WASHINGTON, D.C. (July 28, 2016) – Sterne, Kessler, Goldstein & Fox P.L.L.C. is proud to announce that, according to data from Docket Navigator, Sterne Kessler is the first law firm in the United States to have handled over 500 AIA proceedings* before the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office’s (USPTO) Patent Trial and Appeal Board (PTAB). To date, Sterne Kessler has represented clients in over nine percent of all IP disputes filed at the PTAB.

“Our continued success at the PTAB follows directly from our technical depth and nearly 40 years of patent prosecution experience for some of the most innovative companies in the world. We are able to leverage these advantages to consistently achieve success for patent owners and for petitioners across a broad range of technologies,” said Robert Greene Sterne, a founding director in the firm’s Electronics and Litigation groups who has handled over 120 AIA proceedings since the PTAB was established as an outcome of the America Invents Act (AIA) in 2012.

Sterne Kessler Managing Director Mike Ray noted, “As the AIA was being implemented, we invested in becoming thought leaders in the area of post grant proceedings, growing out of our leadership in inter partes reexaminations. We wrote the first book on PTAB proceedings, authored the AIA chapter in the ABA’s Litigation Strategies book, and our directors teach and lecture on this subject matter extensively.”

Sterne Kessler has represented clients in 448 inter partes reviews (IPRs), 45 covered business method reviews (CBMs), four post grant reviews (PGRs), and three derivation proceedings (DERs). The firm is on pace to handle over 100 AIA proceedings filed in 2016, a milestone that Sterne Kessler previously attained in 2014 and 2015.

The firm’s success at the PTAB has been well-documented by leading legal industry publications. In 2015, Sterne Kessler was the first firm to be recognized as Managing Intellectual Property’s “PTAB Firm of the Year.” Earlier this year, Law360 reported Sterne Kessler to be first among the “Busiest Firms at the PTAB.”

*About AIA Proceedings
Since enactment of the AIA in 2012, the PTAB has evolved to become one of the busiest IP dispute venues in the United States. These contested proceedings, including IPRs, CBMs, PGRs and DERs, provide an alternative to traditional patent litigation for litigants attempting to challenge or defend patent claims. To date, there have been more than 5,000 AIA petitions filed. As of July 2016, AIA petitions comprise more than a quarter of all patent proceedings filed in district courts, the International Trade Commission (ITC), and the PTAB combined.

About Sterne Kessler:
Founded in 1978 and based in Washington, DC, Sterne Kessler is dedicated exclusively to the protection, transfer, and enforcement of intellectual property rights. Our team of attorneys, registered patent agents, students, and technical specialists include some of the country’s most respected practitioners of intellectual property law. Most of our professionals hold an advanced level degree, including more than 50 Ph.D.’s in science or engineering and well over 100 advanced technical degrees — credentials wide and deep enough to fill the faculty of a science oriented university.

Media Contact:
Kathy O’Brien
+1.203.268.1315
kobrien@jaffepr.com

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