Elizabeth A. Howard

I'll research this attorney before drafting.

Let me verify the tracked case and her post-Orrick trajectory.

Elizabeth A. Howard, Ph.D. — patent litigation summary

Focus. Dr. Howard's practice has centered on life sciences patent infringement and trade secret litigation — biotechnology, molecular biology/genomics, and pharmaceuticals — with additional experience in pharmaceutical anti-counterfeiting matters, ITC proceedings, and pre-AIA USPTO interference practice. Her tracked case, Affymetrix, Inc. v. Synteni, Inc. et al., concerned high-density DNA microarray ("GeneChip") technology, and her best-documented case as lead Orrick partner involved RNAi/lipid-nanoparticle delivery technology. She is a Ph.D. molecular biologist by training rather than a generalist software or standards litigator.

Side. She has predominantly represented patent owners and technology plaintiffs. The tracked record shows 1 plaintiff-side appearance and 0 defendant-side; that single case is documented only at the 1998 venue-transfer stage in D. Del. (28 F. Supp. 2d 192), where she is listed as Orrick counsel for plaintiff Affymetrix. The one-case sample reflects a narrow database window covering her 1990s work, not the full scope of her practice, so it should not be read as evidence she never defended infringement claims.

Firm and in-house context. She was an intellectual property partner in Orrick, Herrington & Sutcliffe's Silicon Valley (Menlo Park) office and co-chaired the firm's life sciences practice. In March 2016 she left Orrick to become Executive Vice President, General Counsel and Chief Compliance Officer of Arbutus Biopharma Corporation (Nasdaq: ABUS), serving until July 2023, when she transitioned to an advisory role at the company focused on its ongoing patent infringement litigations. Third-party bio aggregators also list an earlier stint as a deputy attorney for the County of Santa Clara; that detail is not independently corroborated and should be treated as unverified.

Notable matters. Beyond the tracked Affymetrix litigation — which was transferred to the N.D. Cal. and ultimately settled in December 2001 through a cross-license under which Affymetrix paid Incyte $4.5 million and dropped its opposition to an Affymetrix European patent — she led the Orrick team for Tekmira Pharmaceuticals Corp. against Alnylam Pharmaceuticals, Inc. In November 2012 that dispute, comprising a Massachusetts trade secret and contract action, U.S. and Canadian patent infringement actions, and a USPTO interference, settled two days before trial; Tekmira received $65 million in cash, up to $10 million in near-term milestones, and transfer of agreed LNP RNAi delivery patents and applications.

PTAB/IPR. No IPR or PGR appearances are captured in the tracked data, and her most active litigation years largely preceded the AIA post-grant regime. Her USPTO experience is in interference proceedings, which she is reported to have litigated.

Bar and education. Admitted in California (1994) and registered to practice before the USPTO; also admitted before the Federal and Ninth Circuits and several district courts. B.A. with honors, UC Santa Barbara; Ph.D. in Molecular Biology, UC Berkeley (doctoral work with Elizabeth Blackburn); J.D., UC Hastings College of the Law. Recognized on the Daily Journal's 2013 "Top 75 IP Litigators in California" list and as a "leading lawyer" in PLC Which Lawyer?, per Orrick and Arbutus announcements.