We have successfully avoided lawsuits through strong pre-litigation diligence activities, creative solutions and agreements with adverse parties. In addition to traditional trial work, we also provide pre-litigation support for clients who are preparing to go to trial. We have partnered with general practice firms to provide similar services in highly technical cases. Our due diligence skills are also in demand with clients who are involved in acquisitions where we can interpret the value of patents involved in the transaction.
Re-examinations are an important aspect of patent litigation strategy and are becoming even more so as patent litigation continues to proliferate. Patterson & Sheridan has significant expertise in filing and conducting re-examinations preemptively or in parallel with active litigations. We counsel clients in all aspects of re-examinations, including when to file them, whether to file ex-parte or inter-parte, and whether to use re-examinations offensively or defensively. We staff re-examinations with litigators from our litigation group as well as with prosecutors with relevant technical backgrounds to provide clients with teams optimally tailored to the issues at hand. The breadth and depth of our teams enable Patterson & Sheridan to handle complex re-examination matters expeditiously.
Opinions and opinion letters are still an important part of risk management in any business involving patents. In keeping with pre-litigation diligence, Patterson & Sheridan has a long history of providing intellectual property opinions for clients Frequently, it is necessary to generate a formal legal opinion about a federal law or an existing patent, trademark or other IP product to better assist clients with their IP strategy. Patterson & Sheridan has extensive experience in performing freedom to operate opinions, noninfringement opinions, and invalidity opinions. We maintain communication with our clients throughout the opinion process to ensure that their needs are met. We also review the findings in the opinion with our clients and help them incorporate that knowledge into their IP applications.
The litigation section of Patterson & Sheridan is strong and focuses on the efficient resolution of IP lawsuits. We have both managed litigation matters for clients as well as assisted general practice firms regarding the intricate technologies involved in IP cases. We have handled complex patent litigation in a variety of disciplines in district courts throughout the United States, North America, Asia, Australia and Europe. Our significant technical expertise and litigation experience give our IP practitioners the ability to successfully practice and present before the Federal District Courts, state courts and U.S. Courts of Appeals (including the Federal Circuit). Our attorneys have been on both sides of the fence. Their backgrounds stem from in-house, corporate legal departments as well as private practice firms, so we understand and appreciate the clients’ point of view.