FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
May 27, 2020

WASHINGTON, DC—National Law Journal selected Finnegan as a D.C. Intellectual Property Litigation Department of the Year, marking the firm’s third consecutive win in this category. The award highlights two of the firm’s biggest litigation wins in 2019—Combe Inc. v. Dr. August Wolff GmbH & Co. KG Arzeneimittel, and Valeant; Salix; Progenics v. Actavis Laboratories FL, Inc.

In Combe Inc. v. Dr. August Wolff GmbH & Co. KG Arzeneimittel, Finnegan secured a victory for Combe in a bench trial involving the VAGISIL brand of feminine-care products. The win marked an important milestone for the client’s enforcement efforts, as the court held that “VAGISIL is a famous mark that has attained substantial commercial strength.” Finnegan won the case on a de novo appeal from an adverse ruling against Combe before the Trademark Trial and Appeal Board (TTAB), where Combe was represented by different counsel.

In Valeant; Salix; Progenics v. Actavis Laboratories FL, Inc., Finnegan represented branded pharmaceutical companies Valeant, Salix, and Progenics in this Hatch-Waxman infringement action to protect the patent rights of the clients’ highly successful Relistor^® tablet. A bench trial was held, and the presiding judge issued an 83-page opinion upholding the validity of the asserted patent claims and finding those claims infringed. As a result, judgment in favor of the plaintiffs was granted through the life of the patents, extending through 2030.

Frank A. DeCosta, III, Ph.D., leader of the firm’s litigation section, said, “Finnegan’s success in litigation is predicated on the depth and diversity of experience of the members of our teams. We have more than 230 litigators with substantial bench and jury trial experience who have technical degrees (150+ with graduate degrees) in virtually every field that we have litigated.” He added, “The most satisfying aspect of our work is that we gain a considerable amount of satisfaction from identifying and solving IP-related business issues that our clients did not see coming both within and outside the context of litigation.”

Contacts
Anand K. Sharma, Managing Partner 
anand.sharma@finnegan.com 

Mark D. Sweet, Chair 
mark.sweet@finnegan.com 

About Finnegan
Finnegan, Henderson, Farabow, Garrett & Dunner, LLP is one of the largest IP law firms in the world. From offices in Atlanta, Boston, London, Palo Alto, Reston, Seoul, Shanghai, Taipei, Tokyo, and Washington, DC, the firm practices all aspects of patent, trademark, copyright, advertising, and trade secret law, including counseling, prosecution, licensing, and litigation. Finnegan also represents clients on IP issues related to European patents and trade marks, international trade, portfolio management, the Internet, e-commerce, government contracts, antitrust, and unfair competition. For additional information on the firm, please visit www.finnegan.com. Follow us on LinkedIn and Twitter.