Fish & Richardson Named Law360 ITC Firm of the Year

Boston, MA, February 9, 2011 - Fish & Richardson has been named one of Law360's International Trade Practice Groups of the Year, in recognition of its significant patent wins at the International Trade Commission (ITC). According to Law360, Fish "has been involved in about one-quarter of all patent matters at the ITC, developing extensive expertise in litigating there that predates the forum’s recent popularity."

"Fish has developed a depth of experience that has made us the premier patent firm at the ITC, and it is an honor to be recognized for our ITC practice," said Ruffin Cordell, a principal at Fish & Richardson and leading ITC attorney. "The ITC is a fast forum with an experienced set of judges dealing with high tech products and high stakes cases," added Michael McKeon, a Fish principal and also a leading ITC attorney. "We know the forum, we know the judges, and we get successful results. That is why big name clients want us to handle their most complex ITC litigation."

Fish handles more patent litigation at the ITC than any other national law firm and won several major ITC cases in 2010. One of the most significant was on behalf of Paice, a pioneer in hybrid vehicle technology, over patents related to control systems for hybrid electric vehicles. In 2005, Fish won a multi-million jury verdict for Paice against Toyota in federal district court in Texas. Later, Fish initiated an ITC action against Toyota, seeking to exclude the company’s vehicles from the U.S., a remedy not available in the district court after the U.S. Supreme Court’s eBay ruling. With three separate federal district court cases underway and a separate action about to start in the ITC, the parties reached a confidential settlement.

Law360 also noted that, "In several other prominent patent cases at the ITC in 2010, Fish & Richardson was able to negotiate settlements that avoided impending trials or determinations." Those cases included: a settlement for Samsung Electronics Co. ending more than two years of litigation at the ITC against Sharp Corp. involving patents for LCD displays and modules for television and computer screens; and a settlement for LG Electronics in a dispute with Eastman Kodak Co. over patents for camera technology, which also resolved a pending district court case.

Fish has several major ongoing cases before the ITC, including several cases for Hewlett-Packard Co. involving patents for thermal inkjet printing.

Law360 editors chose Fish for this honor from among more than 300 nominated law firms. Winners were selected based on 2010 accomplishments.