Hana Oh, Ph.D., is an MIT-trained litigator in O’Melveny’s Intellectual Property and Technology practice group. Hana focuses on patent and trade secret litigation and licensing issues for innovative companies, including Samsung, Micron, Google, Alcon, and Endo Pharmaceuticals. Hana is registered to practice before the US Patent and Trademark Office. Clients entrust her to navigate complex scientific and technical issues arising in intellectual property disputes. Hana has skillfully managed large teams, experts, and co-counsel through many phases of litigation, from pre-filing investigation, pleadings, complex discovery, and motion practice to settlement negotiations and pre-trial filings. She is fluent in Korean, and serves as an effective advisor to Korean clients regarding litigation in the US and licensing issues.
Before joining O’Melveny, Hana designed microfluidic devices to study cellular mechanics. She conducted postdoctoral research at a leading biotechnology company, and understands the importance of protecting a company’s valuable IP assets. She also prosecuted patents and managed portfolios in a wide range of technical industries. Her research and prosecution experience enables her to bring a critical and deep-probing approach to all litigation matters.
Hana’s tireless advocacy extends to her active pro bono practice, particularly in advocating for domestic violence victims. For example, she argued for and obtained asylum in the US on behalf of three siblings from Guatemala, who were victims of domestic abuse. She also successfully obtained a maximum-term restraining order for a victim of domestic violence, and U Visas for a sexual abuse victim and his family.
Hana is active in the legal and tech communities. She has served on the board of the Markey Intellectual Property Inn of Court, OCKABA (Orange County Korean-American Bar Association), and the Planning Committee for Human Options (nonprofit serving victims of domestic abuse). An effective speaker who is particularly adept at discussing various IP issues tailored to attorneys and scientists, she has spoken at national conferences and PLI (Practicing Law Institute).
- Advised pharmaceutical giant in extensive pre-litigation negotiations with competitor about its cancer treatment drug, resulting in a favorable settlement
- Defended multinational electronics corporation in litigation against competitor involving 13 patents with thousands of accused products including smart devices
- Counseled high-performance analog and mixed-signal integrated circuits manufacturer in dispute over patent portfolio directed to access network technology
- Defended major automotive manufacturer against patent litigation in Japan and Germany involving electronic communication systems in cars
- Defended international tech corporation against infringement allegations of patents directed to semiconductor technology
- Defended leading memory and storage technology company in patent infringement litigation
- Counseled multinational electronic component company regarding patent licensing disputes and negotiations
- Counseled cathode material manufacturer regarding infringement analysis involving next-generation battery technology
- Achieved landmark settlement in favor of industry-leading biotechnology client in high-profile trade secret litigation involving DNA synthesis technology
- Obtained sweeping injunction on behalf of major pharmaceutical company prohibiting competitor from marketing or releasing its competing product until a trial on the merits in trade secret litigation
- Counseled international automotive supplier on licensing disputes regarding digital audio technology that resulted in favorable settlement
- Managed complex foreign language discovery in defending an international consumer electronics company in a high-publicity patent licensing dispute against leading competitor
Languages
- Korean
- German
Admissions
Bar Admissions
- California
Court Admissions
- US District Court for the Central and Northern Districts of California
Registered to Practice
- US Patent and Trademark Office
Education
- University of California at Los Angeles, J.D.
- University of Pennsylvania, Ph.D.: Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering
- Massachusetts Institute of Technology, B.S.: Chemical Engineering
Honors & Awards
- Recommended by The Legal 500 US for Intellectual Property & Technology: Trade Secrets Litigation & Non-Contentious Matters (2024)
- Selected as a LAP (Leadership Advancement Program) fellow with NAPABA (National Asian Pacific American Bar Association) (2022)
- Judge Sheila Sonenshine Pro Bono Award for work on behalf of domestic violence victims with Human Options (2022)
- Selected as a “Top Young Diverse Lawyer in OC” by Orange County Coalition for Diversity in the Law (2021)
- California Lawyers Association's Wiley W. Manuel Certificate for Pro Bono Legal Services (2021), The Public Law Center
Professional Activities
Externships
- Justice Richard M. Aronson, California Court of Appeal
Author
- “Patent Venue Reform: Forum Shopping In A Bear Market,” (co-author John Kappos) The Recorder (December 2, 2020)
- “Combating Baseless Patent Suits: Rule 11 Sanctions with Technology-Specific Application,” Jurimetrics (Joint publication of Arizona State College of Law and the ABA Section of Science & Technology Law), 53 Jurimetrics J.135–178 (2014)
Speaking Engagements
- Speaker, “Reducing the Risk of Cross-Border and Multilingual eDiscovery Cases,” Orange County Bar Association – International Law (2022)
- Panelist, “Outreach Program Attorney Panel,” UC Irvine School of Law (July 30, 2022)
- Panelist, “Career Conversations with In-House and Firm Attorneys,” UC Irvine School of Law (October 21, 2021)
- Speaker, “IP Protection in the Chemical and Pharmaceutical Industries” ACS (American Chemical Society) National Meeting (Aug. 23, 2021)
- Speaker, “Big Data and the Law,” DataCon LA (October 24, 2020)
- Speaker, “Intellectual Property and Open Source,” Nextcloud Conference (October 4, 2020)
- Speaker, “Intellectual Property Protection: Why It Matters Now More Than Ever,” Women in Tech – Innovation Women Speak Webinar (September 2, 2020)
- Speaker, “Protecting Innovations: A Multi-Prong Approach to Intellectual Property,” American Chemical Society (ACS) National Meeting (August 2019)
- Speaker, “Can we all just get along? Technology Protocols and Standards,” Practicing Law Institute (PLI), Internet of Things 2019: Everything is Connected (July 2019)
- Faculty, “Technology Protocols & Standards: Proprietary Versus Open,” Practicing Law Institute (July 2018)
- Co-Chair, US-Korea Law Day Conference (April 2018)
- Guest Lecturer, “Patents or Trade Secrets?” Intellectual Property For Technology Entrepreneurs and Managers, UCLA School of Law/Anderson School of Management (April 2014)
Professional Affiliations
- Board Member, UCLA Law Women LEAD
- Board Member, OCKABA (Orange County Korean-American Bar Association)
- Board Member, Howard T. Markey Intellectual Property Inn of Court