Standard Essential Patents
Experienced SEP lawyers protecting and enforcing our clients’ standard essential patent portfolios.
Standard essential patents underpin many of the key technologies that consumers rely on in everyday products. While historically focused on high-tech companies, with the proliferation of the IoT and connected products, it’s easy for companies of every kind to become entangled in SEP-related issues that can carry significant financial stakes. The attorneys at Fish can help you cut through the complexity and prepare a strategy that supports your business goals, whether that is pre-suit licensing or in litigation.
Over the past 10 years, we’ve been trusted to lead many of the largest SEP disputes in the world, including matters involving household-name brands and products used in homes around the globe.
Representing prominent tech companies, brick-and-mortar manufacturers, and small but growing enterprises.
Fish’s SEP attorneys have worked for some of the largest tech companies in the world, as well as brick-and-mortar manufacturers who are incorporating SEP-related technologies into their products.
Many companies get their first experience with SEP litigation when they receive an unexpected letter accusing them of infringement and seeking royalties. We can answer any questions you might have about SEPs; fair, reasonable, and nondiscriminatory (FRAND) licensing; and the next steps you should take.
Our team of SEP lawyers has decades of experience in crafting SEP litigation strategies.
Few can match Fish attorneys when it comes to experience in standard essential patents. We not only lead litigation in District Courts or the International Trade Commission but also manage the global disputes that span jurisdictions around the world. When a dispute crosses borders and you’re facing injunctions in global markets, we will ensure that your case is litigated everywhere in accordance with your strategy and goals. Likewise, Fish attorneys are masters at avoiding litigation and resolving SEP-related matters without ever seeing a courtroom.
Fish is home to an extraordinary depth of technical insight. With over 400 firm members holding STEM degrees, including over 120 with Ph.D.s, we have the technical understanding required to quickly get up to speed on the legal issues at hand and focus the litigation on the issues that matter most.
We have resolved some of the world’s most complex SEP disputes.
- Represented Samsung in a series of hotly contested and much-publicized patent and licensing disputes in the E.D. Texas and the ITC. The cases involved 24 patents covering software and hardware for mobile devices, including phones and tablets. A global settlement favorable to Samsung was reached after a two-week trial.
Ericsson Inc., et al. v. Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd. - Represented a Fortune 100 consumer electronics company in a multi-billion-dollar global royalty and patent dispute with Qualcomm. The two-year SEP-focused battle ended in a settlement after both sides presented opening arguments in a U.S. District Court in San Diego.
- Represented a Fortune 100 consumer electronics company in a years-long, global, multibillion-dollar patent and contract dispute against Ericsson. The two parties ultimately reached a licensing agreement after the ITC trial.
- Defended Samsung in a dispute involving eight patents related to Wi-Fi and wireless technology. The asserted patents allegedly cover technologies that range from battery preservation techniques; to beamforming feedback computation for directing wireless signals to specific devices; to a combination device with both telephone and audio streaming capabilities. The case settled following a Markman hearing.
Bell Northern Research LLC v. Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd., et al. (E.D. Tex.) - Represented Samsung in a complex litigation plan seeking hundreds of millions of dollars in damages from Samsung merely for its use of the Android operating system. Fish was able to settle the case for Samsung just one week before trial, with a very favorable business resolution following pretrial hearings.
SEVEN Networks v. Samsung Electronics Corp. et al. (Eastern District of Texas, 2:17-cv-00441) - Represented a Fortune 100 consumer electronics company in District Court patent litigation regarding cellular and transmission technology. Resolved with a favorable settlement.
- Represented a multinational technology company in a matter involving optical networking technology required to implement G.709 Standard. Fish successfully blocked institution on two of the three IPRs and the third settled before an institution decision. The District Court case reached settlement a few days after the jury trial began.
- Represented a major semiconductor manufacturer in a significant patent case in the Western District of Texas. The case was significant given the complexity of the technology, but Fish was able to negotiate a favorable resolution for our client following vigorous negotiation.
- Represented a leading global telecommunications company in ITC investigations against Ericsson involving 5G cellular technology and arising from a global patent dispute involving SEPs. The cases ended in a favorable settlement after trial.
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