Caleb J. Bean

Caleb J. Bean is a patent litigation attorney serving as Counsel in Alston & Bird's Intellectual Property Litigation Group in Los Angeles. His practice encompasses a broad spectrum of intellectual property disputes, including patent, trademark, trade dress, trade secret, and licensing matters in federal and state courts, as well as before the U.S. International Trade Commission (ITC). He handles a diverse range of technologies, with experience in optical communications solutions (including 5G networks and data centers), hearing aid technology, home security networking, emergency telecommunications, and backup camera technology. His educational background includes a J.D. from Indiana University (2014) and a B.S. from Purdue University (2011), and he is admitted to the California Bar and registered to practice before the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office.

Mr. Bean's experience reflects work on both the plaintiff and defendant sides of patent disputes. While tracked as lead counsel for plaintiff VB Assets, LLC in patent infringement cases against Ford Motor Company (involving Bluetooth and audio communications related to the Sync system) and Apple, Inc. (asserting natural language processing patents related to the Siri virtual assistant in various Apple devices), his firm profile also highlights significant defense work for operating companies. He has defended clients in patent infringement actions brought by non-practicing entities (NPEs) and achieved favorable outcomes such as prevailing on motions for summary judgment, leading to settlements or full dismissals.

A notable aspect of his practice includes representing clients in post-grant proceedings before the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO). He handles inter partes reviews (IPRs), post-grant reviews, ex parte re-examinations, and covered business method proceedings before the Patent Trial & Appeal Board (PTAB). The VB Assets cases he leads have a history of impactful outcomes, including securing ongoing royalty rates following jury verdicts, as seen in related litigation against Amazon.