Kevin C. Wheeler

I'll research this attorney's background before writing the summary.

Let me gather more detail on the tracked case and any Federal Circuit or PTAB experience.

Professional Summary — Kevin C. Wheeler

Specialty / focus areas. Wheeler is a patent and IP trial lawyer at Latham & Watkins whose practice centers on competitor-versus-competitor disputes, with a heavy emphasis on Section 337 investigations at the International Trade Commission (his firm bio credits him with more than 30 ITC investigations) alongside district court and appellate work. His technical focus is electrical and computer technology: Wi-Fi and wireless networking standards, semiconductors and memory (flash/NAND, DRAM), lithium-ion battery materials, ATMs and mechanical devices, medical devices, and consumer electronics; he also has speech-recognition software experience (Nuance v. MModal). He holds a B.S. in electrical engineering from the University of Maryland and worked as an engineer on Northrop Grumman's fighter-jet programs before law school, which tracks with the hardware- and standards-heavy docket.

Side preference. On the tracked sample he appears once, on the defendant side (IPValue Management, Inc. v. Western Digital Corporation). That single data point understates a broader two-sided practice: public reporting and his firm bio describe him as both an offensive ITC complainant's counsel (Netgear, Nautilus Hyosung, Microsoft) and a defense-side litigator for operating companies (LG Chem, Senior Technology, Samsung, LG, Dell). Overall, the practice skews toward defending and advancing the interests of large technology operating companies rather than plaintiff-side NPE work, consistent with his one tracked defendant-side appearance.

Firm context. Wheeler is a partner at Latham & Watkins in Washington, D.C., and serves as Global Vice Chair of the firm's Litigation & Trial Department. A 2018 Law360 profile identifies his first post-law-school position as an associate at Fish & Richardson, so Latham is the principal firm of record for his patent litigation career.

Notable cases and outcomes. Publicly verifiable results include: Nautilus Hyosung v. Diebold Nixdorf — two ITC trial wins that effectively barred Diebold from importing infringing ATMs, part of a multi-front dispute spanning three ITC investigations, four IPRs, four Federal Circuit appeals and two district court cases; LG Chem v. Celgard — Federal Circuit reversal of a preliminary injunction that had blocked LG Chem from supplying lithium-ion batteries to Apple and others (2015), with the underlying patent and trade-secret claims later defeated; Netgear v. TP-Link — ITC win with an ALJ recommendation to exclude TP-Link, followed by a reported $135 million settlement; Senior Technology v. Celgard — denial of TRO and preliminary injunction and dismissal of claims against the Chinese parent (AmLaw "Litigator of the Week"); and more recent ITC wins for Netgear and medical-device maker Serendia (2025) and for Estelgia/Netgear on Wi-Fi technology (2026). His tracked matter, IPValue Management and Longitude Flash Memory Solutions v. Western Digital (C.D. Cal., No. 8:25-cv-00119, filed Jan. 2025), is an NPE suit asserting former Cypress Semiconductor 3D NAND flash patents; Western Digital (and later SanDisk) filed motions to dismiss and to stay in May 2025. I could not verify a final disposition of that case from the available sources.

PTAB / IPR experience. Wheeler appears regularly in PTAB proceedings, including as counsel of record or pro hac vice in IPR and CBM matters such as the Nuance/MModal IPRs, the Nautilus Hyosung v. Diebold IPRs and CBM, and IPRs involving Dell and AX Wireless. This is a meaningful, not incidental, part of his practice.

Bar / education. B.S., Electrical Engineering, University of Maryland (2004); J.D., George Washington University Law School (2008); admitted in California (2008) and the District of Columbia (2010).