Image: Yar R. Chaikovsky

Yar R. Chaikovsky

Partner, Litigation Department

yarchaikovsky@paulhastings.com

Palo Alto

Phone: 1(650) 320-1832
Fax: 1(650) 320-1932

Overview

Yar R. Chaikovsky is a leading intellectual property trial lawyer at the firm based in the Palo Alto office. For seven years, he led the Paul Hastings’ Intellectual Property Litigation practice as its Global Co-Chair. He serves as lead trial counsel for some of the most preeminent global technology companies in their most important matters. These matters often involve co-pending actions in US District Courts, before agencies such as the USPTO PTAB and USITC, and include foreign tribunals while being frequently litigated through the trial and post-trial phases. His success has led him to be accepted as a Fellow of the Litigation Counsel of America and to be praised by numerous leading publications as one of the nation’s top intellectual property trial lawyers. Mr. Chaikovsky was Yahoo!’s first head patent counsel. Before practicing law, he was an engineer in the missile systems defense department of Hughes Aircraft Company.

Accolades and Recognitions

He has been recognized by IAM Patent 1000 as a “Talisman of the practice” “charismatic top-tier trial lawyer" and a “dynamite trial lawyer who never lacks for a convincing story to tell” and “when it comes to gutting a plaintiff’s damages theory, challenging validity on Section 101 grounds and drawing lines in the sand, he does it all brilliantly.” He is touted as a “swashbuckling lawyer capable of withstanding and fighting back against any onslaught and ultimately winning .” “He keeps himself up to date on everything and doesn’t just give you the textbook options when someone sues you.” He was singled out as a “trial attorney who scored big” and “demonstrated a track record of success” due to his trial preparation and presentation when The National Law Journal named him a "Winning Litigator." Benchmark Litigation also recognized Mr. Chaikovsky as a finalist for Intellectual Property Litigator of the Year and a National Litigation Star, while calling him “a hell of a lawyer and has some ‘buzzy star power’ about him.” Intellectual Asset Management notes that he “communicates exceptionally well and doesn’t let technical jargon dominate his arguments and thinking. He is a talented trial lawyer who deserves high recognition.” He is lauded by Chambers for being a “very sharp and detail-oriented litigator” with an “assertive, thorough and thoughtful approach” to litigation, in addition to having an “ability to adopt the viewpoint of in-house counsel” in order to best achieve client objectives. The National Law Journal also named Mr. Chaikovsky as one of its Intellectual Property Trailblazers where he was identified as being “a thought leader in patent litigation in the United States” due to “his innovative trial work protecting corporations using aggressive litigation strategies.”

In addition, Mr. Chaikovsky has been a lauded patent litigator and ITC practitioner by a number of other leading ranking directories, including:

  • The Legal 500, Intellectual Property - Patents: Litigation (Full Coverage) (2021)
  • The Legal 500, Dispute Resolution - Appellate: Courts of Appeals (2021)
  • The Legal 500, Intellectual Property - Patents: Litigation (International Trade Commission) (2021)
  • The Legal 500 United States (2011-present)
  • The Legal 500, Appellate (2020)
  • The American Lawyer, "Litigator of the Week" (2018)
  • Law360, "Legal MVP Appellate" (2018)
  • Law360, "Legal Lion" (2017-2018)
  • Law360,  MVP (2017)
  • Law360, "IP Trial Pro"
  • Chambers USA (2009-present)
  • National Law Journal, “Winning Litigator” (2012, 2016)
  • National Law Journal, “Litigation Trailblazer” (2016)
  • National Law Journal, "IP Trailblazer" (2014)
  • Benchmark Litigation (2014-present)
  • Benchmark Litigation, "Intellectual Property Attorney of the Year - California" Short List (2020)
  • Benchmark Litigation, "Silicon Valley Attorney of the Year" Short List (2019-2022)
  • Benchmark Litigation, "Silicon Valley Firm of the Year" Short List (2019)
  • Benchmark Litigation, "California - Intellectual Property Litigation Firm of the Year" Short List (2019)
  • Benchmark Litigation, "California Litigation Star" (2014-2018)
  • Benchmark Litigation US Awards, “Intellectual Property Attorney Of the Year Award – West” Short List (2016)
  • Benchmark Litigation US Awards, “Regional Litigator Of the Year Award – West” Short List (2014)
  • The Recorder, "California Trailblazer" (2019)
  • Managing IP, "Outstanding Litigator - California" Short List (2018)
  • Managing IP, “IP Stars” (2013-present)
  • IAM Patent 1000, "The World's Leading Patent Professionals" Gold Ranking (2018-2022)
  • IAM Patent 1000, "Global Leaders" (2020)
  • IAM Patent 1000, "California" (2014-2022)
  • IAM Patent 1000, "Outstanding Litigator - California" Short List (2018)
  • IAM Patent 1000, Recommended for District Court and ITC (2009-present)
  • The Daily Journal, 75 Leading Intellectual Property Litigators (2009-2012, 2014-2022)
  • The Daily Journal, Top 20 Lawyers in California Under the Age of 40
  • Silicon Valley Business Journal’s 40 Under 40

Education

  • University of California-Los Angeles School of Law, J.D., 1994
    • Obtained the Wheat Scholarship and Murray Fellowship
  • University of Southern California, B.S. in Computer Science (magna cum laude), 1991
    • Received the University’s highest scholarship honor, a Trustees’ Scholarship

Court Admissions

  • Admitted to practice in California; the Supreme Court of the United States; the United States Courts of Appeal for the Federal Circuit and Ninth Circuit; the United States District Courts for the Northern District of California, Central District of California, Eastern District of Texas, Western District of Texas, Northern District of Texas, Colorado, and District of Columbia; and before the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office

Representations

Mr. Chaikovsky has litigated both in district courts and the ITC in technology fields as diverse as networking and broadband infrastructure; semiconductors; LEDs; wireless communication standards such as Bluetooth, CDMA, SMS, and WiFi; video compression; navigation systems; software; hardware; consumer electronics; analog devices; and medical devices.

He has represented both plaintiffs and defendants. In representing entities such as Rovi (now TiVo) and Thomson against multiple entities, his clients received payments of over $1 billion. In representing defendants, he has defeated claims that in aggregate exceed over $1 billion.

Throughout his career, his clients have included:

  • Adobe
  • Amazon
  • AOL
  • Applied Materials
  • AT&T Mobility
  • AU Optronics
  • Big Ten Networks
  • Bourns, Inc.
  • Broadcom
  • BYD Motors
  • Canon
  • Carl Zeiss
  • eBay
  • Fairchild Semiconductor
  • Fastenetix
  • Fitbit, Inc.
  • Fox Entertainment Group
  • Fox Sports Interactive
  • Funzio Games, Inc.
  • Futurewei Technologies, Inc. d/b/a
  • GREE, Inc.
  • Gree International Entertainment, Inc.
  • H.I.G. Capital
  • HTC America
  • HTC Corporation
  • Huawei Technologies (USA)
  • Intel
  • Intuit
  • Kinetic Technologies
  • Lexar Media
  • LinkedIn
  • McGaw
  • Micron Technology
  • Motorola
  • MySpace
  • Newegg
  • Payner Media
  • PayPal
  • Pelagic, Inc.
  • Photobucket
  • Rovi Corporation now TiVo
  • Sears Roebuck & Co.
  • Snap Inc.
  • Sony Corporation
  • Sony Electronics
  • Sony Pictures
  • Spansion
  • Target
  • Thomson Licensing Inc.
  • Thomson Licensing S.A.
  • Trend Micro
  • Twitter
  • Vitesse Semiconductor
  • Xtera, Inc.
  • Yahoo!

news

    Recognitions

    insights

    Engagement & Publications

    Mr. Chaikovsky is the author of numerous publications and a frequent speaker on the subject of intellectual property, including:

    Involvement

    • Attorney, Order of Veritas.
    • Attorney, Order of Certus.
    • Member, Trial Law Institute.
    • Member, Diversity Law Institute.
    • Elected as a member of The Fellows of the American Bar Foundation (ABF). Membership in The Fellows is limited to one-third of one percent of lawyers licensed to practice in each jurisdiction.
    • Adjunct lecturer of intellectual property at Stanford Law School, and frequent speaker at conferences around the nation on various aspects of intellectual property law.
    • Member of several professional organizations, including the American Bar Association, American Intellectual Property Law Association, Federal Circuit Bar Association, International Trade Commission Trial Lawyer Association, and American Electronics Association.

    Practice Areas

    Litigation
    Patent Litigation
    Internet of Things
    ITC Section 337 Investigations
    Technology
    Trade Secrets
    Intellectual Property
    Artificial Intelligence

    Languages

    English

    Admissions

    United States Patent & Trademark Office
    California Bar

    Education

    UCLA School of Law, J.D. 1994
    University of Southern California, B.S. 1991

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