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Education
J.D., Highest Honors,
Golden Gate University Law
School, 1994. Editor-In Chief,
Golden Gate Law Review, 1994.
B.S., High Honors, University of
California, Davis Applied
Behavioral Sciences/Organizational Development, 1988
Admissions & Memberships
- State Bar of California
- U.S. District Court, Northern, Central, Eastern, and Southern District of California
- U.S. Court of Appeals, Ninth Circuit
- U.S. Tax Court
- American Bar Association
- Bar Association of San Francisco
- San Francisco Intellectual Property Association
- Bay Area Lawyers for Individual Freedom (BALIF)
- Graphic Artists Guild
- California Lawyers for the Arts
Publications
"Balancing
Muralists' Intellectual Property with Real Property Rights"
Artistic License Vol. 8/No. 1 (1999)
"Inspiration
on the Streets - Muralists Rights & Entrepreneurship,"
Artistic License Vol. 6/No. 3 (1997)
Law Review, "Contracting for Cohabitation" 23 Golden Gate L. Rev. 899 (1993)
Community Involvement
- Vecinos del Barrio, S.F.
- Various nonprofits
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Brooke Oliver is one of the firm's founders. She is an A-V
rated attorney whose expertise include art law, copyright, contracts,
negotiations, publicity rights, trademark, nonprofits, and business.
Representative litigation includes:
Campusano v. Cort
Ms. Oliver represented muralist Jesus Campusano's heirs and
Elias Rocha against a developer for whitewashing the monumental
Lilli Ann Mural in the Mission District, alleging violations
of federal and state visual artists' rights laws. Ms. Oliver
obtained a T.R.O., a preliminary injunction, a mandatory injunction,
and finally a $200,000 settlement. Heller, Ehrman, White,
& McAuliffe joined as co-counsel.
Cervantes et al v. Corbis
Ms. Oliver, with co-counsel Cotchett, Pitre & Simon, filed
suit against Corbis Corporation, a Bill Gates company, for
copyright, trademark, and publicity rights infringement on
behalf of muralists, the U.F.W.-A.F.L.-C.I.O., and Dolores
Huerta. The case settled amicably.
United Farm Workers Union of America, A.F.L.-C.I.O. v. Aeromexico:
Ms. Oliver successfully brought an action before the Trademark
Trial and Appeals Board opposing an airline's attempt to register
the U.F.W.'s famous slogan "Si Se Puede" as its own.
She later secured federal registration of the mark for the Union.
Gonzales v. Sandoval & Perez
Ms. Oliver defended a Mission District art gallery against
a commercial unlawful detainer at a time when many arts organizations
and artist spaces were evicted due to the dot com explosion in San Francisco.
Legal Advisor to Films includes:
Heart of the Sea
Ms. Oliver served as legal advisor for this documentary on world-class surfer Rell Sunn. Produced by Charlotte Lagarde and directed by Lisa Denker and Charlotte Lagarde, this documentary aired on PBS' Independent Lens in 2003.
Thoth
Ms. Oliver served as legal advisor for this documentary on street performer S.K. Thoth. Produced by Sarah Kernochan and Lynn Appelle and directed by Sarah Kernochan, this documentary aired on Cinemax in 2002 and won an Academy Award for Best Documentary Film on
a Short Subject.
Ms. Oliver represents many businesses and nonprofits, including
the Cesar E. Chavez Foundation and the San Francisco Gay, Lesbian,
Bisexual, and Transgender Pride Celebration Committee, Inc. She
has helped numerous companies establish themselves as corporations
and LLC's, and aided nonprofits to achieve tax exempt status.
She actively instructs other members of the bar, including presentations
on artists' rights at the national Visual Arts & Law Conference
in Taos, N.M. and to attorneys groups. She has presented workshops
on copyrights, trademarks, licensing, and Progressive Private
Practice at many law and art schools around the Bay Area. For
the past three years, Ms. Oliver has judged oral arguments at
the Saul Lefkowitz National Moot Court Competition. Before law
school, she was a labor organizer for 10 years, then spent 6 years
as national marketing director for a cable TV multiple system
operator and national sales manager for a commercial equipment
leasing firm. This extensive labor and business experience lends
depth to Ms. Oliver's legal judgement. She remains an activist,
speaks conversational Spanish, and collects art.
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