Charles Sipos is a class action litigator with more than two decades of experience focusing on technology, consumer goods, and privacy issues. He litigates class actions nationwide and has appeared and argued on behalf of defendants in federal courts, including in California, Colorado, the District of Columbia, Florida, Illinois, New Jersey, New York, Massachusetts, Minnesota, Oregon, Washington, and the U.S. Courts of Appeals for the Second, Seventh, Ninth, and Eleventh Circuits. Charles’ litigation successes have included dismissals and summary judgment based on lack of Article III injury, statutory standing under consumer protection laws, federal preemption, primary jurisdiction, failure to allege damages, First Amendment protection for commercial speech, the “reasonable consumer” standard, and related defenses.
In the privacy sphere, Charles has litigated claims involving the Video Privacy Protection Act (VPPA), the California Invasion of Privacy Act (CIPA), the Wiretap Act, and alleged violations of privacy policies or related terms of service. He also has deep experience representing consumer goods companies, including the food and beverage industry, dietary supplements, online retailers, and other providers of direct-to-consumer products. He has successfully litigated dozens of class actions raising claims under California’s Unfair Competition Law (UCL), California Legal Remedies Act (CLRA), and parallel laws in other states. Charles also leverages this substantial experience to provide prelitigation advice to clients on marketing and privacy issues and associated class action risk.
Charles speaks and writes regularly on class action issues and has presented for the Practising Law Institute, Perrin Conferences, CLE International, the Consumer Brands Association, and others. His writings have appeared in or he has been quoted by Bloomberg News, The Washington Post, The Guardian, the New York Law Journal, and Law360 on issues in consumer class actions.
Charles also maintains an active intellectual property (IP) litigation practice, representing both plaintiffs and defendants in disputes involving false advertising, copyright, trademark, patent infringement, and Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA) claims.
Food & Consumer Packaged Goods Litigation
Serving up legal insights on the food and consumer packaged goods industry.
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Food & Consumer Packaged Goods Litigation Year in Review 2023
Perkins Coie is pleased to announce the launch of our eighth annual Food & Consumer Packaged Goods Litigation Year in Review. Accompanying the 2023 report are infographics that highlight key litigation outcomes, filing data, and industry trends.
Professional Recognition
- Listed in Thomson Reuters “Stand-out Lawyers,” 2024
- Co-recipient, Washington State Bar Association Award of Merit, 2011
- Co-recipient, Japanese American Bar Association Public Service Award, 2006
- Co-recipient, National Law Journal Pro Bono Award, 2006
- Co-recipient, King County Bar Association Outstanding Lawyer Award, 2007
Related Employment
- Perkins Coie LLP, Seattle, WA, Associate, 2002 – 2007
- Perkins Coie LLP, Seattle, WA, Litigation Paralegal, 1997 – 1999
- Y.S. Chang & Associates, Seoul, South Korea, Director, International Operations, 1995 – 1996
Clerkships
- Hon. Betty Fletcher, U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit, 2007 - 2008