Callie Bjurstrom

Bjurstrom was appointed to the board of directors for Pillsbury Winthrop Shaw Pittman LLP last may. This wasn’t her introduction to leadership. She had already co-led one of the firm’s largest practices — the intellectual property group.

An expert litigator, Bjurstrom has tried cases to verdict as lead counsel in state and federal courts, and before the International Trade Commission.

“I try cases, that’s what I love to do,” Bjurstrom said. “My talent is being able to talk to juries in a way they understand. It’s about developing those simple themes that are memorable.”

She led the team representing the San Diego Comic Convention in a trademark dispute with a rival Utah comic book convention that was using the “Comic-Con” name. San Diego Comic Convention v. Dan Farr Productions, S. D. Cal. 14-cv-01865 (S.D. Cal., filed Aug. 7, 2014).

This past August, U.S. District Court Judge Anthony Battaglia affirmed a unanimous December 2017 jury verdict finding that the Utah convention infringed the “Comic-Con” family of trademarks owned by San Diego Comic Convention. In post-trial rulings, Judge Battaglia awarded the San Diego Comic Convention nearly $4 million in legal fees and costs, and permanently enjoined the Utah event organizer from using “Comic-Con” marks and variants. The case is on appeal at the 9th Circuit.

Others have used the Comic-Con trademark without permission, but the Utah event was among the worst offenders, Bjurstrom said.

Bjurstrom’s intellectual property clients span a vast array of industries, including gaming, telecom, manufacturing, medical devices, and consumer products. The commonality, she said, is her ability to put complex concepts into plain English.

“I give the details to the jury in bite-size pieces. I translate it for the average person to understand,” she said. “If people who are highly technical can explain it to me, and I can explain it to the average judge or jury, then I’ve done my job.”

— Jennifer McEntee