Timothy B Yoo

Practice Areas

Intellectual Property, Entertainment, Complex Business Litigation

Career

Timothy B. Yoo is a go-to first-chair trial lawyer with a proven track record in high-stakes technology and intellectual property disputes. Known for his deep technical acumen and strategic litigation skills, Timothy represents emerging startups to global Fortune 500 companies in their most complex and business-critical matters.

A recognized leader in IP litigation, Timothy has been named one of California’s “Top Intellectual Property Lawyers” by the Daily Journal for three consecutive years. He has also been honored as an “Intellectual Property Trailblazer” by the National Law Journal and was named “Trial Lawyer of the Year” in 2023 by the Century City Bar Association in Los Angeles.

Timothy’s ability to quickly master complex technologies and navigate intricate legal disputes makes him a sought-after advocate across multiple industries, including semiconductors, consumer electronics, automotive, fintech, cryptocurrency, and entertainment. His recent work includes:

Defending the world’s largest electronics contract manufacturer in an arbitration hearing over atmospheric water-generation technology.

Securing a complete defense verdict in a two-week federal jury trial on behalf of a unicorn fintech company against trademark and tortious-interference claims.

Representing the world’s second-largest memory chip maker in a $175 million breach-of-contract lawsuit brought by Microsoft over DRAM chip supply for Xbox One.

Defending leading OTT streaming platforms in nationwide patent-infringement lawsuits.

Defending Korea’s largest OEM automotive supplier in a global patent battle over on-board chip technology.

Before joining Bird Marella, Timothy served as head of international disputes for CJ Entertainment & Media, Korea’s largest entertainment and media conglomerate. This experience gives him a unique edge in cross-border litigation and intellectual property enforcement for Asian companies navigating the U.S. legal landscape.

Timothy currently represents global K-pop stars BTS and their record label, HYBE, as well as Kakao Entertainment, TV Chosun Corp., MBC, Seoul Broadcasting System, NHN Bugs, and other leading media companies in U.S. copyright matters.

He is co-chair of Bird Marella’s Korea Practice Group and a trusted legal strategist for global companies protecting their technology, brand, and intellectual property in the U.S.

Professional Memberships

President, LACBA Counsel for Justice

Member, Council of Korean Americans

Fellow, Leadership Council on Legal Diversity (LCLD), 2016

Publications

Articles & Publications

Featured in Cover Story Interview, Legal Times, July 2023

Author, “K-Pop to Parasite—Navigating South Korean Business Culture,” Bloomberg Law, May 2020

Author, “Proliferation of Streaming Video Services Could Lead to Increased Regulations and Taxes on OTT Providers,” Daily Journal, April 2020

Author, “How Streaming Video Cos. Are Challenging New Taxes,” Law360, April 2020

Podcasts

Guest, "031: Tim Yoo on What Lawyers Can Learn from Pro-Wrestling, Applied Mathematics, and Tennis," Khurram's Quorum, January 2025

Guest, "Hsu Untied," March 2024

Experience

In 2024, successfully defended one of the country’s largest real estate firms as lead trial counsel in a nearly four-week jury trial in Los Angeles Superior Court in a case involving allegations of defective construction and material non-disclosures in a multi-unit, mixed-use development.

Won complete defense verdict in a federal jury trial for Pentius, LLC, a consumer-credit fintech company, on industry incumbent ConsumerDirect’s trademark, false designation of origin, and intentional interference claims following a nearly two-week trial and just a few hours of deliberations. ConsumerDirect, Inc. v. Pentius, LLC, et al., Case No. 8:21-cv-01968 (C.D. Cal.).

Won copyright-infringement lawsuit on behalf of international K-pop sensation BTS and its label, HYBE Corporation. The plaintiff alleged that the idea for CJ E&M and HYBE’s reality show I-Land was stolen from a written treatment for his original television series idea. The district court granted Timothy's first motion to dismiss without giving the plaintiff leave to amend—concluding that plaintiff’s claims failed as a matter of law—and entered judgment in favor of his clients. Bryan Kahn v. CJ E&M, BTS aka Bangtan Boys, and Big Hit Entertainment Company, Case No. 2:21-cv-03230-DMG-KS (C.D. Cal).

Successfully defended Humax USA, Inc., a set-top box and wireless router distributor, in a patent-infringement lawsuit in the District of Delaware. Plaintiff had alleged that Humax USA’s products infringed on its patents purporting to cover port-triggering functionality. After minimal discovery and the exchange of non-infringement positions, Plaintiff agreed to a voluntary dismissal. CDN Innovations, LLC v. Humax USA, Inc., Case No. 1:23-cv-00159 (D. Del.).

Won copyright-infringement lawsuit in favor of a joint defense group comprised of some of Korea’s largest media companies – Kakao Entertainment, Genie Music, NHN Bugs, TJ Media, Keum Young, MBC, and TV Chosun – concerning the works of South Korean composer Jae-Ho Lee. Successfully prevailed on successive motions to dismiss, securing a dismissal with prejudice. Beom Su Lee v. TV Chosun, et al., Case No. 2:22-cv-00933-DSF-KS (C.D. Cal.).

In 2021, successfully defended the world’s largest electronics contract manufacturer as lead trial counsel in a ten-day JAMS arbitration hearing in Los Angeles, California involving atmospheric water-generating technology.

As co-lead trial counsel, achieved a complete defense verdict on behalf of his client SK hynix, the world’s second-largest memory chip manufacturer, after a three-week jury trial in the Western District of Washington in a $175-million breach-of-contract lawsuit brought on behalf of the Microsoft Corporation by its subsidiary insurer. Cypress Insurance Co. v. SK Hynix America, Inc., Case No. 2:17-cv-00467-RAJ (W.D. Wash.).

Completely defended a $50-million copyright-infringement lawsuit on behalf of his client CJ Entertainment & Media, Korea’s largest media conglomerate, concerning the distribution of “K-pop” songs in the U.S. over the Beats Music platform. Prior to the commencement of extensive international discovery, Timothy was able to get the case dismissed in its entirety based on the doctrine of forum non conveniens, which the Ninth Circuit has noted is an “exceptional” remedy that is rarely to be used. DFSB Kollective Co. Ltd. v. CJ E&M, Inc., et al., Case No. 2:15-cv-01650-SVW-FFM (C.D. Cal.).

Favorably resolved a global trademark dispute on behalf of his snack-food manufacturer client World Peas Brand, the maker of Peatos™, against Frito-Lay.

Education

Awards