Fish & Richardson Named #1 in International Trade Commission Filings for 2014 by The National Law Journal

Washington, D.C., January 15, 2015 - Fish & Richardson has been named the #1 firm at the International Trade Commission (ITC), with the most cases filed in 2014 according to The National Law Journal (NLJ). Fish handles more ITC patent litigation - about 15 percent of all active patent cases at the ITC each year - than any other law firm.

According to the NLJ, the popularity of the ITC - which addresses high-stakes intellectual property (IP) disputes involving imported goods - surged beginning in 2010, "as smartphone makers filed complaints and counter-complaints as part of a wider patent war litigated on multiple fronts." The NLJ noted that, "Petitioners are drawn to the forum by its speed and the ability to get injunctive relief in the form of an exclusion order banning the import of all infringing goods."

"Fish has developed a reputation for winning the most challenging and complex ITC cases that are often part of multiple, concurrent cases involving the same parties or multiple defendants," said Michael McKeon, a principal in Fish's Washington, D.C. office who has been litigating at the ITC since the mid-90s and has worked on over 30 Section 337 ITC cases, often with billions of dollars in commerce at risk.

"The ITC continues to be a strategically important venue for many big high-tech companies," added McKeon. "Right now, everyone is watching to see if violations based on induced infringement will be viable after the Federal Circuit issues its en banc ruling in the Suprema case later this year. Domestic Industry continues to be an evolving standard at the ITC, and the ITC also continues to stand out with its remedial authority, so there is a lot of important activity happening there right now."