LLC et al., Case No. 3:17-cv-02181-H-MDD (S.D. Cal.) (“The Court agrees with plaintiff that the invention claimed in the ’578 patent is not directed to an abstract idea”).
  • Patent Reexamination: Successfully defended a client’s five patents during extensive reexamination proceedings, then successfully obtained a lucrative settlement resulting in an effective 25 percent royalty payment.
  • Patent Enforcement: Successfully obtained a lucrative settlement for a patentee against one of the largest pharmacy chains in the United States a few months after filing. Drafted and obtained patent at-issue as well.
  • Patent Law Expert Testimony: Testified as an expert in patent law on several occasions involving disputes related to USPTO procedure, patent licensing and ownership, and acts of inequitable conduct by patent applicants.
  • Successful Validity Challenge: Found invalidating prior art that had not been considered by the USPTO during reexamination of an asserted patent and convinced the patentee to dismiss its claims against a client within months after filing the lawsuit.
  • Non-Infringement Acknowledgment: Forced accountability on a patentee to issue a press release announcing that a client’s products do not infringe and that customers may purchase client’s products without fear of reprisal.
  • Patent Expert Testimony: Testified as an expert in patent law on several occasions involving disputes related to USPTO procedure, patent licensing and ownership, and acts of inequitable conduct by patent applicants.
  • University of California, San Diego, Jacobs School of Engineering and von Liebig Center for Entrepreneurism and Technology Advancement, Special Course on Entrepreneurship and New Venture Creation, Guest Speaker, “Intellectual Property Protection/Enforcement – The ‘Do’s and Don’ts,’” 2011