Mitchell G. Stockwell

Mitchell G. Stockwell — Patent Litigation Practice Summary

Specialty / Focus Areas. Stockwell is a career patent litigator at Kilpatrick Townsend & Stockton (Atlanta), with roughly 30 years handling patent infringement, trade secret, and licensing disputes. His technology mix is broad — wireless/telephony (GSM, VoIP), cable and set-top box technology, software and e-commerce, medical devices (angioplasty catheters, knee/hip systems), and athletic footwear and equipment. Per his firm bio, he has appeared in 180+ district court cases across 25 states, 45 Federal Circuit appeals, and 45+ PTAB post-grant proceedings.

Side Preference. The tracked docket shows one plaintiff-side appearance — Adidas AG v. Nike, Inc. (E.D. Tex.), where he served as lead counsel for adidas. That single data point understates a practice that is primarily defense-side for operating companies: he has repeatedly represented adidas, ARRIS, Reebok, Chrysler/Mercedes-Benz, and Thryv/YellowPages against patent assertions, and has also petitioned for IPR on behalf of challengers (adidas, Motorola Mobility). He does take plaintiff/patent-owner work as well (e.g., Voda v. Medtronic, Peach State Labs), so he works both sides, but the weight of his record is defending manufacturers and technology companies.

Firm Context. Stockwell is a partner at Kilpatrick Townsend & Stockton, where he has spent his entire career (the firm was formerly Kilpatrick Stockton). He also served as an adjunct professor for University of Georgia IP courses.

Notable Cases / Outcomes. Most prominently, he led adidas in the Nike "knitted footwear" dispute — ITC Inv. No. 337-TA-1289 and Nike, Inc. v. adidas AG (D. Or.), one of the largest patent cases in the footwear industry, settled on confidential terms in August 2022 shortly before the ITC evidentiary hearing, with the parallel E.D. Tex. case dismissed as part of the global resolution. He handled the PTAB and Federal Circuit phases of Thryv, Inc. v. Click-to-Call Technologies, LP, 140 S. Ct. 1367 (2020), the only patent case the Supreme Court heard that term; the Court's 7–2 decision upheld the Board's invalidation of 13 claims. He also won jury verdicts as lead counsel in Voda v. Medtronic (willful infringement, >14% royalty) and Peach State Labs (willful infringement, enhanced damages, and fees).

PTAB / IPR Experience. PTAB work is a core strength: 45+ post-grant proceedings, including arguing IPR2013-00067 (adidas v. Nike) before the Board and serving as lead or back-up counsel in numerous IPRs (e.g., IPR2013-00312, IPR2015-00700, IPR2014-00504) on both petitioner and patent-owner sides.

Bar / Education. Georgia bar (1993); admitted to the Federal Circuit, Eleventh Circuit, E.D. Tex., and N.D./M.D. Ga.; registered before the USPTO (Reg. No. 39,389). B.S., Virginia Military Institute (1990); J.D., University of Virginia School of Law (1993).