Two Ropes & Gray Attorneys Named California’s Top IP Lawyers

IP litigation partners James Batchelder and James Davis (both of Silicon Valley) were profiled on April 21 in The Daily Journal as California’s “Top Intellectual Property Lawyers 2021.” The Daily Journal annually recognizes IP lawyers in California whose achievements for clients have advanced technological innovation and transformed the law.

James and James were recognized for defending Emerson Electric against allegations that its wireless mesh network products infringe patents belonging to non-practicing entity Sipco. This includes more than a dozen legal battles with Sipco at the Patent Trial and Appeal Board, several times at the federal appellate courts, the U.S. International Trade Commission and even a win at the U.S. Supreme Court. 

The SCOTUS ruling led to a revised decision from the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit denying itself the authority to review PTAB decisions to hear challenges of patents as covered business methods.