Kevin D. DeBré

Partner
Chair of the Intellectual Property & Technology Transactions and Artificial Intelligence Practices

Practice Areas

Education

  • B.S. degree from the University of California, Davis
  • J.D. from Hastings College of the Law

Certifications

  • Artificial Intelligence Governance Professional (AIGP) certification from the International Association of Privacy Professionals (IAPP)

Kevin D. DeBré is Chair of SA&M’s Intellectual Property & Technology Transactions Practice and Artificial Intelligence Practice groups.

Artificial Intelligence.  Kevin is an IAPP-certified AI Governance Professional.  He and his team develop and implement AI governance controls enabling companies to realize a strong return on investment in AI while managing AI’s risks of reputational damage, financial penalties, and lost customer trust.

Emerging Growth Companies.  Entrepreneurs and innovators seek Kevin’s guidance when building businesses on a foundation of intellectual property.  Kevin represents companies of all sizes – from pre-formation to middle market – and a broad spectrum of industries – from AI to Biotech.

Intellectual Property.  Kevin is a registered patent attorney.  He develops IP business plans and roadmaps to align intellectual property protection efforts with business operations, capital raising, and exit strategies.

Technology Transactions.  Kevin structures and negotiates technology commercialization deals and IP license agreements to extract value from innovation. These transactions may take the form of strategic alliances, research and development collaborations, trademark licensing and brand merchandising agreements or manufacturing, and distribution and marketing arrangements.

University Licensing.  Kevin has extensive experience in university technology transfer, having negotiated patent licenses with numerous universities across the country, including

  • Brown University
  • California Institute of Technology
  • Emory University
  • Florida International University
  • Oregon State University, Corvallis
  • Rice University
  • Stanford University
  • UC Berkeley
  • UC Irvine
  • UC Riverside
  • UCLA
  • University Clinic Heidelberg
  • University of Texas at Dallas
  • University of Tokyo
  • Wake Forest University
  • Washington University in St. Louis

Kevin is perennially recognized by his peers for excellence in his practice, having been honored with Best Lawyers' “Lawyer of the Year” in 2021 and 2023 for Technology Law in Los Angeles, included in The Best Lawyers in America® for Technology Law in 2026 and 2027, and selected for Southern California Super Lawyers in 2006, 2008 and 2016-2027.

  • Data security and privacy law
  • Executive employment agreements
  • Intellectual property protection strategy and patent monetization
  • Interactive entertainment and video game development and publishing agreements
  • Software licensing, software as a service (SaaS) agreements and service level agreements (SLA)
  • Joint ventures, strategic alliances, and corporate partnering
  • Mobile app terms of use agreements and privacy policies
  • Manufacturing, distribution, marketing and advertising agreements
  • Patent licensing and patent portfolio acquisitions
  • Research and development agreements
  • Startup company representation, including corporate formation, and seed and venture financing
  • Trademark licenses and merchandising agreements
  • University licensing and technology transfer
  • Website operations and legal compliance, terms of use, privacy policy, and contests and sweepstakes
  • Admitted to practice law in the state of California
  • Author of “Licensing of trade secrets and know-how,” a chapter of trade secret litigation and protection in California, an attorney’s practice book published by the state bar of California
  • Contributing author of “Joint ventures and strategic alliances,” a chapter of intellectual property in business transactions, an attorney’s practice book published by continuing education of the bar
  • An update author of “Exploiting trade secrets by licensing” and of “Form licensing agreements and provisions,” two chapters of trade secrets practice in California (Second Edition) published by Continuing Education of the Bar
  • IP and Talent Recruitment: What You Need to Know - UCSB CNSI Incubator
  • IP for Cleantech Startups - UCLA Anderson School of Management
  • Forming a Business Entity - USC Viterbi Startup Garage
  • Granting Equity - USC Viterbi Startup Garage
  • Raising Money for your Startup - USC Viterbi Startup Garage
  • Patents: Pros and Cons -USC Viterbi Startup Garage
  • Contract Basics - USC Viterbi Startup Garage
  • Entity Formation, Employees & Independent Contractors & Intellectual Property - USC Viterbi Startup Garage
  • An Entreprenuers's Guide to Intellectual Property - Preccelerator™ Program
  • Best Lawyers in America: Technology Law (2026)
  • Thomson Reuters Southern California “Super Lawyers” (2006, 2008, 2016 - Present)

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