John Christopher Rozendaal

John Christopher "J.C." Rozendaal is a highly experienced patent litigator and a Director and Chair of the Trial & Appellate Practice Group at Sterne, Kessler, Goldstein & Fox. He focuses his practice on complex business and intellectual property litigation, primarily in federal court, and regularly tries patent infringement cases to juries. Rozendaal frequently briefs and argues cases before the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit and has represented clients at the U.S. Supreme Court. He joined Sterne Kessler in 2017 from Kellogg, Huber, Hansen, Todd, Evans & Figel.

Rozendaal's practice encompasses a wide array of technologies, including pharmaceuticals, aseptic packaging systems, optical disc drives, medical ultrasound, Voice-over-Internet-Protocol (VoIP), LCD flat-panel displays, and streaming video technology. A significant portion of his work involves counseling generic pharmaceutical and biosimilar companies in Abbreviated New Drug Application (ANDA) matters, where he often defends against infringement claims. His case history, including "Merck v. Apotex Inc. et al.", primarily reflects a defense-side preference, particularly for generic drug manufacturers and other operating companies.

Notable successes include representing Teva Pharmaceuticals USA, Inc. in Allergan, Inc. v. Teva Pharmaceuticals USA, Inc. et al., where he secured a district court judgment invalidating six patents protecting the dry eye drug Restasis, a judgment successfully defended on appeal. He also led the Sterne Kessler team in a Federal Circuit victory for Hopewell Pharma Ventures, upholding Patent Trial and Appeal Board (PTAB) rulings that invalidated key Merck patents for its multiple sclerosis drug MAVENCLAD. While largely representing defendants, Rozendaal also successfully represented plaintiff Ricoh Co., Ltd., obtaining a reversal on appeal of an unfavorable summary judgment ruling and subsequently a $14.5 million jury verdict in a patent infringement case against a Taiwanese optical disc drive manufacturer.

Rozendaal is active in inter partes review (IPR) and other USPTO proceedings, an area of expertise for Sterne Kessler. His IPR experience complements his robust ANDA practice. He earned his J.D. from the University of Texas School of Law with highest honors, an M.A. from Oxford University, Brasenose College with first-class honors, and a B.A. from the University of Texas at Austin with highest honors. He is admitted to practice in the District of Columbia and before the Supreme Court of the United States, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit, and other federal courts.