Venable

Firm overview:

Venable represents a diverse portfolio of clients in patent litigation, prosecution, and counselling. The firm’s Washington, DC headquarters is the base for the prosecution of patent applications with US Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) examiners, with a foreign filing group handling both outbound and inbound applications. Venable serves a diverse client base, covering technologies in artificial intelligence (AI), automotive, the life sciences, microprocessors, software, and more.

Beyond prosecution, Venable’s PTO Contested Proceedings Group represents both patent challengers and owners before the Patent Trial and Appeal Board (PTAB). Clients ranging from emerging companies to Fortune 500 corporations have enlisted the help of the firm’s Patent Litigation team to handle complex patent matters, in federal courts and arbitration forums across the country, as well as before the International Trade Commission (ITC).

Team overview:

Michael Sandonato co-chairs the firm’s IP Litigation—Technology Group, and has served as lead counsel in patent litigations in district courts across the US, before the ITC, and in arbitration. A peer notes Sandonato’s significant experience in patent matters and broad knowledge of IP law. His representative clients include Canon, Dentsply Sirona, and Prudential.

Additions to Venable’s team over the past year include patent litigators Jeannine Yoo Sano and Eric Krause, who joined the San Francisco office from Axinn, Veltrop & Harkrider.

The firm also hired Rebecca Horton to that office, who was previously at Hogan Lovells and handles high-stakes litigation across patents, trademarks, copyright and trade secrets.

Key matters:

• Causam Enterprises v International Trade Commission

Venable’s Manny Caixeiro represented ecobee Technologies as an intervenor in Causam Enterprises v International Trade Commission. The case concerns patent rights in smart thermostats.

• Novartis Pharmaceuticals v MSN Pharmaceuticals

Counsel from Venable are on the team representing Novartis in its dispute with MSN Pharmaceuticals over a generic version blockbuster heart-failure drug Entresto.

Clients:

ecobee Technologies, Novartis