Emily Burns is Senior Trademark Counsel at Google LLC, where she handles all things trademark for YouTube. She has over 15 years of experience in all areas of trademark practice, including clearance and prosecution of trademarks domestically and internationally, offensive and defensive trademark disputes in a wide array of tribunals, instituting anti-counterfeit protections with customs authorities worldwide, and overseeing numerous high profile global rebranding projects. Emily also has strong intermediary liability expertise, applying concepts such as parody, commentary and criticism, and First Amendment protection of artistic works in advising on content moderation and content clearance issues. At Google, Emily is active in mentoring programs such as Google’s Legal Summer Institute, and its Outside Counsel Diversity program.

Prior to joining Google in 2010, Emily was a member of the Litigation and Trademark practice groups at Cooley LLP.

Emily also has over 10 years of legal teaching experience, and has taught various IP-related courses including Trademark Prosecution and Counseling, Protecting Trademarks in Tech, and IP Survey. She has been a proud mentor in the Tech Edge JD Program since its inception. 

Emily received her law degree, magna cum laude, from the University of San Diego School of Law, where she served as Lead Articles Editor of the San Diego Law Review, and led an award-winning Mock Trial Team. During law school, Emily was a judicial intern for Judge M. Margaret McKeown of the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals.

In her “spare” time, Emily enjoys taking her family to Disneyland, and attempting to convince her children of the virtue of sleeping in on the weekends. She one day aspires to be a skipper on the Jungle Cruise.