Ralph Wilson Powers III

Ralph Wilson Powers III is a patent litigation attorney and a director at Sterne Kessler Goldstein & Fox P.L.L.C.. He co-chairs the firm's PTAB Trials practice and is a director in both the Trial & Appellate and Biotechnology & Chemical Practice Groups. Powers specializes in patent litigation, particularly focusing on biotechnology innovations, with extensive technical experience in fields such as aging, surgery, stem cell biology, microbiology, metabolic engineering, synthetic biology, and general biotechnology. He also handles mechanical and pharmaceutical patent litigation.

Powers primarily represents plaintiffs and patent owners in patent disputes. His tracked appearances indicate a focus on the plaintiff side in district court litigation. Notably, he represented Tempus AI Inc. as plaintiff in the district court patent infringement case Tempus AI Inc. v. Guardant Health Inc., which initially involved a denied preliminary injunction motion by Tempus AI and was subsequently transferred to the Northern District of California. Powers' practice has also involved securing significant jury verdicts for clients, including multi-million dollar awards, and obtaining preliminary injunctions that resulted in accused infringers being removed from the market.

A significant portion of his practice is dedicated to post-grant proceedings before the Patent Trial and Appeal Board (PTAB). Powers has served as lead counsel in numerous inter partes review (IPR) and post-grant review (PGR) proceedings, with experience litigating over 40 such cases. His PTAB experience includes representing Tempus AI Inc. as the Patent Owner in IPR2026-00185, where institution was discretionarily denied, and the University of Washington in IPR2022-00449, also as Patent Owner. He is recognized for his work at the interface of district court litigation and PTAB proceedings, and he frequently contributes insights on PTAB developments.

Powers earned his B.A. in biology from the University of Virginia, a Ph.D. in molecular and cellular biology from the University of Washington, and a J.D. from American University Washington College of Law. He is admitted to practice in California and the District of Columbia, as well as before the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit and the U.S. Patent & Trademark Office.