Fish & Richardson has been named an IP Practice Group of the Year by Law360 for its high-profile IP wins in 2018, which included the stunning reversal of a $2.5 billion jury verdict against client Gilead Sciences and many important wins in federal courts across the United States, at the Federal Circuit, at the International Trade Commission (ITC) and before the Patent Trial and Appeal Board (PTAB). Fish was one of only six firms nationwide that was singled out by Law360 as an IP Practice Group of the Year. The firm has received the designation five previous times.
“No firm in the world can match Fish’s winning track record in intellectual property trials,” said Kurt Glitzenstein, Litigation Practice Group Leader at Fish. “Our trial lawyers are in court nearly every day. We know how to present the facts and the law in ways that are clear and compelling to judges and to juries, which is why we outperform other firms in high-stakes patent infringement actions.”
San Diego-based Fish attorneys Jon Singer and Chad Shear were lead counsel on the firm’s impressive reversal of a $2.5 billion jury verdict against Gilead. Additionally, Singer and San Diego-based Fish attorney Juanita Brooks obtained a unanimous Federal Circuit affirmance of its June 2016 post-trial vacatur of a $200 million jury verdict against Gilead after proving litigation and business misconduct constituting unclean hands. The cases are part of an ongoing global dispute between Gilead and Merck & Co./Idenix over Gilead’s two blockbuster drugs, Sovaldi® and Harvoni®, which cure hepatitis C and are considered among the greatest medical innovations ever.
Law360 chose Fish as IP Practice Group of the Year because of the firm’s exceptional track record. During the past year, Fish won 15 cases in district court and 27 cases at the Federal Circuit, and successfully resolved over 200 other cases. This includes significant wins for Allergan, Arctic Cat, Bed Bath & Beyond, Buyseasons, Power Integrations, and Samsung Bioepis. The firm handled 166 petitions at the PTAB during this time period, with 83 percent of those petitions ending favorably for the firm’s petitioner clients. Major PTAB victories include thwarting 10 inter partes review (IPR) petitions that I-MAK filed at the PTAB against seven Gilead Orange Book patents and getting all 10 petitions denied.
“One aspect of our practice that sets us apart from other firms is that clients rely on us for strategy, leadership and vision for their global patent disputes. We provide guidance for patent litigation in countries worldwide,” said Shear, who has led Gilead’s litigation strategy around the world for the past five years including the PTAB actions.
Fish also dominated at the ITC, handling more patent litigation than any other law firm with nearly 25 percent of all new matters. One key win included obtaining a rare reversal of an initial determination of no violation for client Macronix International against Toshiba Corp. while making new law clarifying the domestic industry requirement.
Fish & Richardson, a premier global intellectual property law firm, is sought-after and trusted by the world’s most innovative brands and influential technology leaders. Fish offers patent prosecution, counseling and litigation; trademark and copyright prosecution, counseling and litigation; and commercial litigation services. Our deep bench of attorneys with first-chair trial experience in every technology makes us the go-to firm for the most technically complex cases. We have an established reputation as a top-tier firm for patent portfolio planning, strategy and prosecution, as well as post-grant proceedings at the PTAB. Fish was established in 1878, and now has more than 400 attorneys and technology specialists in the U.S., Europe and in a new office in Shenzhen, China. Our success is rooted in our creative and inclusive culture, which values the diversity of people, experiences and perspectives. For more information, visit fr.com or follow us at @FishRichardson.