Media Mentions
2010
Sarah Columbia told Law360 on January 29 that she sees changes in the way that companies are approaching intellectual property litigation. Given the bad economy in 2009, Ms. Columbia said, “What we were seeing was companies more inclined to resolve IP litigation when it involved one commercial company suing another. … [W]aging a huge patent fight costing millions of dollars just didn’t make sense.” However, she added, when companies were sued by patent-holding firms, they often chose not to back down, a trend that (along with more lawsuits between competitors) she expects to continue in 2010. “Companies that are being chronically sued are starting to say, ‘Let’s not just pay off patent holders in settlements. Let’s make these guys work to prove their case,’” she declared.
Sarah Chapin Columbia, Intellectual Property, IP Litigation
2009
Joseph Robinson and Robert Schaffer were featured in an October 21 Law360 story about their joining McDermott from IP boutique firm Darby & Darby. Both new partners are respected patent litigators with 20 years of experience in the New York market. In addition, Mr. Robinson has strong international experience, while Mr. Shaffer handles patent and trademark portfolios for major corporate and technology clients. Sarah Columbia, vice chair of the Firm’s IP group, called the addition of the two lawyers “a brilliant catch,” and expects them to expand their McDermott work beyond just IP.
Sarah Chapin Columbia, Joseph R. Robinson, Robert Schaffer, Intellectual Property
Sarah Chapin Columbia was quoted in The National Law Journal on June 15, for a story about an increase in motions to transfer patent infringement cases out of the plaintiff-friendly Eastern District of Texas in the wake of two decisions by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit that chastised the Texas federal court for not transferring cases. Ms. Columbia noted that, before the Federal Circuit rulings, she often advised clients that fighting for a transfer out of the district would not be money well spent. Now she is advising clients to try transferring when they can make a case that parties or evidence are concentrated outside of the Eastern District of Texas. "I suspect we're all going to be thinking of that possibility [more often]," Ms. Columbia said. The NLJ story also appeared in Law.com and Corporate Legal Times.
Sarah Chapin Columbia, Intellectual Property, Patent Prosecution
Sarah Columbia was interviewed in the February 6 issue of Mass High Tech in an article regarding what questions entrepreneurs should ask their lawyers. Ms. Columbia noted that, "The first question I am typically asked by the smart entrepreneur is: 'How can you grow with us?' This is code for several different questions. Can you help us as we get started with limited resources (i.e. can you work with us to limit our expenses in the early days)? Can you grow with us as we move along our business plan?" She added that, "It is not easy to find a legal team that will work with you in the early days yet has the depth and expertise to grow with you as you realize your goals and objectives. But it is essential to find a legal team that has exactly this fit."
Sarah Chapin Columbia, Intellectual Property
Sarah Columbia was quoted in Law360's 2009 Litigation Almanac in an article regarding patent trends. Ms. Columbia noted that the Federal Circuit's decision in In Re Bilski could significantly impact both patent prosecution and litigation. "I think that it is first going to have an impact on patent prosecution, in terms of what patents are getting through the patent office, but then it will have an impact on patent litigation in terms of what kinds of claims patent holders are going to be able to assert," she said.
Sarah Chapin Columbia, Intellectual Property, IP Litigation, Patent Prosecution
2008
Sarah Columbia was quoted in the December 12 issue of the Boston Business Journal in an article regarding how growing companies can select the right lawyer or law firm to meet their intellectual property legal needs. Ms. Columbia recommends that a business interview several law firms to determine what it needs in an IP lawyer, noting that the best choice would be a firm that can grow with the business over time. "You really want somebody who will be a strategic partner with you. Most companies we work with are really looking for lawyers and a firm that can be strategic advisers....In the end, a firm should be able to develop an IP strategy that is driven by the business plan first," she said.
Sarah Chapin Columbia, Intellectual Property
On September 1 McDermott Will & Emery was profiled in The National Law Journal in an article titled, "McDermott's IP litigation team tallies jury trial wins." The article highlights McDermott's intellectual property litigation team including, Sarah Columbia, Joel Freed, Terry McMahon and Fay Morisseau, "rack[ing] up five mainly favorable jury trial verdicts in the course of five months in five different federal districts." The article notes, "...[I]t's an unusual string of results in an era when most cases don't even go to trial. The trials took place in federal courts in California, Delaware, Massachusetts, Texas and Wisconsin." Mr. Morisseau commented, "What we do better than anyone else in the country is we work across offices to pull the people with the skills needed and we are not hesitant to take a case to trial."
Sarah Chapin Columbia, Joel M. Freed, Terrence P. McMahon, Fay Morisseau, Intellectual Property, IP Litigation
Sarah Chapin Columbia was quoted in the August 15 issue of IP Law360 in an article discussing the Firm's recent addition of Dr. Robert Underwood to its Intellectual Property, Media & Technology Department. Regarding Dr. Robert Underwood, Ms. Columbia commented, "He is a highly skilled lawyer and the wide range of experience he brings with him is a significant addition to our firm-wide patent prosecution and life sciences practices, as well as a strong supplement to our overall Boston intellectual property practice."
Sarah Chapin Columbia, Robert H. Underwood, Intellectual Property, Life Sciences - IP, Patent Prosecution
Sarah Chapin Columbia was quoted in the June 6 issue of the Boston Business Journal in an article regarding the decreasing number of IP-related lawsuits going to trial in Massachusetts due to the belief that other venues offer speedier resolution. Some Massachusetts companies are opting to file in other federal courts where, for example, the court may have a record of being plaintiff-friendly or may offer a faster trial. "There's a lot of venue shopping going on," Ms. Columbia said.
