It was dubbed the patent trial of the century. And not only did Morrison & Foerster win, but a juror was quoted as saying, “The Apple lawyers were better at presenting their case.”
Even for a veteran trial team, that’s a tribute that doesn’t come around often. Morrison & Foerster’s team for Apple v. Samsung, led by partners Harold McElhinny, Michael Jacobs and Rachel Krevans, shared the $1.05 billion victory with Wilmer Cutler Pickering Hale and Dorr. Of course, given the size of Apple and Samsung, a billion dollars in damages isn’t a life-altering sum. Nor has the expensive legal battle hindered Samsung’s global sales. But for Apple, and Morrison & Foerster, it was sweet and satisfying.Morrison & Foerster’s IP litigators scored other notable wins too: David Doyle, Brian Kramer and Anders Aannestad, representing generic drugmaker Sandoz, notched a win against Allergan that gave Sandoz access to the U.S. market for an overactive bladder treatment 13 years ahead of schedule. For Allergan, represented by Fish & Richardson, it was the only loss in 2012 to a generic drugmaker. Morrison & Foerster solidified its win by getting an affirmance at the Federal Circuit and the Supreme Court has denied review.
