Intellectual Property

In the fast-paced, cut-throat race to develop new products and devices, companies all have one concern in common: protecting their intellectual property. When disputes arise, small early-stage start-ups and large Fortune 100 companies alike turn to Stradling to win.

For clients seeking to protect their IP from unscrupulous competitors or those needing a strong defense against patent infringement claims, winning can take many forms, from quick, pre-emptive resolutions to an all-out fight, and everything in between. With our big-picture perspective and understanding of their business goals, we help clients operating in the medical device, life sciences, software, computer and consumer-facing technology industries resolve intellectual property and patent disputes as efficiently as possible.

Patent Litigation Strategies to Protect What’s Most Important
As a full-service IP practice, we bring decades of experience litigating patent cases in state and federal courts across the country. Many of our lawyers are licensed to practice before the United States Patent & Trademark Office (PTO) in all areas of technology. Our practical, creative counsel helps clients evaluate their infringement risk and safeguard what truly matters.

Fighters and Problem Solvers
Stradling regularly goes toe-to-toe with the country’s biggest firms. Our tight-knit teams work together to identify weaknesses in an adversary’s claims and put winning arguments at the forefront to accelerate positive outcomes. We also draw on deep experience in a wide range of licensing, trade secret, trademark and unfair competition cases to pinpoint strategies and solutions to move the ball forward in our client’s favor.

When Litigation Is Not the Only Option
Companies with billion-dollar investments in research and development credit our fierce and aggressive approach to protecting their IP, including at trial. But sometimes fighting the right fight means choosing one battle, or avoiding the fight altogether. We adapt our solutions to each client’s economic and business goals. With that focus, we offer creative ways to stop potentially expensive or distracting claims in their tracks, whether by asserting early counter-claims or pursuing mediation. 

Representative Experience

Defended Iteris, a technology company that provides sensors and systems for traffic intersection management, in a patent infringement case brought by Wavetronic, who claimed that our client’s “Vantage Vector” product violated its patent related to monitoring traffic flow. Defeated a preliminary injunction brought by the plaintiff, which resulted in the parties reaching a favorable settlement of all claims.  (Wavetronic v. Iteris, Western District, TX).

Winning two patent cases for Imaginal Systematics in the Central District of California.  In the first case, we won a $5 million jury verdict after winning summary judgment on infringement and validity, then upheld the results on appeal.  In the second case, we secured a multi-million settlement after winning summary judgment that the defendant willfully infringed Imaginal’s patents.

Achieving a complete victory for Lenovo (HKG: 00992) in a patent case filed by Optimum Power Solutions asserting a patent covering computer power distribution technology.  The plaintiff was forced to dismiss its case after we obtained claim construction rulings that precluded a finding of infringement.

Currently representing Edwards Lifesciences (NYS: EW) in a patent infringement and unfair competition case against an Indian competitor that knocked off Edwards’ artificial heart valve technology.  Before the defendant’s product was approved in the United States, our team was able to catch the competitor promoting the infringing product at a U.S. tradeshow, allowing Edwards to protect its intellectual property in the United States.

Obtained summary judgment for Synoptek --  a managed IT services provider — in a trademark infringement case. The court canceled the defendant’s infringing ‘SYNAPTEK’ trademark and the defendant was required to change its name. 

Successfully defending Endologix in a case brought by a non-practicing entity backed by litigation funding to pursue the claim. Normally, Endologix would have expended almost $2 million in fees over the 12 months it would usually take to get to a claim construction hearing, but our team filed a successful motion for claim construction so that the court could begin to determine the scope and meaning of the patent’s claims in just three months.

Secured summary judgment on behalf of a commercial drone manufacturer against an industry consultant in the U.S. District Court of Nevada.  Our client was the defendant in the suit, and the plaintiff claimed that our client was displaying its photographs on our website without permission.  

Secured an emergency temporary restraining order for a client in the enterprise security space against an independent contractor who misappropriated the client’s source code to launch a directly competing product. A detailed analysis of the infringing software even revealed blatant copying of the client’s naming conventions.  The defendant agreed to abandon the infringing product and enter a settlement favorable to the client.