Nika Aldrich

Nika Aldrich is a shareholder and a leader of the IP Litigation Group at Schwabe, Williamson & Wyatt, where he focuses on complex, high-stakes intellectual property disputes in federal courts nationwide. His practice encompasses patent, trademark, copyright, and trade secret litigation. Aldrich's patent litigation experience spans a diverse array of technologies, including medical devices, MEMS, computer hardware and software, computer algorithms, pharmaceuticals, apparel, and food technology. The single tracked case, Merck KGaA v. Hopewell Pharma Ventures, Inc., aligns with his stated experience in pharmaceutical patent disputes.

Aldrich primarily represents defendants and operating companies in intellectual property disputes. His firm profile highlights his role as trial counsel successfully defending a major semiconductor manufacturer in a potentially billion-dollar case, resulting in a unanimous jury verdict of not liable on all counts. He has also secured favorable settlements for a large pharmaceutical company in trademark, trade dress, and anti-counterfeiting cases. His appellate experience is substantial, including appearances before the Federal Circuit and the U.S. Supreme Court. Notably, he was lead attorney in Columbia Sportswear North America, Inc. v. Seirus Innovative Accessories, Inc., a precedential Federal Circuit case concerning design patent infringement, damages, utility patent issues, and venue.

Aldrich has significant experience in Patent Trial and Appeal Board (PTAB) proceedings, successfully securing inter partes review (IPR) decisions that terminated proceedings. In one notable instance, he achieved a precedential ruling in Ventex Corp. v. Columbia Sportswear North America, Inc., where the PTAB found a third party was in privity with the petitioner and a real party-in-interest, determining the petitions were filed as a "proxy" for the third party.

Prior to joining Schwabe, Williamson & Wyatt, Aldrich worked at DLA Piper and the World Intellectual Property Organization's offices at the United Nations. He is admitted to practice in New York. Before his legal career, he worked as a technology consultant in the recording industry and authored a college textbook on digital audio engineering. Aldrich also serves as a professor of law at Lewis & Clark Law School.