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Practice Area
Our Patent Litigation Practice is one of the country’s most active and highly regarded. Our seasoned patent litigators bring extensive courtroom experience to every matter we handle. According to Lex Machina, we are among the top three national patent defense firms in the country for number of appearances and cases filed, and we also were the top national defense firm for number of patent trials in the last five years (2018–2022).
Practice Area
Winston’s Intellectual Property (IP) Practice is one of the most active and highly regarded in the United States per Chambers USA, Benchmark Litigation US, and Best Law Firms®, among other ranking organizations. Our team features some of the country’s best IP lawyers, attorneys with the technical abilities to litigate and try highly complex IP disputes, and technical lawyers who provide critical advisory services.
Industry
Insights & News 81 results
In the Media
|April 6, 2026
|1 Min Read
Alexander Ott Joins Winston in Washington, D.C.
Winston & Strawn recently announced that Alexander Ott has joined the firm’s Washington, D.C. office as a partner in the Litigation Department and a member of the International Trade Commission (ITC) Practice. Alex focuses on complex patent disputes and represents clients in high-technology industries, including semiconductor, wireless networking, LED, and software technologies. He has led numerous ITC Section 337 investigations and has represented clients before the Federal Circuit, in inter partes review (IPR) and post-grant review proceedings at the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO), and in federal district courts.
Press Release
|April 1, 2026
|1 Min Read
Winston Expands IP Practice with ITC Partner Alexander Ott
Washington, D.C. – April 1, 2026 – Winston & Strawn LLP announced today that Alexander Ott has joined the firm as a partner in the Litigation Department and the International Trade Commission (ITC) Practice in Washington, D.C.
In the Media
|March 25, 2026
|1 Min Read
Brett Johnson Discusses Federal Circuit’s PTAB Review Decisions with Law360
Winston & Strawn partner Brett Johnson was quoted in a Law360 article examining the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit’s recent decisions declining to review the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office director’s discretionary denials of inter partes review (IPR) and post-grant review (PGR) petitions. Companies have filed constitutional arguments at the Federal Circuit challenging the high and evolving threshold for having an inter partes or post-grant review instituted, which has led to an unprecedented level of denied petitions. The companies had hoped to fit into a narrow exception to the America Invents Act that allows appeals for unconstitutional “shenanigans,” but the Federal Circuit has rejected all of the mandamus petitions since November.
Other Results 12 results
Site Content
The United States Patent and Trademark Office refers to a trade secret as a type of intellectual property. This definition of trade secret is in reference to the business ownership of a formula, pattern, compilation, program, device, method, technique, or process that provides a competitive edge. As a member of the World Trade Organization, the U.S. government has a responsibility to protect trade secrets. The passage of the Defend Trade Secrets Act of 2016 (DTSA) also increased trade secret protection. Under the DTSA, an individual or organization may be found liable in a civil case for the misappropriation of trade secrets.
Law Glossary
What Is the Patent Trial and Appeal Board?
The Patent Trial and Appeal Board (PTAB) is a tribunal within U.S. Patent and Trademark Office. The PTAB oversees trial proceedings, namely: inter partes review (IPR), post-grant review (PGR), covered business method (CBM) review, and derivation proceedings. The Board also hears appeals from adverse patentability decisions by patent examiners in original applications, reissues, and reexaminations. And, while phasing out since the passage of the America Invents Act (AIA) in 2011, the PTAB is also responsible for deciding interferences. The PTAB was previously referred to as the Board of Patent Appeals and Interferences and was renamed by the AIA.
Location
Launched in 2013, Winston & Strawn’s Silicon Valley office is home to nationally recognized attorneys that draw clients from Fortune 500 companies, startups, and everything in between. Led by Kelly Hunsaker—who has deep roots in Silicon Valley spanning nearly three decades—the office draws from the firm’s deep bench strength and global network of resources to serve clients in a variety of industries, including the semiconductor, computer hardware and software, telecommunications, life sciences, and pharmaceutical sectors. The office’s intellectual property attorneys have litigated extensively in all the top national patent litigation venues, as well as before the International Trade Commission and the Patent Trial and Appeals Board of the USPTO.