Joseph B. Farnan, Jr.

Joseph J. Farnan, Jr. is a prominent patent litigator and the founder of Farnan LLP, based in Wilmington, Delaware. His practice focuses on complex commercial matters, patent litigation, and Chapter 11 bankruptcy proceedings. Before founding his firm, Mr. Farnan served with distinction for 25 years as a United States District Judge for the District of Delaware, including as Chief Judge from 1997 to 2001. During his judicial tenure, he presided over hundreds of patent and complex commercial disputes, significantly shaping the District of Delaware's reputation as a leading forum for intellectual property rights disputes.

In his current practice, Mr. Farnan leverages his extensive judicial and trial experience, often serving as local counsel in high-stakes patent cases. While his single tracked appearance involved defending Vizgen, Inc. in 10x Genomics, Inc. et al. v. Vizgen, Inc., his firm's representative matters demonstrate experience on both plaintiff and defendant sides. These include obtaining findings of infringement and validity after trial in Hatch-Waxman litigation for pharmaceutical patents (Eliquis®) and securing an $84.5 million jury verdict for patent infringement on behalf of Densify against VMware, Inc., indicating a breadth of experience across biotechnology, pharmaceuticals, and software/IT technology areas.

Notable cases in his current practice include representing Vizgen, Inc. in the 10x Genomics litigation, which resulted in a $31 million patent infringement award against Vizgen but ultimately concluded with a global cross-license agreement between the parties in May 2025. As a judge, he presided over significant patent disputes such as Pfizer, Inc. v. Ranbaxy Laboratories, Ltd. (involving the drug Lipitor®) and Lucent Technologies, Inc. v. Extreme Networks, Inc. (data networking technology), underscoring his deep familiarity with diverse patent fields. Information regarding his specific involvement in PTAB or IPR proceedings is not readily available in public records.

Mr. Farnan is admitted to practice in Delaware and New Jersey. He earned his B.A. from King's College in 1967 and his J.D. from the University of Toledo College of Law in 1970, where he was on the University of Toledo Law Review.