Joseph S. Cianfrani

Joseph S. Cianfrani is an intellectual property litigator with a career spanning over 25 years, focusing on high-stakes patent, trademark, and trade secret disputes. In August 2023, he co-founded the boutique firm Friedland Cianfrani LLP. Prior to this, he was a partner at Knobbe Martens for two decades, where he served as Chair of the firm's Litigation Department. His technical background in electrical and computer engineering supports his work across a broad range of technologies, including software, electronics, medical devices, optics, and pharmaceuticals.

The provided data shows Mr. Cianfrani representing defendants, and his firm notes experience defeating cases brought by competitors and non-practicing entities. In his single tracked case, he served as lead counsel for the defendant, LG Electronics Inc., in a suit brought by Multimedia Technologies Pte Ltd. This case resulted in a complete defense verdict in May 2025, with a jury in the Eastern District of Texas finding that LG did not infringe and that the asserted smart TV-related patents were invalid.

Mr. Cianfrani has extensive experience in post-grant proceedings before the Patent Trial and Appeal Board (PTAB) and in appellate practice. His professional biographies state he has handled more than 50 appeals and inter partes review (IPR) petitions. The successful defense of LG also involved parallel PTAB challenges to the asserted patents.

Mr. Cianfrani earned his J.D. from the University of Virginia School of Law and holds M.S. and B.S. degrees in Electrical and Computer Engineering. Following law school, he clerked for the Honorable Arthur J. Gajarsa of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit.