Karen Ann Jacobs

Karen Ann Jacobs: Patent Litigation Summary

Date: 2026-05-11

Karen Ann Jacobs is a veteran patent litigator and partner at the Delaware firm Morris, Nichols, Arsht & Tunnell LLP (MNAT), where she has practiced for her entire career. Her work centers on patent infringement litigation in the U.S. District Court for the District of Delaware, a key venue for patent disputes. She has experience serving as both lead counsel and local Delaware counsel for her clients. Jacobs' practice is noted for its breadth, covering a wide array of technology areas including pharmaceuticals (particularly ANDA litigation), life sciences, biotechnology, electronics, computer software, and telecommunications.

The provided case data indicates a balanced practice, though with a slight emphasis on defense work, showing appearances for defendants in two of three tracked cases. This aligns with her firm's broader litigation focus. In her plaintiff-side representation for Veloxis Pharmaceuticals, she helped secure a favorable settlement that blocked a generic version of the drug Envarsus XR until 2028. On the defense side, Jacobs was part of the MNAT team that served as local counsel for Trend Micro in its successful defense against a $150 million infringement suit brought by patent assertion entity Intellectual Ventures. In that case, the district court invalidated the asserted patents as abstract, a ruling later affirmed by the Federal Circuit. The outcome of her representation of Adobe in the Datonics LLC matter could not be determined from publicly available sources.

Jacobs' experience extends to post-grant proceedings before the Patent Trial and Appeal Board (PTAB). While not a primary focus demonstrated by the available data, records show her representation of clients in inter partes review (IPR) proceedings, including serving as counsel for Meta (in a case involving Wrinkl Inc.) and Siemens. Her professional biography notes experience securing favorable outcomes on appeal to the Federal Circuit. She is a frequently recognized leader in intellectual property law.

Jacobs earned her J.D., cum laude, from Harvard Law School and a B.A., summa cum laude, from the University of Pennsylvania.