Winning a $1 billion jury verdict for client Monsanto Company was the highlight of the past two years for Winston & Strawn’s IP litigation practice. But the firm isn’t a one-hit wonder. When it comes to generic drug manufacturers, new media and high-tech, Winston has proven that it is a go-to firm. Its IP litigators have scored key patent defense victories, won a precedent-setting decision for the generic pharmaceutical industry before the U.S. Supreme Court and paved new ground in copyright law.
Take Winston’s important defense verdict for wireless networking company Belkin International against Fujitsu Limited. The firm convinced a San Jose jury to overrule the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office in December 2012. Even though the PTO previously found Fujitsu’s wireless networking patent valid three separate times, Winston partner David Enzminger helped persuade the jury that the patent was, in fact, invalid.And in a closely watched copyright case, Winston’s Michael Elkin represented Veoh Networks Inc. at the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit—defending against allegations by Universal Music Group that the company allowed third-party users to share videos containing musical performances with UMG’s songs. The case clarified that protection under the “safe harbor” provision of the Digital Millennium Copyright Act is applicable to other websites offering user-generated content, such as YouTube.
