John Thornburgh

I'll research this attorney before drafting.

John Thornburgh — Fish & Richardson P.C. (San Diego)

Focus areas. Thornburgh's practice is patent litigation and appeals, with firm- and IAM Patent 1000 descriptions emphasizing computer-related and medical device technologies, plus broader electronics and mechanical work. His tracked matters skew toward wireless/standards-essential technology and consumer-device software: he is defending Samsung against 5G SEP/FRAND assertions in G+ Communications, LLC v. Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd. (E.D. Tex.) and Apple against three "selection ring" graphical-user-interface patents covering the iOS 26 "Liquid Glass" design in Peer Global Inc. v. Apple Inc. (W.D. Tex., filed Jan. 2026). Reported trial-team involvement in Headwater Research LLC v. Samsung (E.D. Tex.) also involved handset software/battery-saving features. He has appeared in the California districts, E.D. Tex., E.D. Va., D. Del., the ITC, and in international disputes.

Side preference. His tracked record is entirely defense-side (0 plaintiff, 2 defendant appearances), consistent with a practice built around defending operating companies — Samsung and Apple — against NPE and patent-holder infringement claims. I found no verified record of him prosecuting infringement claims for NPEs/PAEs.

Firm context. He is a principal at Fish & Richardson P.C., resident in the firm's San Diego office; his profile notes prior time at a law firm in Paris. No other law firm or in-house affiliation is well sourced. He has been recognized in Best Lawyers in America (since 2015), IAM Patent 1000, and Super Lawyers.

Notable matters and outcomes. In G+ Communications v. Samsung (2:22-cv-00078), Fish represented Samsung; a January 2024 jury verdict of $67.5M plus running royalties was vacated by Judge Gilstrap over juror confusion as to lump-sum versus royalty, and an April 2024 retrial on damages produced a $142M award ($61M + $81M). Thornburgh's notice of appearance in that docket was filed May 23, 2024, so his role appears to post-date the verdicts; it should not be described as trial counsel without confirmation. He is also listed among the trial team in Headwater Research LLC v. Samsung Electronics (2:22-cv-00422), where Fish won a January 17, 2025 EDTX jury verdict of non-infringement against a $1.95B damages demand — reported as the largest patent damages demand ever tried to verdict in the Eastern District of Texas. His firm bio claims "billion-dollar-plus wins" and a role in precedent-setting patent-damages cases, but the bio does not identify specific matters, and I could not independently verify which cases those refer to. Peer Global v. Apple remains pending.

PTAB / IPR. I found no reliable confirmation that Thornburgh is a named practitioner in IPR/PGR proceedings. Third-party aggregator data suggests some PTAB/reexamination exposure, but this is not sourced to firm materials or PTAB filings and should be treated as unverified.

Bar / education. Admitted in California (1991; Cal. Bar No. 154627); J.D., Stanford Law School, 1991; B.A., Rice University, 1988.