Cora Holt

Cora Holt is a patent litigator at Finnegan, Henderson, Farabow, Garrett & Dunner, specializing in biotechnology, pharmaceutical, and life sciences industries, including Hatch-Waxman and biologics cases. Her practice encompasses patent disputes in district courts, the International Trade Commission (ITC), the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit, the U.S. Supreme Court, and proceedings before the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO).

Holt primarily represents defendants, as evidenced by her role as lead counsel for Novartis Gene Therapies, Inc. in Genzyme Corporation v. Novartis Gene Therapies, Inc.. She has also represented clients like American Regent, Inc., which resulted in a favorable settlement, and AbbVie in a validity and infringement dispute concerning Humira®, also settling favorably. Additionally, she successfully defended Novartis against Genzyme's multiple patent infringement actions and inter partes review (IPR) proceedings related to recombinant adeno-associated virus vector technology. This particular case, involving Novartis's Zolgensma®, settled after four patents were invalidated during claim construction, five patents found not literally infringed, and institution of multiple IPRs. In a related case, Genzyme Corporation and Aventis Inc. v. Novartis Gene Therapies Inc. and Novartis Pharmaceuticals Corporation, all claims were dismissed with prejudice, with each party bearing its own costs, after a notably swift resolution of 271 days.

Her experience extends to PTAB invalidation proceedings, including IPRs and PGRs, and she also handles appeals from USPTO decisions. Holt was a moderator for a Finnegan webinar on "Standing to Appeal to the Federal Circuit from USPTO Proceedings" in 2018. Furthermore, she has represented Ajinomoto in an ITC investigation, related IPR proceedings, and a subsequent Federal Circuit appeal, ultimately responding to a denied cert petition at the U.S. Supreme Court.

Holt is admitted to practice in the District of Columbia, Wisconsin, and Virginia, as well as before the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office, the U.S. Supreme Court, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit, the U.S. Court of Federal Claims, and the U.S. Court of Appeals for Veterans Claims. She earned her J.D. from the University of Wisconsin Law School in 2011 and holds a B.S. in Biochemistry and Agricultural Journalism from the University of Wisconsin, Madison (2008). She previously served as a law clerk to the Honorable Chief Judge Sharon Prost at the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit.