Erik R. Fuehrer

Erik R. Fuehrer is a partner at DLA Piper, specializing in patent litigation and complex commercial litigation, particularly within the software, consumer products, semiconductor, and telecommunications sectors. His practice extends to both United States district courts and the International Trade Commission (ITC).

Fuehrer primarily defends operating companies in patent disputes. His case history, including two tracked defendant-side appearances, aligns with his firm's profile highlighting his role in successfully defending multinational technology companies. He has been involved in significant cases such as representing Microsoft Corporation in Qomplx LLC v. Microsoft Corporation, which involves patents related to large-scale data analysis, risk-based multi-factor authentication, and network threat correlation.

Beyond district court litigation, Fuehrer has experience in ITC investigations, securing a finding of no violation for a client in a five-patent investigation concerning mobile device power management and touchscreen technologies. He was also part of the DLA Piper team that achieved a significant victory for Samsung Electronics Co. when a jury verdict of US$112 million in patent litigation with Maxell was overturned. His experience also includes securing a judgment on the pleadings invalidating five patents under 35 U.S.C. § 101 in a case involving search engine optimization technology.

Fuehrer also has experience with PTAB proceedings. He was involved in a successful defense where the Federal Circuit addressed the matter of whether statements made during preliminary IPR proceedings can result in a prosecution history disclaimer. In the ongoing Qomplx LLC v. Microsoft Corporation litigation, Microsoft has filed Inter Partes Reviews (IPRs) challenging some of the asserted patents.

He earned his J.D. from the University of California, Davis School of Law, and his B.A. in Political Science and Sociology from the University of California at Berkeley. He is admitted to the State Bar of California.