Mr. O'Banion is the managing partner at O'Banion & Ritchey LLP which is a boutique intellectual property practice in Sacramento, California.   The firm specializes in intellectual property law, including patents, trademarks and copyrights. Our practice involves U.S. and foreign registration, litigation, and licensing of intellectual property rights.

Mr. O'Banion has both educational and work experience in the area of electrical engineering, including semiconductor design and fabrication, circuit design, electromagnetics, signal processing, data processing and computer system architecture and programming.

Since 1988, Mr. O'Banion has assisted clients with obtaining hundreds of patents in technology areas ranging from basic mechanical devices to high technology electronic, computer, signal processing, communications, medical and dental devices.  Samples of these patents can be found by clicking here.  In addition, Mr. O'Banion has experience in technology transfer and licensing, and represents small and large corporations, as well as individual inventors, pursue and defend patent infringement actions.

Mr. O'Banion was appointed to the Executive Committee of the State Bar of California, Intellectual Property Section by the Board of Governors in 1996, and was appointed as Chair for the 2000-2001 term.  Previously, Mr. O'Banion also held the positions of Secretary and Vice-Chair.  Mr. O'Banion was elected co-Vice-Chair of the Council of State Bar Sections for the 2002-2003 term, as co-Chair for the 2003-2004 term, and served as a member on the Board of Governor's Task Force.

Mr. O'Banion has been awarded the prestigious Martindale-Hubbell AV rating, is listed in the Bar Register of Preeminent Attorneys, and has been repeatedly recognized as a "Northern California Super-Lawyer" in the area of intellectual property.

Mr. O'Banion has taught several Section Education Institutes on behalf of the Intellectual Property Section of the State Bar of California, and has taught at the Intellectual Property Section's Annual Institute, at the Conference on Exploitation of the State's Intellectual Property Rights, at the California Continuing Education of the Bar's Intellectual Property Litigation Program, and at the American Association of Public Welfare Attorneys Annual National Training Continuing Education Conference.  Each of these courses qualified for providing credit for continuing legal education for the participants.  Mr. O'Banion has also lectured in the area of intellectual property at McGeorge School of Law, at California State University, Sacramento, and at the University of California at Davis.

Mr. O'Banion was the Program Chair for the State Bar of California's 24th Annual Intellectual Property Institute.

While Mr. O'Banion's practice emphasizes patent prosecution, licensing and litigation, his practice also includes trademark, copyright, trade secret and unfair competition law, and business counseling.

From 1987 to 1989, Mr. O'Banion was the General Counsel of Resource Management International, Inc. (RMI), an engineering consulting firm headquartered in Sacramento, CA. In addition to his responsibility for all corporate legal matters, including intellectual property, Mr. O'Banion also provided engineering consulting services to many of RMI's clients as a Principal Executive Consultant.

From 1975 to 1987, Mr. O'Banion held various engineering and management positions at the Sacramento Municipal Utility District, including those of assistant engineer, associate engineer, senior engineer, supervising engineer, and power contracts department manager.

From 1981 to 1987, Mr. O'Banion also maintained a private practice in the area of intellectual property law, focusing on computer software protection and trademark and copyright law.

EDUCATIONAL BACKGROUND

Juris Doctor, May 1981, University of the Pacific, McGeorge School of Law, Sacramento, California. Member, Traynor Society.
Bachelor of Science, Electrical Engineering, June 1975, University of California, Davis, California.

BAR ADMISSIONS

California, December 1981.
District of Columbia, October 1985.
United States Patent and Trademark Office, December 1988. Registration No. 33,201.

COURT ADMISSIONS

United States District Courts: Eastern District of California, Central District of California, Northern District of California.
United States Court of Appeals: Ninth Circuit, Federal Circuit.

Registered Professional Engineer, Electrical, State of California, February 1978. Registration No. E9670.

PROFESSIONAL AFFILIATIONS

American Bar Association.
Sacramento County Bar Association.
American Intellectual Property Law Association.
Patent and Trademark Office Society.
San Francisco Intellectual Property Law Association.
State Bar of California, Intellectual Property Section (Executive Committee, 1996 to 2001; Officer, 1998-2001; Chair, 2000-2001).
Sacramento Intellectual Property Law Association (President, 1993; Board of Directors, 1990-1997).

About Our Firm