Irene Y. Lee

  Los Angeles

  ilee@raklaw.com

  310.826.7474

  Bio

  vCard

PRACTICE AREAS

Litigation & Trial

Intellectual Property

Apparel & Fashion

Media & Entertainment

Patent Litigation

EDUCATION

Loyola Law School (JD, 2000)

University of California, Los Angeles (BS, Biochemistry, 1996)

Irene Lee is a partner at Russ August & Kabat, where she focuses her practice on all aspects of intellectual property, including patent, trademark, copyright, trade secret, and right of publicity. Irene helps clients navigate through the issues surrounding creating, acquiring, securing, protecting, defending, enforcing, licensing, and monetizing their rights in various forms of intellectual property worldwide and counsels them on risk management.

Irene has been featured in WTR 1000 – The World’s Leading Trademark Professionals and selected by peers and clients in Managing Intellectual Property’s Top 500 IP Stars and Top 250 Women in IP. Irene was recognized as a Southern California Super Lawyer since 2013, as one of Southern California Top 50 Women since 2016, and one of Southern California’s Top 100 Super Lawyers since 2017. She was named to The Best Lawyers in America (2024 – 2025 Editions) for Litigation – Intellectual Property. Billboard recognized Irene in its 2023 and 2024 ‘Top Music Lawyers’ list. The Los Angeles Business Journal has named her one of the Most Influential Women Lawyers in Los Angeles, one of the Most Influential Minority Lawyers in Los Angeles, and one of the Leading Intellectual Property Lawyers in California. Irene is also a sought-after speaker.  She was a panelist for the 2022 IPO Annual Conference.

As a registered patent attorney, Irene employs her patent prosecution experience in strategizing patent litigation and licensing issues. Irene represents clients in a wide range of industries, including recreational vehicle, beauty, biotechnology, information technology, housewares, household products, baby products, food and beverages, jewelry, apparel, and CBD-based goods.

In addition to patent litigation and licensing, Irene has extensive experience in trademark prosecution, litigation, and licensing with an emphasis on global brand expansion and management through strategic trademark and copyright protection and enforcement programs.

Irene is fluent in Korean.

Recent Matters

• Britney Spears v. Oil de Lamor Ltd., et al. – protecting the artist Ms. Spears’ rights against infringers in Israel.
• The University of Utah v. 21 Savage – defended the artist 21 Savage’s rights in contract dispute.
• Thor Industries v. Thor Trucks – obtained a final judgment in favor of the world’s largest RV company, Thor Industries, permanently enjoining Thor Trucks from using THOR.
• Galatea Jewelry v. Swarovski – represents the world–renowned jewelry designer and his companies in protecting and enforcing copyrights.
• The Honest Company v. Redmon d/b/a Honest Herbal – obtained a final judgment in favor of Honest Co., permanently enjoining the defendants from using HONEST.
• The Honest Company v. Jakks Pacific – obtained a confidential settlement agreement in three months of filing the lawsuit against Jakks Pacific asserting infringement of Honest Co.’s copyright and trademark rights.
• VIA Technologies v. ASUSTek Computer – secured a significant settlement for VIA in a patent infringement and trade secret misappropriation action.
• Meowingtons, LLC v. deadmau5 – secured a significant settlement for deadmau5 in a trademark infringement action.
• Google v. VIA Technologies – secured a significant settlement for VIA Technologies in trademark proceedings over the CHROME trademark portfolio.
• deadmau5 v. West Coast Vape Supply, Inc. – successfully enforced deadmau5’s trademark rights.
• The Redbean House v. Colonnade Wilshire Corp. – obtained a verdict in favor of The Redbean House, along with full recovery of attorneys’ fees and costs, in a five-year real estate dispute.
• Disney v. deadmau5 – represented deadmau5 in trademark proceedings over deadmau5’s intellectual property rights.
• Honest Tea, Inc. v. The Honest Company, Inc.– defended Honest Co. in trademark proceedings.
• com v. Brenwell Media – obtained a final judgment for LegalZoom permanently enjoining the defendants from using ZOOM.
• travisMathew v. Leisure Society Unlimited – obtained a preliminary injunction for travisMathew in a contract dispute and trademark action.
• Java Equities v. Newheart Limited Partnership – obtained a complete and total defense decision in favor of Newheart in arbitration on breach of contract and fraud, including award of attorneys’ fees.
• Absolute Software v. Stealth Signal – obtained a final judgment and permanent injunction in favor of Absolute Software in a seven-year patent infringement action.

Articles/Publications

• “The Two Culture Edge – Irene Y. Lee’s motto is ‘avoid drama’; opposing attorneys don’t always help.” Super Lawyers Magazine (January 20, 2022)
• “Intellectual Property & Licensing Law: A Roundtable Discussion,” Los Angeles Business Journal (November 18, 2019).
• “Intellectual Property & Licensing Law Roundtable: What Businesses Need to Know,” Los Angeles Business Journal (November 26, 2018).
• “Issues High Court Will Explore in Copyright Registration Case,” IP Law360 (October 18, 2018).