Professional Biography

William Cheever Rava Partner

  • Seattle

    D +1.206.359.6338

    F +1.206.359.9000

    Seattle

    1201 Third Avenue, Suite 4900

    Seattle, WA 98101-3099

    +1.206.359.6338

    WRava@perkinscoie.com

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Overview

Will Rava helps clients resolve disputes involving trademarks, trade dress, domain names, copyrights, and trade secrets. He has successfully litigated such disputes in federal courts across the country, before arbitration panels under the UDRP and before the Trademark Trial and Appeal Board. Will also has extensive experience counseling clients in many industries on intellectual property and brand protection strategies, including securing, policing, investigating and enforcing their rights, investigating and removing from the market counterfeit and other unauthorized goods, and investigating related unlawful internet activities. Often these matters involve requests for temporary restraining orders or preliminary injunctions, an area in which he has deep experience.

In the last several years, for example, Will has helped an athletic equipment maker defeat a preliminary injunction motion, after which the plaintiff walked away, and prosecuted a preliminary injunction motion for an online financial services company, which settled favorably before a hearing. He also won summary judgment dismissal and an award of attorneys’ fees in a hotly-contested copyright authorship dispute. In addition, Will has successfully represented food and food service, footwear, industrial product, and video game companies in trademark disputes; recovered dozens of domain names for various clients; and enforced trademark and related rights for clients in the food, video game, and online services industries, among others.

Will is named a leading trademark attorney in Washington in the World Trademark Review’s WTR 1000 rankings. Recognized for his success in the trademark enforcement space thanks to “constant vigilance and tech smarts,” he is described as a “dyed-in-the-wool litigator who is remarkably efficient at pursuing and shutting down perpetrators of unlawful internet activities.”

Will is actively involved in professional organizations and his community. He devotes a significant portion of his practice to public law, including election and political law and promoting and participating in pro bono representations on a wide variety of topics. He has represented numerous campaigns and candidates in recalls, recounts, contests, and other election litigation (including the 2004 Washington gubernatorial recount and contest, and the 2008 Minnesota U.S. Senate recount and contest), and Will regularly counsels campaigns, political parties, and political consultants on a variety of compliance issues. He sits on the boards of the Legal Foundation of Washington’s Campaign for Equal Justice and environmental education nonprofit Islandwood; actively volunteers on INTA committee heading a task force on the Enforcement Committee; and serves on the firm’s Seattle offices community service and Foundation committees. 

Professional Recognition

  • Recognized in the World Trademark Review 1000—The World’s Leading Trademark Professionals, 2018 – 2022, 2024
    • Washington (Silver)
  • Named Best Lawyers’ Seattle " Litigation - Intellectual Property Lawyer of the Year," 2018
  • Listed in Best Lawyers in America: Litigation - Intellectual Property, 2014 – 2024
  • Recognized as an IP Star by Managing IP, 2013, 2014, 2016 – 2022
  • Listed in Super Lawyers Magazine, "Super Lawyers," 2011 – 2021
  • Volunteer of the Year, Newcomers Resource Project of the King County Bar Association, October 2007
  • Listed in Washington Law & Politics, “Rising Stars of Washington Law,” 2004 – 2008 
  • Community Legal Services Recognition for Legal Services to the Homeless from the King County Bar Association, May 2001
  • Leadership Tomorrow, Class of 2008

Professional Leadership

  • Campaign for Equal Justice, Legal Foundation of Washington, Board Member, 2018 – present
  • International Trademark Association (INTA)
    • Alternative Dispute Resolution Committee, Mediation Subcommittee, Member, 2022 - present
    • Enforcement Committee, Policy Advocacy Subcommittee, Member, 2018 – 2021
    • U.S. Legislation Subcommittee, Member 2014 – 2017; Chair, 2016 – 2017
  • King County Bar Association Community Legal Services Committee, Co-Chair, 2004 – 2006, Member, 2007 – 2010

Community Involvement

  • IslandWood, Board Member, 2015 – 2023
  • Artist Trust, Board Member, 2007 – 2013; President, 2009 – 2011
  • Ballard Youth Soccer Club, Coach, 2007 – 2016

Clerkships

  • Hon. Richard Cudahy, U.S. Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit, 1998 - 1999

Experience

News

Insights

RELATED INFORMATION

Bar and Court Admissions

  • Washington
  • U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit
  • U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Washington
  • U.S. District Court for the Western District of Washington

Education

  • Northwestern University Pritzker School of Law, J.D., cum laude, Order of the Coif, 1998, Note and Comment Editor, Northwestern University Law Review
  • Harvard University, B.A., Government, magna cum laude, 1991
Professional Biography

William Cheever Rava Partner

Firmwide Chair, Trademark, Copyright and Trade Secret Litigation Practice

  • Seattle

    D +1.206.359.6338

    F +1.206.359.9000

    Seattle

    1201 Third Avenue, Suite 4900

    Seattle, WA 98101-3099

    +1.206.359.6338

    WRava@perkinscoie.com

loader

Overview

Will Rava has extensive experience with election and political law. He has been involved in three statewide recounts (Washington Senator Cantwell in 2000, Washington Governor Gregoire in 2004, and Minnesota Senator Franken in 2008), managed Washington legislative recounts in 2008 and 2010, and advised other candidates on preparing for and participating in recounts. He managed the trial preparation war rooms for the related Washington gubernatorial election contest in 2005 (Gregoire) and the Minnesota U.S. Senate election contest in 2009 (Franken). He has recently represented public officials subject to recall petitions under Washington law and several clients in compliance investigations and litigation with the Washington Public Disclosure Commission. Will regularly counsels campaigns, political parties and political consultants on a variety of legal issues, including independent expenditure regulations, campaign finance compliance, advertising and intellectual property issues; speaks on election law-related topics; and conducts voter protection trainings.

Will focuses his practice on intellectual property litigation involving trademarks, trade dress, domain names, copyrights and trade secrets. He has successfully litigated such disputes in federal courts across the country, before arbitration panels under the UDRP and before the Trademark Trial and Appeal Board. Will also has extensive experience counseling clients in a variety of industries on intellectual property and brand protection strategies, including securing, policing, investigating and enforcing their rights, investigating and removing from the market counterfeit and other unauthorized goods, and investigating related unlawful Internet activities.  Such matters often involve requests for temporary restraining orders or preliminary injunctions, an area in which Will has deep experience. 

Will also has significant experience in corporate governance litigation and specifically in defending corporations and directors in shareholder derivative actions and responding to shareholder document requests and related demands.

Professional Recognition

  • Recognized in the World Trademark Review 1000—The World’s Leading Trademark Professionals, 2018 – 2022, 2024
    • Washington (Silver)
  • Named Best Lawyers’ Seattle " Litigation - Intellectual Property Lawyer of the Year," 2018
  • Listed in Best Lawyers in America: Litigation - Intellectual Property, 2014 – 2024
  • Recognized as an IP Star by Managing IP, 2013, 2014, 2016 – 2022
  • Listed in Super Lawyers Magazine, "Super Lawyers," 2011 – 2021
  • Volunteer of the Year, Newcomers Resource Project of the King County Bar Association, October 2007
  • Listed in Washington Law & Politics, “Rising Stars of Washington Law,” 2004 – 2008 
  • Community Legal Services Recognition for Legal Services to the Homeless from the King County Bar Association, May 2001
  • Leadership Tomorrow, Class of 2008

Professional Leadership

  • Campaign for Equal Justice, Legal Foundation of Washington, Board Member, 2018 – present
  • International Trademark Association (INTA)
    • Alternative Dispute Resolution Committee, Mediation Subcommittee, Member, 2022 - present
    • Enforcement Committee, Policy Advocacy Subcommittee, Member, 2018 – 2021
    • U.S. Legislation Subcommittee, Member 2014 – 2017; Chair, 2016 – 2017
  • King County Bar Association Community Legal Services Committee, Co-Chair, 2004 – 2006, Member, 2007 – 2010

Community Involvement

  • IslandWood, Board Member, 2015 – 2023
  • Artist Trust, Board Member, 2007 – 2013; President, 2009 – 2011
  • Ballard Youth Soccer Club, Coach, 2007 – 2016

Clerkships

  • Hon. Richard Cudahy, U.S. Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit, 1998 - 1999

Experience

News

Insights

RELATED INFORMATION

Bar and Court Admissions

  • Washington
  • U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit
  • U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Washington
  • U.S. District Court for the Western District of Washington

Education

  • Northwestern University Pritzker School of Law, J.D., cum laude, Order of the Coif, 1998, Note and Comment Editor, Northwestern University Law Review
  • Harvard University, B.A., Government, magna cum laude, 1991