Christina Von der Ahe Rayburn plays a key role in Hueston Hennigan’s highest profile, highest stakes technology battles. Described by clients as “a fierce advocate” and “intensely brilliant at understanding the detail and complexity of the subject matter while retaining a clear view of the big issues and its impact on strategy,” she has deep experience in intellectual property and antitrust litigation at every stage. Many of her clients are known globally, including Amazon.com, PubMatic, Jacuzzi, Medtronic and Monster Energy.
Ms. Rayburn is highly invested in her clients’ cases, paying close attention to strategic decisions at every step. According to a former colleague and retired judge, Ms. Rayburn “has a unique drive for excellence that she consistently achieves.” As a member of the patent bar and as a Stanford-trained mechanical engineer,
Ms. Rayburn is quick to understand the technology at issue in her clients’ matters. More importantly, she translates that technical understanding into clear and effective oral and written communications to stakeholders, judges, and juries. Clients and judges alike have praised her ability to marshal the relevant facts and explain a case to them clearly and concisely.
Ms. Rayburn has been named to The Recorder’s list of “Women Leaders in Tech Law: Litigation,” as well as the Daily Journal’s list of “Top Intellectual Property Lawyers,” the Los Angeles Times’ “Legal Visionaries,” and the Los Angeles Business Journal’s “Leaders of Influence: Thriving in Their 40s.” She has also been selected as a “Future Star” and to the “40 & Under Hot List” by Benchmark Litigation and as a “Key Lawyer for General Commercial Disputes” by Legal 500, among many other accolades.
- Secured a complete defense verdict of no infringement and invalidity representing ClearOne Inc. as lead trial counsel in the District of Delaware in a case involving design patent for beamforming microphone arrays against Shure Incorporated.
- Won a $25 million trial victory for Acorn Semi, LLC in a patent infringement case against Samsung relating to its semiconductor technology.
- Represented GoDaddy.com in an antitrust lawsuit filed by Entri, a tech company that developed a product called Entri Connect, which Entri claims can automate the process of configuring a website’s DNS settings to connect with various third-party applications, such as Mailchimp or Square. Entri alleged that, starting in 2023, GoDaddy forbade and technically disabled use of Entri Connect (and similar products) in connection with domain names registered by GoDaddy in violation of the antitrust laws, and it also asserted that GoDaddy tortiously interfered with Entri’s existing and prospective business relationships by prohibiting use of Entri Connect. GoDaddy disputed Entri’s allegations and filed counterclaims. The parties settled with neither party paying any money.
- Obtained summary judgment of non-infringement in favor of Amazon.com against claims for patent infringement brought by serial patent litigant MasterObjects, Inc.
- Representing the major record labels in high-profile and high-stakes copyright litigation against two leading generative AI music companies, Suno and Udio. The lawsuits are the first time the record labels have sued AI companies over sound recording copyrights.
- Commercial disputes
- Competition/antitrust
- Intellectual Property
- Consumer goods and services
- Pharmaceutical and life sciences
- Technology and telecommunications
- Harvard Law School (JD, 2007) cum laude
- Stanford University (BAS, 2004, Mechanical Engineering and Political Science) with distinction
- Member, Board of Trustees, Southern California Public Radio
- 2024-2025 President, Howard T. Markey Intellectual Property Inn of Court in Orange County
- Member, Planning Committee, USC Intellectual Property Institute
- Former member, Steering Committee, ABA Death Penalty Representation Project
- California