Fish Named Finalist for IP Firm/Dept. of the Year

Fish & Richardson was honored as a finalist for IP Litigation Department of the Year by The American Lawyer and as one the Top IP Firms of the Year by Law360. Fish is the only law firm to appear on both lists. Both rankings were published on January 4, 2010.

Fish earned the top rankings for the “extraordinary perseverance its lawyers have shown in turning big verdicts against its clients to dust,” and specifically its success in reversing over $2 billion in damages awards against Microsoft Corp.

“It is a huge honor to top both of these competitions,” said Peter J. Devlin, President of Fish & Richardson. “When the stakes are high and the technological and legal issues are difficult, companies continue to turn to Fish to protect their intellectual property.”

The American Lawyer also pointed to the firm’s robust record at the International Trade Commission (ITC), with Fish winning five cases in the last two years, as well as Fish’s impressive work in the U.S. district court for the Eastern District of Texas, where Fish handles more cases than any other national firm and won two rare summary judgment motions.

Fish’s top spot in Law360’s IP firm rankings was for “setting the pace with massive verdicts and settlements, and key roles in policy changes.” In addition to the reversals of the verdicts against Microsoft, Fish played an important role in creating new law through its defense of Bose Corp.’s WAVE trademark before the Trademark Trial and Appeal Board and the Federal Circuit. The appellate court determined that in order to force the cancellation of a trademark alleged to have been obtained by fraud, plaintiffs need to prove intent to deceive the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office. This precedent-setting case established a clear standard in a controversial, grey area of trademark law.