Richard Crudo

Richard Crudo is a director in the Electronics and Trial & Appellate Practice Groups at Sterne, Kessler, Goldstein & Fox, with over a decade of experience litigating intellectual property cases. His practice encompasses district court litigation, appellate arguments before the Federal Circuit and other courts, and post-grant proceedings before the Patent Trial and Appeal Board (PTAB). Crudo's technology focus spans a broad range of industries, including computer software and hardware, medical devices, biotechnology, financial services, and smartphones, with a particular interest in patent and copyright issues concerning artificial intelligence and machine learning technologies. He represents both plaintiffs and defendants, demonstrating experience on both sides of patent disputes. Prior to joining Sterne Kessler, he was counsel in the IP litigation department of Irell & Manella.

Crudo has been involved in several significant patent disputes, notably representing Netlist Inc. as plaintiff against Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd. in district court and later representing Netlist as an appellee in Federal Circuit appeals (Case Nos. 25-1378 and 24-1521). In those appeals, the Federal Circuit affirmed findings of unpatentability against Netlist's memory module patents. He also successfully represented Hopewell Pharma Ventures, Inc. (defendant) against Merck KGaA, with the Federal Circuit in January 2026 upholding a decision that invalidated Merck's key patents for its multiple sclerosis drug MAVENCLAD.

His practice includes substantial experience with post-grant proceedings, where he litigates on behalf of both petitioners and patent owners before the PTAB. This work involves drafting petitions, conducting depositions, and arguing at oral hearings in inter partes review (IPR) and covered business method (CBM) proceedings.

Crudo earned his J.D. with honors from The George Washington University Law School, an M.S. in Physics from the University of Connecticut, and a B.S. in Physics, magna cum laude, from The University of Arizona. He is admitted to practice in the District of Columbia and New York, among other federal courts, including the U.S. Supreme Court and the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit, and is registered with the United States Patent & Trademark Office.