Experience

Electrical and Computer Technology

About

Electrical and Computer Technology is part of our work in Electronics and Information Technology.

Protecting and enforcing IP rights in a high-speed world
The world is more connected than ever. The overlap between technological innovations and their application to products and services has created new markets and opportunities for collaboration. Highly prized intellectual property assets typically drive these advances. Decades of working with industry leaders in computer hardware and software, information technology, the Internet, telecommunications, and more, have given us a deep understanding of how those industries have evolved and where they are heading. To capture economies of scale and customer conveniences that standards provide, many of our clients have developed, patented, and licensed their technologies. Some work with other companies to pool patents to make licensing more efficient. Our clients in these vast and sophisticated markets rely on Finnegan to identify opportunities, anticipate problems, and provide practical solutions.

Understanding the law, science, and technology

Approximately 100 of our professionals have at least one degree—many have graduate degrees—in electrical engineering, computer science, or another form of technology relevant to electrical and computer technology. Some have worked in the electronics and computer industries and bring an insider’s perspective to the problems our clients face. Whatever the electrical technology—light-emitting diodes (LEDs), DSL, circuits, watermarking, digital signatures, microchips, flash memory, SSL, networking, digital video, MPEG, data compression, HD-WDM, or GPS—we have a professional with experience in that field.

We have handled matters for clients in virtually every sector of the electrical and computer technology industries:

Alternative energy technologies
Bioinformatics
Computer hardware and software
Consumer electronics
Digital Media
Internet applications
Medical devices
Optics
Robotics
Semiconductor devices and processing equipment
Telecommunications

We help with:

Asserting and defending IP assets in district courts as well as at the U.S. International Trade Commission (ITC) with experienced trial and appellate teams
Developing and managing a comprehensive patent portfolio by drafting and prosecuting patents for high-value products and technologies in the United States and abroad
Providing formal opinions and counseling
Challenging and defending patents in administrative proceedings at the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO), including ex parte re-examinations, as well as inter partes review (IPR) and post grant review (PGR) proceedings before the Patent Trial and Appeal Board (PTAB)
Conducting due diligence for mergers, acquisitions, and other partnering opportunities—from assessing the strength of a single licensed patent to a thorough review of an entire portfolio
Analyzing opportunities to generate revenue from technology and IP assets, including formulating and executing licensing programs
Negotiating and enforcing complex license and technology transfer agreements
Advising on trade secret protection and litigating misappropriation cases
Guiding and protecting the rights of clients that have developed and use digital rights management technology to securely distribute key information and content
Developing comprehensive protection strategies for open source software
Providing trademark, copyright, and advertising services

Contacts

Everyone in this industry

Experience

Represents Salient Systems in litigation against Hawk Technology Systems. Salient Systems’ Complaint alleges breach of contract, breach of covenant of good faith and fair dealing, fraud, tortious interference with business relations, patent invalidity, patent misuse, and violations of the Sherman Act.

1:20-cv-01558, D. Del., Judge Connolly

Defended LG Electronics in a patent infringement lawsuit filed by Uniloc involving television display formats. This was one of more than a dozen infringement suits involving nearly two dozen patents filed by Uniloc against LG in a two-year period. Following successful venue transfers, stay or dismissal of nearly all of Uniloc’s lawsuits, and orders invalidating claims in 15 of the asserted patents, this case settled as part of a favorable global resolution with Uniloc.

3:18-cv-03071, N.D. Tex., Judge Godbey

Representing defendant BMW in a patent infringement action.

1:20-cv-01907, N.D. Ga., Judge Grimberg

Counsel in suit wrongly accusing Israeli company’s subsidiary of infringing three patents. Aggressively threatened sanctions for baseless suit before answering the complaint resulting in the plaintiff agreeing to voluntarily dismiss the suit.

5:20-cv-03003, N.D. Cal., Judge DeMarchi

Represented patent owner Caavo as the junior party in two interferences related to audio-video switching devices. The PTAB granted judgement in favor of Caavo.

106,113; 106,114, PTAB, Judges Lane, Moore, Katz

Finnegan currently defends BMW Manufacturing Co., LLC and BMW of North America, LLC (“BMW”) in a district court litigation brought by Stragent, LLC, asserting four patents directed to sharing information between engine and brake control and diagnostics to various sensors and actuators allegedly used in BMW’s vehicles. Finnegan filed concurrent IPRs against the asserted patents, currently pending.

1:20-cv-00510, D. Del., Judge Stark
IPR2021-00417, -00418, -00419, -00425, -00426, -00427, -00726, 00727, 00728, PTAB-IPR

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