Nicholas Mathews

Nicholas Mathews is a Principal in McKool Smith's Dallas office, focusing his practice on intellectual property and complex commercial litigation. His work frequently involves standard-essential patents (SEPs) and disputes related to fair, reasonable, and non-discriminatory (FRAND) licensing terms, positioning him as a leading litigator in these areas. Mathews' technological expertise spans a wide range, including cellular communications (LTE, WCDMA, GSM), speech coding, video compression, and medical devices.

While his experience includes representing both plaintiffs and defendants in patent infringement matters, his notable work highlights a strong focus on defending major technology companies and representing patent owners in high-stakes disputes. In the tracked case, Headwater Research LLC v. AT&T, Inc., Mathews represented AT&T on the defendant side in a patent infringement action involving mobile data management and wireless network optimization technologies. This case concluded with a joint stipulated dismissal without prejudice, indicating an out-of-court resolution.

Mathews has an impressive trial record, including successfully defending Ericsson in the nation's first-ever FRAND jury trial against HTC Corporation and HTC America. He also played a key role in securing a $75 million willful patent infringement jury verdict for Ericsson against TCL, which resulted in a $110 million judgment. Further, he was involved in Ericsson's global FRAND dispute with Apple, which reached a confidential settlement after four days of trial.

His practice also extends to post-grant proceedings, as he is registered to practice before the United States Patent and Trademark Office and has experience in inter partes review (IPR) proceedings. He has been listed as counsel for McKool Smith in IPR matters. Prior to joining McKool Smith, Mathews served as a law clerk for the Honorable J. Rodney Gilstrap in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Texas, Marshall Division.