Robert H. Thornburg

Robert H. Thornburg is a Florida Intellectual Property Lawyer with 20+ years in high-stakes patent, trademark, trade dress, copyright, trade secret and technology related litigations in Federal and state courts throughout the country on behalf of Latin American, European and Florida-based businesses.

Mr. Thornburg has handled 200+ disputes involving cutting edge technologies including crypto, artificial intelligence, software-as-a-service (SAAS), IoT devices, medical devices, dietary supplements, health & beauty, recreational watercraft, and consumer products. This includes bringing and defending claims under the Defend Trade Secrets Act (DTSA), the Anticybersquatting Consumer Protection Act (ACPA), Federal Unfair Competition under 15 U.S.C. § 1125(a), publicity rights under Florida Statute § 540.08, the Florida Computer Abuse and Data Recovery Act (CADRA) (Florida Statute § 668.801 et. seq.), and the Florida Deceptive and Unfair Trade Practices Act (FDUTPA) (Florida Statute § 501.204).

As a Registered Patent Attorney, he has assisted in filing 200+ patents and 1,000+ trademarks before the U.S. Patent & Trademark Office, as well as managing international intellectual property portfolios with a focus on Asia, Latin America, the United Kingdom and the European Union.

Robert has a particular client focus on counseling e-commerce, hospitality (including cruise lines, hotel and restaurants), real estate, and international luxury brands – including due diligence, licensing, asset transfer and monetization. Beyond traditional IP, Mr. Thornburg advises collegiate and professional athletes on name, image and likeness (NIL), ICANN domain name dispute resolution before WIPO, and on Schedule A infringement disputes.

Outside of intellectual property law, he consults and/or defends website accessibility claims under the American Disability Act (ADA), session replay claims under Florida Statute § 934.01, violation of restrictive covenants under Florida Statute § 542.335, generative AI deepfakes under Florida Statute § 836.13, cyberstalking take downs under Florida Statute § 784.048, as well as protecting victims under Florida's Sexual Cyberharrassment Law (Florida Statute § 784.049).

Mr. Thornburg holds numerous leadership positions in legal advocacy organizations, academia, and in the South Florida community. This includes current roles with appointed positions on the Florida Bar Federal Practice Committee, International Trademark Association (Brand Restrictions Committee), the Intellectual Property Owners Association (U.S. Trademark Law & Litigation Committee), and the Florida Intellectual Property American Inns of Court (Master of the Bench). In prior years, Mr. Thornburg served on the board of the Association of Intellectual Property Firms (AIPF). He is a past president of the Intellectual Property Law Association of Florida (IPLAF). Mr. Thornburg previously chaired both the Florida Bar's Intellectual Property Committee and the Computer & Cyber Law Committee.

Mr. Thornburg is passionate about advancing the rights of artists, photographers, musicians, and content creators in Miami. In 2013, he founded the Miami Chapter of the Copyright Society, and then served as chapter chair. He is also active in the Coral Gables community as a member of the Merrick Society of the Coral Gables Community Foundation and a trustee to First United Methodist Church of Coral Gables and is an active supporter of Ransom Everglades School in Coconut Grove (where both his children now attend).

Mr. Thornburg is also a strong supporter of University of Florida where he serves as one of eight members of the Executive Committee of the Law Center Association (LCA) Board of Trustees and is a former president of the University of Florida Law Alumni Council (LAC). Robert assists in the law school's intellectual property curriculum, including serving as an adjunct professor. He also strongly supports his alma mater the University of Notre Dame as a member of the Sorin Society, as well as locally as a member of the University of Miami's Citizen's Board.

While at Florida Law, Robert served as Vice-Chair of the Justice Campbell Thornal Moot Court Board. Mr. Thornburg is the former Editor-in-Chief of the Journal of Technology Law & Policy, and President of the Florida Intellectual Property Law Association.

Mr. Thornburg is an active lecturer on topics relating to intellectual property and has served as a visiting lecturer at the University of Florida Levin College of Law, the University of Miami Miller School of Law, Florida State University College of Law, and the University of Notre Dame College of Engineering.

Recent Representative Cases

• Modulus Global Inc. v. Gruhn, 2026 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 30068 (D. Ariz. Feb. 13, 2026) (successful defeat of motion to dismissal of want of personal jurisdiction in trade secret dispute alleging theft of crypto currency source code).
• Hayley Amiel v. QR JOY Inc., 2025 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 194513 (S.D. Fla. Oct. 1, 2025) (dismissal of putative class action plaintiff's unjust enrichment and FDUTPA claims in false advertising action).
• General Tools & Instruments Co. v. Hinh, 2025 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 201289 (S.D. Fla. Sept. 8, 2025) (grant of preliminary injunction on behalf of publicly traded construction supply business for counterfeiting, after conducting a seizure of evidence).
• BFL Metal Products Ltd. Co. d/b/a Fume v. RDFN FUM Nat. Prods, 2025 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 115203 (S.D. Fla. June 17, 2025) (defeat of accused trademark infringer's motion for leave to bring additional defenses).
• BFL Metal Products Ltd. Co. d/b/a Fume v. Eyal Nahum Group Mfr. Co. Ltd. Int'l, 2025 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 189403 (S.D. Fla. June 17, 2025) (finding of personal jurisdiction over Chinese based counterfeiter and denial of motion to dismiss).
• Modulus Global Inc. v. Quintzy FZE LLC, 2025 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 49902 (Mar. 19, 2025) (award of $137,169 of attorneys' fees after successfully bringing trade secret misappropriation and trademark infringement suit).
• Dongguan Saienchuangke Tech Co. v. Individuals, 2024 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 242531 (S.D. Fla. Dec. 17, 2024) (dismissal of design patent infringement claims for improper joinder on behalf of Chinese based toy manufacturer).
• Modulus Global Inc. v. Quintzy FZE LLC, 2024 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 131527 (D. Ariz. June 17, 2024) (judgment finding trade secret theft and trademark infringement regarding crypto currency exchange software and award of $600,000 in damages).
• Modulus Global Inc. v. Quintzy FZE LLC, 2023 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 167760 (D. Ariz. 2023) (defeat of motion to dismiss that breach of fiduciary duty and trespass to chattels claims were preempted by the Arizona Uniform Trade Secrets Act).
• GR Opco, LLC d/b/a E11EVEN v. Eleven IP Holdings, LLC, 2023 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 238423 (S.D. Fla. July 5, 2023) (defeat of motion to dismiss on behalf of Miami based nightclub and hotel venture).
• SJ MedConnect, Inc v. Boice, 2022 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 108429 (M.D. Fla. June 17, 2022) (judgment finding violation of the Defend Trade Secrets Act, Florida Uniform Trade Secrets Act, and Computer Fraud and Abuse Act in software dispute).