Admitted to Practice | Washington, 2007 | | Maryland, 2005 | | U.S. District Court District of Maryland, 2006 | | U.S. Court of Appeals 4th Circuit, 2006 | | U.S. Court of Appeals 9th Circuit, 2007 | | U.S. District Court Western District of Washington, 2007 | | U.S. District Court Eastern District of Washington, 2009 |
| Sarah Duran is a media and intellectual property lawyer. Her involvement in media legal matters includes assisting with access disputes, First Amendment rights and defamation. Her intellectual property work includes trademark and copyright prosecution, counseling and enforcement. She also handles litigation for commercial clients. Selected Experience Counsel in defense of claims of trademark and trade dress infringement involving nutritional supplements. (W.D. Wash. Ongoing) Counsel to international outdoor products retailer Marker International GmbH in trademark conflict proceedings before the Trademark Trial and Appeal Board. (T.T.A.B. Ongoing) Represent national retailer of patent, copyright, and trademark infringement suit involving various thermoplastic rubber toys. Obtained voluntary dismissal with prejudice of all claims, including court ordered monetary sanctions and attorneys’ fees against plaintiff and its counsel. 2011 WL 2292326 (W.D. Wash. 2011) Submitted amicus brief on behalf of national and Washington state media in support of constitutionality of the Washington Public Records Act, which required public disclosure of names of referendum sponsors and signatures. 130 S.Ct. 2811 (U.S. 2010) Successfully quashed subpoena, on First Amendment grounds, directed to former student journalist for newsgathering material. 733 F. Supp. 2d 1268 (W.D. Wash. 2010) Represented newspaper before Washington Supreme Court and trial court in public records litigation over police investigative files stemming from the 2009 shooting of four police officers. Obtained a unanimous decision that police records cannot be categorically withheld from public access, even in the face of a claim that disclosure threatens the suspect's fair trial rights. 170 Wash.2d 581, 243 P.3d 919 (Wash. App. 2010) Pro bono representation of news publication in records access case. Successfully argued that the publication should have access to employment records of a Department of Corrections employee. (2009) Represented local television station in a motion to unseal summary judgment documents filed in a discrimination lawsuit brought by a former news anchor. The court ordered the documents to be unsealed with only a few redactions. Cause No. 03-2-39320-7 (King Cnty. (Wash.) Super. Ct. 2009) Represented, pro bono, individuals charged with trespass after they built a homeless tent city on Seattle property. Representation included filing a motion to dismiss based on First Amendment grounds. The City of Seattle subsequently dismissed charges against the defendants. (2009) Represented CBC in granting an order, in part, to intervene and unseal documents from federal criminal court files for use in its television program 'The Fifth Estate.' (2009) Represented intervenor CBC in motions to intervene and unseal criminal records filed in a cross-border drug smuggling case. Motions were filed in the U.S. District Courts for the Eastern and Western Districts of Washington. The courts granted the motions in part. (2009) Represented clothing designer in competing trademark infringement actions in a Florida federal court and the U.S. District for the Western District of Washington. Successfully obtained dismissal of the Florida lawsuit in favor of the preferred Washington venue. Successfully obtained preliminary junction. (2008) Counsel in a trademark infringement lawsuit filed in the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Washington. Following oral argument, the case was dismissed for lack of personal jurisdiction. (2008) Represented TV station KIRO in opposing a motion to close a courtroom during a criminal case against a juvenile. (2008) Additional Qualifications
- Law Clerk, Hon. Deborah K. Chasanow, U.S. District Court, Greenbelt, Md.
- More than 10 years as an award-winning newspaper reporter
|
Professional and Community Activities Education J.D., University of Baltimore School of Law, 2005, summa cum laude
- Articles Editor, University of Baltimore Law Review
- First Place, 2005 Honorable William C. Conner Intellectual Property Law Writing Competition, presented by the New York Intellectual Property Law Association
- Local prize winner in the ASCAP Nathan Burkan Memorial copyright writing competition
- Co-recipient of the Law Faculty Award for scholarship, leadership and service
B.A., History, Occidental College, 1988 | |