Intellectual Property

In 2010, The American Lawyer recognized Winston & Strawn as having one of the nation's top four IP practices.  AmLaw commented that "while few firms can credibly argue that their litigation wins affect how we use the Internet, Winston & Strawn can make that claim—more than once." The same AmLaw article described our litigators as "having deep expertise in handling patent cases…," and Winston's patent practice consistently is ranked as among the most active in the country by IP Law & Business and Corporate Counsel. Most recently, Winston's patent practice was recognized in IAM Magazine's inaugural Patent Litigation 250 worldwide survey, which highlighted leading patent and technology licensing practitioners for 2010. The profile touted the firm's "outstanding reputation in the litigation arena" and "bet-the-company patent litigation, particularly within the pharmaceutical sector."

"The group is creative in coming up with settlement proposals that make economic and business sense, and great at working with others and coordinating a joint defense."
- Chambers USA, 2011

Over the last three years, Winston has been hired for IP work by a wide range of industry leaders, including pioneers in e-commerce, new media, and the internet (Yahoo!, NAVTEQ, CNET/CBS Interactive); computers (Dell); telecom/networking/ internetworking (Verizon, Cisco, Finisar); semiconductors (Nanya Technologies, Lam Research); software (ESRI); gaming (ShuffleMaster); retail (Lowe's, Sears, Bare Escentuals); financial services (ISE, Discover Card); optics (Hoya-Pentax); pharmaceuticals (Hospira, Teva); medical devices (Abbott, Medtronic); bio-tech (Monsanto); consumer electronics (Audiovox); and automotive (Hyundai, Lear).

Key Facts About the Practice

• More than 200 Winston attorneys practice in multiple areas of IP-related law in the United States, Europe, and Asia; nearly 80 of these attorneys have technical degrees and 45 are members of the Patent Bar.
• More than 20 partners have first-chaired IP trials in various courts throughout the U.S. and in Europe.
• From 2006-2010, our attorneys have appeared in more than 350 IP-related cases in 26 different states.
• Over the last five years, Winston's has been among the 15 most active patent litigation practices in the country. 
• Over the last five years, our attorneys have appeared in nearly 80 IP-related appeals.
• Winston recently added a Chambers UK ranked IP team to its London office; the team has a  track record of successfully representing clients in patent, trade mark and copyright trials for more than twenty years. 
• Winston's Paris IP partners regularly rank among the top litigation practices in France for IP, media, entertainment and luxury products, according to prestigious directories such as Chambers Europe, Décideurs, and Legal 500.