It has been more than six months since the U.S. Supreme Court’s Halo decision lowered the bar for proving willful infringement, and this boon for plaintiffs is quickly changing trial strategy. Our panel of experienced litigators will begin by examining how courts post-Halo have decided the sufficiency of pleading for enhanced damages at the motion-to-dismiss stage. Then, the panel will consider the factors that have most strongly influenced recent district court decision to enhance — or not enhance — damages, including notice by the patent owner (cases such as CH20 and Finjan), copying (Westerbeke, Imperium, and PPC), and opinions of counsel (Dominion, Presidio, and Boston University). A favorably timed opinion of counsel can prove successful in warding off a finding of willfulness, but defendants need to consider the effect of an opinion of counsel on attorney-client privilege.
Speakers:
- Natalie Hanlon Leh, Wilmer Cutler Pickering Hale and Dorr LLP
- Christopher Marchese, Fish & Richardson PC
- Michael Zeliger, K&L Gates LLP