Ryan Tyz
ATTORNEY | FOUNDER
Ryan Tyz is a trial lawyer and the founder of Tyz Law Group. He has a strong track record of successful jury verdicts, appeals, and arbitration awards. For over two decades, Ryan has litigated high-stakes intellectual property and business disputes for technology companies and entrepreneurs. He represents clients across the technology and entertainment sectors, with a focus on patent, copyright, trade secret, trademark, consumer class action, business, and antitrust litigation.
Ryan consistently ranks as one of the Top Intellectual Property Lawyers in California by the Daily Journal (2020–2025, six years in a row), and has been named to Lawdragon’s 500 Leading Litigators in America (2024–2026). He was also named an Elite Boutique Trailblazer by the National Law Journal (2020).
Tyz Law Group, built and grown by Ryan over the past decade, has received significant recognition for its successes and client service. The firm is named in Best Law Firms® (2024-2026), including a regional ranking in San Francisco for Litigation – Intellectual Property. The firm was also selected for the Chambers Spotlight California 2025 Guide (recognizing outstanding boutique and mid-size firms that deliver exceptional client service, deep regional knowledge, and cost-effective solutions for sophisticated legal work), and was named one of the Daily Journal’s 2024 Top Boutiques in California. Tyz Law Group has also been featured by Above the Law as a go-to firm for Silicon Valley—the only boutique included in its “The White Sandal Elite” list—praising the firm for “running the best game in town” for the games industry. Ryan served as lead counsel throughout all stages of the firm’s victory in Moonbug Entertainment Ltd. v. BabyBus, recognized by Top Verdict as the No. 1 California verdict of 2023 for copyright infringement and as one of the Top 50 verdicts overall in California in 2023.
What sets Ryan apart is not only the caliber of matters he handles with his small team, but the durability of the outcomes. He has successfully defended key victories on appeal in both the Ninth Circuit and the Federal Circuit. Clients rely on Ryan because he litigates with the endgame in mind—building records that win in the trial court and stand up under appellate scrutiny.
Ryan is also known for winning against the odds. He frequently is matched against the largest and most prestigious litigation firms, often facing teams two or three times the size of his own. Tyz Law Group staffs matters lean and senior, moves nimbly, and partners closely with clients from the earliest stages to align objectives, identify the decisive issues, and execute a strategy designed to win—not just to litigate.
The firm’s approach is simple and relentless: know the facts and the law better than the other side, and shape a compelling narrative that flows from the record. Ryan does not try to bend facts to fit a theory. Instead, he focuses on credibility, clarity, and persuasion—building case themes that judges and juries trust because they are grounded in what the evidence actually shows.
Ryan also pioneered a subscription-style fixed-fee model as an alternative to the traditional billable hour model. This innovative approach gives clients predictable legal spend, proactive strategic coverage, and maximum value—aligning incentives around results and efficiency rather than timekeeping, while maintaining full trial readiness when litigation escalates.
Prior to founding Tyz Law Group, Ryan spent a decade as an IP litigator in Fenwick & West’s Silicon Valley office, representing technology clients at every stage of litigation—from pre-suit strategy through appeal—including multiple trials. From his earliest years of practice, Ryan developed a reputation for deeply understanding a client’s technology and being able to explain it in a way that is easily understood by both the judge and the jury.
Outside of work, Ryan is an outdoor enthusiast—from wake surfing Lake Tahoe to mountain biking in the Marin backcountry. He enjoys spending time with his wife Jennifer, stepsons Lachlan and Quinn, and dog Indy.
LITIGATION HIGHLIGHTS
Secured a complete Ninth Circuit affirmance for Moonbug Entertainment in its CoComelon copyright case against BabyBus—represented at all stages by Quinn Emanuel—preserving the trial victory in full (9th Cir. Nov. 6, 2025).
Won a jury verdict of willful copyright infringement for Moonbug Entertainment in the Northern District of California in the CoComelon litigation, with the jury awarding nearly $23.5 million in damages and finding that Babybus had violated Section 512(f) of the DMCA – the first and only time such claim has ever made it to a jury (N.D. Cal.).
Obtained a broad permanent injunction, sanctions, and a major fee award for Moonbug in the same CoComelon matter, including an attorneys’ fee award over $6.7 million (N.D. Cal.).
Obtained injunction and criminal contempt charges – resulting in jail time – against employee who stole proprietary scientific data and models, upheld on appeal (Eleventh Judicial District of Fla).
Won a complete defense jury verdict for a startup co-founder in an $85.7 million trade secret misappropriation/CFAA/RICO/breach of contract case involving solid state drives brought by Huawei (E.D. Tex.).
Secured transfer of a patent infringement action related to data visualization software from the Western District of Texas to the Northern District of California, then knocked out the case by invalidating the asserted patents under 35 U.S.C. § 101 (W.D. Tex. → N.D. Cal.).
Obtained dismissal of CIPA “trap and trace” claims against a fan-generated entertainment platform arising from allegations that digital advertising technology constituted a trap-and-trace device under the California Invasion of Privacy Act.
Obtained favorable settlement for AI-powered automation company in patent litigation brought by a competitor, shortly after claim construction and without the client having to undergo any discovery (W.D. Tex.).
Obtained dismissal with prejudice, upheld on appeal, in consumer class action alleging loot boxes constitute illegal gambling (N.D. Cal.)
Secured an eight-figure settlement through arbitration in a licensing dispute related to video decoding software.
Won a motion to compel arbitration for global interactive entertainment company Scopely, Inc. in a consumer unfair competition class action (D.N.J.).
Secured a favorable settlement for cloud-based cybersecurity company CrowdStrike Inc. in dual-front litigation involving copyright, trade secret, CFAA, false advertising, and antitrust claims.
Won multi-million dollar arbitration award, prejudgment interest, and attorneys’ fees for a shareholder group in an M&A dispute involving search engine technology.
Obtained a judgment of invalidity on patents asserted against a learning and content management platform provider in the Southern District of New York, affirmed by the Federal Circuit.
Achieved walkaway settlement for former engineering employee of electric vehicle company accused of trade secret misappropriation.
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J.D., University of Oregon School of Law - 2004, Editor Oregon Law Review
M.A., International Institute for the Sociology of Law - 2001, Spain
B.A., University of California, Santa Barbara - 1998, Law & Society
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Member of the State Bar of California
Admitted to all of the United States District Courts for the State of California
Admitted to the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Texas
Admitted to the United States District Court for the Western District of Texas
Admitted to the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit and Federal Circuit
Q&A WITH RYAN
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I have been a litigator my entire career; trying cases is my passion. While I certainly had the opportunity to try cases while working in Big Law, I wanted much more – not only more trials, but more ownership of the direction and presentation of those cases from the outset, with a laser focus on winning. The idea to strike out on my own came naturally to me, but I wanted to build something very different than what was already out there. Before I founded Tyz Law Group, I didn't see any litigation-focused firms that offered a true alternative to the big law model. So, in the early days, I spent a lot of time exploring different ways to structure teams and to price legal work with the goal of building a lean team where we all share a single mission: to deliver results while providing excellent client service. Over the years, I have honed our model but certain key elements from those early days remain, including our commitment to always knowing the facts and the law better than our opponent, as well as our unique subscription model, which is an alternative to the billable hour model that both we and our clients love.
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The way we approach clients and litigation matters is completely different. Without exception, we start by taking the time to deeply understand our clients’ business and their objectives, and having frank conversations about what is realistic, and what to expect. Once we are aligned on objectives, we embark on the process we refer to internally as “digging in,” where we gather and assess the facts and the law in a way that many lawyers don’t. As a result of this intensive approach, clients often tell us we know their technology and their business better than they do. This early investment in understanding the hand we’re dealt allows us to shape narratives that are both compelling and credible – something we all too often see our opponents fail to do. For us, at the end of the day, we are storytellers. We love to tell a good story better than anyone.
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I'm very competitive in nature, I grew up playing sports and still do today. I look at litigation like a chess match. It requires strategy, so I call it an “old man” sport where you compete with your mind, not your body. Since my mind is better than my body these days, that's really what it is about for me. I love it. I love the adrenaline, the fast-paced environment of trial, getting up in front of a jury and in front of the judge, and using my creativity and hard work to position my clients in the best possible position to win. My team refers to me as fearless, and I think that’s mostly pretty accurate.
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First and foremost, we solve problems. Clients come to us with very difficult problems, usually disputes, and they're complex. We listen, understand the problem, and then craft solutions that put us in the best place to get to resolution. Our attention to detail and precision guide the winning solution and our results speak for themselves.
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I am proud of the team that we've built and the platform that we offer our attorneys. You’ll see that most of our team members are women. One of the problems I saw at Big Law was up or out, and that involves working thousands of hours with the hope of maybe eventually becoming a partner, or either being forced out or into a role that serves as a parking lot. For women who want to have children, they were often forced to pick, do I want to be a mother, or do I want to be a big law partner? That is a loss of talent, so I contemplated an alternative. At Tyz Law, it's all about flexibility, which is largely driven by the fact that we do not have a billable hour requirement and we work remotely. Our platform enables attorneys to both be a full-time parent and a full-time lawyer at our firm. I'm the proudest of that.
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One of the reasons I started my own law firm is that I wanted to be a first chair trial lawyer. I will never forget sitting in a trial one day watching the senior partner do opening and closing, and thinking to myself, I want to do that. But in Big Law, I would have been second chair trial counsel for the next decade or so. Starting my own firm threw me into the fire, forcing me to grow, and I've been able to do that, again and again. I love it and I've gotten better at it and that's what I want to continue doing.
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I am coming up on 10 years at my own firm after 10 years in Big Law. I learned a lot working in Big Law, but my progression at Tyz Law Group has been exponentially faster. By being a first chair trial lawyer, doing voir dire, presenting to a jury and being in front of a judge much more often, I’ve developed and honed those skills instead of hitting a wall or a ceiling working in Big Law. I have also learned more than I ever could have imagined though hiring, managing, and working with the best talent I could find, which is extraordinary.
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Three attributes are not enough. But if forced to pick, I’d say tenacious, practical, and creative. We bring all of that to bear for our clients and that’s what allows us to deliver winning solutions.
