Joseph C. Gratz

Joseph C. Gratz is a partner at Morrison Foerster, where he focuses his practice on patent litigation, trademark, copyright, and AI law, particularly at the intersection of new technologies and intellectual property. His expertise spans a broad range of technology sectors, including software, digital media, computer security, mobile-device interfaces, Internet telephony, and WiFi antenna design. He is recognized for his work advising AI companies on mitigating copyright risks and litigating disputes involving emerging technologies, including generative AI models.

While Mr. Gratz has appeared on both the plaintiff and defendant sides in patent litigation, including as lead counsel for Veloxis Pharmaceuticals, Inc. against Accord Healthcare, Inc. and as counsel for Google, LLC against ART Research and Technology LLC, his practice heavily emphasizes defending major technology companies and online platforms. He has a notable track record in precedent-setting cases in Internet law, defending Google in the Google Books copyright litigation, securing summary judgment and appellate victories. He also achieved an appellate victory in Long v. Facebook, setting standards for DMCA removals, and a win in Stevens v. CoreLogic regarding DMCA 1202 claims. Mr. Gratz currently represents OpenAI and Stability AI in U.S. copyright litigation and regularly defends Amazon and Meta in intermediary liability copyright and trademark cases.

Morrison Foerster maintains an excellent reputation for handling Inter Partes Reviews (IPRs) and post-grant proceedings. However, specific details on Mr. Gratz's personal involvement in IPR or PTAB proceedings are not readily available in public profiles. Mr. Gratz earned his B.A. from the University of Wisconsin-Madison and his J.D., cum laude, from the University of Minnesota Law School. He is admitted to practice in California and Wisconsin and previously served as a law clerk to the Honorable John T. Noonan, Jr. of the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals.