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Trevor M. Gates

Trevor Gates undertakes a wide range of work in the technology transactions and sports practice areas. He regularly drafts and negotiates agreements involving sports, betting, esports, gaming, media, entertainment, digital assets, technology, software, cloud services, and mobile applications. 

Trevor’s practice includes representing sports leagues, teams, owners, and agents, sponsors and brands, athletes and celebrities, and others with drafting and negotiating sports, entertainment, and media transactions, including sponsorship, endorsement, and marketing agreements, player agreements, licensing and naming rights agreements, stadium and arena use agreements, and media rights agreements, including for television and film. This includes advising on matters relating to or on behalf of active and retired NFL, NBA, WNBA, MLS, Olympic, and other athletes.

As a registered patent attorney, Trevor also helps clients ranging from emerging companies to Fortune 500 corporations protect and commercialize intellectual property, including advising on the acquisition, development, marketing, licensing, and distribution of various products, services, and technology, as well as patent, copyright, and trademark matters. He also advises on intellectual property matters in connection with mergers, acquisitions, and other strategic transactions and has assisted with complex patent litigation matters.

Trevor’s professional work extends to his commitment to pro bono services. As a former DI and DII athlete, he understands the importance of youth sports. He’s provided counsel to a coalition that supports efforts by youth football coaches, players, schools, organizers, and medical personnel in the state of Washington. He has also authored or produced numerous articles, blogs, and podcasts over the years covering timely sports and intellectual property matters.

Trevor was a summer associate at K&L Gates in 2014. Prior to joining K&L Gates, he served as a graduate fellow for the University of Oregon technology transfer office where he worked with Oregon RAIN, a regional business accelerator, to provide strategic corporate and intellectual property work for emerging companies. He also served as a judicial extern to the Honorable Magistrate Judge Mark D. Clarke of the United States District Court for the Southern District of Oregon.

  • Listed in Best Lawyers: Ones to Watch® in America, 2023-2024
  • Nancy Farmer Distinguished Service Award, Oregon Law Review, 2015
  • Maxine Lee Award for Editorial Excellence, Oregon Law Review, 2014
  • Commissioner, Seattle Sports Commission
  • Board of Directors, University of Oregon School of Law Alumni Association
  • Intellectual Property Section, Washington State Bar Association
  • “Copyright Developments of a Pandemic Year—Fair Use and More,” The 26th Annual Intellectual Property Institute (May 2021)
  • “Global Perspectives on Sports Betting” – Moderator, Global Sports Law Symposium (March 2021)
Additional Thought Leadership Pages
  • Author, “Non-Conventional Copyright,” Copyright Protection for Modern Comedic Material, 2018
  • Co-author, “Copyright Law of China,” IP Protection in China, American Bar Association (2015)
  • “Providing Adequate Protection for Comedians’ Intellectual Creations: Examining Intellectual Property Norms and ‘Negative Spaces’,” Oregon Law Review (2015)
Additional News & Event Pages
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