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

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.”

“We are proud of Fish’s reputation for winning the most challenging and complex ITC cases. These cases are often part of multiple, concurrent cases involving the same parties or multiple defendants in different Courts and even different countries,” said Howard Pollack, managing principal of the firm’s Silicon Valley office, who has litigated cases at the ITC for technology-focused clients.

“The ITC continues to be a strategically important venue for many big high-tech companies,” added Pollack. “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. The evolving law at the ITC, similar to Patent Litigation in District Court, makes it an interesting place to practice.”