Matthew K. Blackburn

Matthew K. Blackburn is a seasoned intellectual property litigator, currently a partner at Womble Bond Dickinson. His practice encompasses a broad range of technologies, including medical devices, pharmaceuticals, electronics, software, polymer products, computer and networking equipment, consumer products, industrial equipment, and various mechanical devices. He has also been involved in cases concerning augmented reality (AR) and mobile applications. Blackburn is noted for handling complex patent infringement claims, trade secret misappropriation, and breach of contract litigation.

Throughout his career, Mr. Blackburn has represented both plaintiffs and defendants in high-stakes patent litigation. While the single tracked case, NantWorks, LLC et al. v. Niantic, Inc., shows an appearance on the plaintiff side, other notable representations indicate he has asserted and defended claims for clients ranging from startups to Fortune 500 corporations. For instance, he served as trial counsel for a plaintiff in Liqwd & Olaplex v. L'Oreal USA, which led to a $91.3 million trial verdict. However, in the NantWorks v. Niantic case, where he acted as of counsel for the plaintiff, the asserted AR patents were found ineligible under 35 U.S.C. § 101, a ruling affirmed by the Federal Circuit in April 2026.

Blackburn also possesses extensive experience in post-grant proceedings before the Patent Trial and Appeal Board (PTAB), where he is recognized as an experienced first-chair inter partes review (IPR) and post-grant review (PGR) litigator. He has a strong record of successfully defending patent owners against challenges at the institution stage, including the successful defense of two consumer product patents in L'Oreal USA v. Liqwd.

Admitted to practice in California, the District of Columbia, and Maryland, Matthew Blackburn is also a registered patent lawyer with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office. He earned his J.D. from Georgetown University Law Center in 1997 and a B.Eng. in Polymer Engineering with high honors from Stevens Institute of Technology in 1994. Prior to joining Womble Bond Dickinson, he was a founding partner at Sullivan Blackburn Pratt and had been a partner at Diamond McCarthy, where he led the Intellectual Property Group.