Overview
Ropes & Gray’s patent attorneys are among the best in the world. For more than 130 years, our group has succeeded in protecting and enforcing our clients’ interests in high-stakes litigation and counseling. Clients rely on our experienced patent litigators for their key, “bet-the-company” cases that have the ability to shape their business, their competition and the marketplace.
With more than 65 attorneys and technical advisors across offices in the United States, Japan and South Korea, our team is prepared to serve our clients’ interests in response to any patent litigation challenge.
Comprehensive Capabilities
Clients rely on Ropes & Gray’s trial lawyers to not only evaluate and assert patents against infringing competitors, but also to defend against allegations of infringement, no matter how or where they arise. Our teams pair a thorough understanding of complex, cutting-edge technologies with a mastery of the nuances of patent law.
- Our professionals possess degrees in science and engineering disciplines such as electrical engineering, computer science, materials science, mechanical engineering, physics, aerospace engineering, chemical engineering, chemistry, biomedical engineering, biochemistry, biology, immunology, molecular genetics and biophysics.
- Our deep bench of “first chair” trial lawyers and our unparalleled technical capabilities ensure that the Ropes & Gray team can communicate with the most advanced technical experts, and convey that information in a clear and persuasive manner to judges and juries alike.
We draw on years of experience and training to harness these resources and manage all phases of complex litigation. Our attorneys represent companies at both the trial and appellate levels in key patent litigation courts across the nation. We also litigate matters before the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (PTO), including the Patent Trial and Appeal Board (PTAB) and the Central Reexamination Unit (CRU); the U.S. International Trade Commission (ITC); the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit (CAFC); and tribunals around the world, where we work collaboratively with experienced local counsel.
Diverse Clients
Our patent litigation team represents clients across a wide spectrum of industries, including electronics, semiconductors, software, pharmaceuticals and biologics, medical devices, financial services, Internet and e-commerce, telecommunications, and manufacturing.
Experience & Awards
Ropes & Gray’s IP litigation group has a proven track record of success in high-stakes litigation. Some of our recent achievements include:
- Emerson Electric Co. et al v. SIPCO LLC et al (N.D. Ga., PTAB, ITC, Fed. Cir., SCOTUS, Mannheim Regional Court, EPO) – We achieved a series of wins on behalf of Fortune 500 company Emerson Electric in its long-running international dispute against SIPCO concerning Emerson’s Smart Wireless products and mesh network technology. We have won findings of non-infringement and invalidity of SIPCO’s asserted claims before the ITC, PTAB, and the Regional Court of Mannheim, Germany, and the EPO (in conjunction with German counsel), as well as appeals before the Federal Circuit and Supreme Court.
- Yu et al. v. Samsung Electronics (N.D. Cal., PTAB, Fed. Cir.) – On behalf of Samsung, we won a dismissal of a patent infringement suit based on lack of patent subject matter eligibility under §101. The matter concerns digital cameras, imaging and optics.
- Baxter Corp v. American Medical Technology Company (PTAB) – We defended an American medical technology company against IPR challenges directed to its patents on antimicrobial medical valves and assemblies. All such IPR challenges were denied by the PTAB.
- Godo Kaisha IP Bridge 1 v. TCL Communication Technology Holdings Limited et. al. (D. Del., Fed. Cir.) – We secured a favorable jury verdict on behalf of IP Bridge after a seven-day trial, which was affirmed by the Federal Circuit in a key precedential opinion. The litigation involved multiple patents involving the 4G/LTE telecommunications standard.
- Canon, Inc. v. TCL Electronics (E.D. Tex., PTAB) – We achieved a favorable settlement on behalf of Roku and several TCL TV entities that includes a license for all of Roku’s TV partners. The matter involved a multipatent infringement lawsuit filed by Canon concerning TCL-branded Roku TVs, including streaming video and smart TV functionality and interfaces.
- Spring Ventures v. Google (PTAB, Fed. Cir.) – We achieved wins at the PTAB and Federal Circuit on behalf of Google in response to an infringement claim targeting Google’s “I’m Feeling Lucky” feature. In the final written decision issued, the Board found all challenged claims unpatentable. This was affirmed by the Federal Circuit.
- Harris Corp. v. A Chinese Telecommunications Equipment Company (E.D. Tex., PTAB, D. Del.) – We achieved a favorable settlement on behalf of a Chinese telecommunications equipment company in a seven-patent suit involving ad hoc wireless networks, network security and encryption technologies. Harris dropped its E.D. Tex. complaint without prejudice after we filed a motion to dismiss based on § 101, countersued in D. Del., and began filing IPRs challenging the patents-in-suit.
- ARRIS v. Sony Corporation (PTAB, Fed. Cir.) – We secured a precedential win on behalf of Sony at the Federal Circuit in relation to a PTAB appeal involving a patent directed to an element of a video processing system for cable television, which petitioner ARRIS successfully challenged at the PTAB. The Federal Circuit vacated the PTAB’s adverse decision, and on remand, the PTAB’s decision was reversed, securing a precedential win for Sony.
- West View Research, LLC v. A Global Leader in Medical Technology (D. Del.) – We successfully defended a global leader in medical technology, services and solutions in patent litigation related to pill cameras used for endoscopy.
- Veeco Instruments Inc. v. SGL Carbon (E.D.N.Y., PTAB, Fed. Cir.) – We successfully obtained a preliminary injunction on behalf of Veeco, a rarity in patent cases. This prohibited SGL from supplying infringing wafer carriers to Veeco’s chief MOCVD competitor. The litigation involved two patents related to removable wafer carriers used in the production of LEDs in MOCVD systems.
- Chambers USA 2023 – IP group recognized in California, Massachusetts and New York, with multiple attorneys ranked as leaders. Practitioners ranked for “International Trade: Intellectual Property (Section 337).”
- The Legal 500 US 2023 – Nationally recognized in the United States for “Intellectual Property: Patent Litigation: Full Coverage” and “Intellectual Property: Patents: Litigation (International Trade Commission).”
- Chambers Asia-Pacific 2023 – Recognized as an elite firm for Intellectual Property in South Korea and China/Hong Kong.
- Chambers Global 2023 – IP group recognized in Asia-Pacific, China and South Korea, with multiple attorneys ranked as leaders.
- U.S. News World Reports – Best Lawyers “Best Law Firms” Report 2023 – Nationally recognized and highly ranked in patent law, patent litigation and intellectual property litigation. Multiple IP partners recognized as leaders.
- U.S. News – Best Lawyers “Law Firm of the Year Award” 2019 – Ropes & Gray recognized for having the leading patent law practice in the United States, based on client and peer feedback.
- IAM Patent 1000 2023 – Recognized in California, Massachusetts, New York and China, and internationally, with multiple partners recognized.
- Managing IP Stars 2023 – Recognized nationally in the United States in the Patent Contentious and PTAB Litigation categories, with five attorneys recognized as IP Stars.
- Asian Legal Business IP Rankings 2023 – Highly ranked among international firms in the patents category in China, Japan and South Korea. Recognized as Tier 1 for patents in South Korea.
- Daily Journal's Top IP Lawyers 2023 – Three IP litigation partners named “Top Intellectual Property Lawyers.”
