Top Intellectual Property Attorneys of 2014

The Daily Journal featured Finnegan partner Erik R. Puknys on its list of the “Top Intellectual Property Attorneys of 2014.” The publication highlighted a recent litigation victory in N.D. Cal. on behalf of Russia-based software company ABBYY. Puknys served as lead counsel in the “high-stakes infringement battle” against Nuance Communications. He noted the challenge involved with bringing “a Russian company in front of a jury with all the controversy surrounding the Russian government on human rights. It actually came up in voir dire and some jurors expressed concern. This gave us a chance to say that the government is one thing, but the company is another. It allowed us to clear the air.”

Following a two-week trial, the jury rejected Nuance’s patent infringement and trade dress claims. “We had the [ABBYY] founders testify in the courtroom and that made a big difference. It had a very personalizing effect,” reflected Puknys. “In a time when there is a lot of concern about software patents in the United States, and whether juries can understand them and treat people fairly, this case goes a long way to show that juries take their job seriously and bring an opening mind to these disputes.”