Patent Litigation

Wilson Sonsini's Patent Litigation practice is national in scope, with our attorneys having litigated patent disputes throughout the United States. We have particular experience representing clients before judicial districts with patent-intensive dockets, including the Northern District of California and the Eastern District of Texas. We have also handled scores of patent disputes before administrative tribunals such as the International Trade Commission and the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office's Patent Trial and Appeal Board (PTAB).

With nearly 100 IP litigators—more than 30 partners and nearly 60 associates, counsel, and Of Counsel—and more than 100 attorneys admitted to the Patent Bar, Wilson Sonsini has the experience and resources to represent clients when related patent disputes are being heard in multiple jurisdictions, including parallel proceedings underway in courts and tribunals inside and outside the U.S.

Sophisticated, Hands-On Patent and Technology Expertise

With Wilson Sonsini's client base consisting of companies in every sector of the technology industry, our patent litigation attorneys have had the opportunity to enforce and defend all types of sophisticated patent technologies, from complex computer and networking hardware to chemical compounds and organic material. Our attorneys, patent agents, and scientific advisors also leverage their hands-on subject matter expertise on behalf of clients in patent disputes, including prior experience as technical or scientific professionals and/or degrees in technical fields, including electrical engineering, computer science, biology, and chemistry.

International Client Representation

With offices in Asia and Europe, Wilson Sonsini represents clients based outside of the U.S. that are involved in cross-border patent disputes. In Asia, for example, we frequently represent companies based in Hong Kong, Shanghai, Beijing, Taiwan, Korea, and Japan. The firm has also represented Europe-based companies, as well as clients based in Israel and India.

A Comprehensive, Strategic, and Flexible Approach

In addition to our experience crafting a patent defense from its inception, we have significant expertise offering strategic counsel at pivotal points during the course of an ongoing patent dispute. Our attorneys have been called on to render second opinions on litigation strategy, conduct mock trials, serve as co-counsel, and even take over the litigation when discovery issues, adverse rulings, or unfavorable claim construction orders arise, or when a case has escalated beyond original expectations and a more experienced trial team is needed.

Our patent litigators have the ability to draw upon the wealth of experience and resources available throughout our firm when the need may arise. While keeping in mind each client's interest in cost-efficiency, our patent litigators can coordinate with our corporate and technology transactions attorneys to leverage their subject matter and business management experience, and to secure input when patent disputes lead to settlement and licensing agreements.

Areas of Expertise

In addition to assisting with patent prosecution matters and helping clients develop and implement sophisticated patent and IP strategies, the firm's IP and Patent Litigation practice offers clients comprehensive representation. Among other areas, our IP litigation experience includes the following areas:

• Patent infringement notice letters
• Patent enforcement campaign strategies
• Design arounds and cleanrooms to avoid infringement claims or minimize potential damages
• Essential patents and issues relating to standards bodies
• Unfair competition and antitrust issues related to patent enforcement
• IP crisis management
• Trade secret protection and issues related to employee mobility
• Strategic patent and IP counseling
• Patent and IP due diligence
• Patent and IP audits
• International IP enforcement, including experience with legal systems in Asia and the European Union

A Nationally Recognized Practice

Wilson Sonsini's Patent Litigation practice and its attorneys have received national recognition from sources such as Corporate Counsel, The National Law Journal, Managing IP, Chambers USA, BTI Litigation, IAM Patent 1000, and the Los Angeles Daily Journal. For example, BTI Litigation ranked Wilson Sonsini among the top 15 percent of all law firms for IP litigation based on client feedback from in-depth interviews with corporate counsel at the world’s largest companies. Wilson Sonsini also received a Top 20 ranking from Corporate Counsel, based on the number of patent disputes handled by the firm. The firm was also named to The National Law Journal’s “IP Hot List,” which recognized 20 firms that have “demonstrated creative strategies for litigation, patent prosecution, licensing, and other transaction work.”