Robert A. Cote

Patent Litigation Analyst Summary: Robert A. Cote

Date: 2026-05-12

Robert A. Cote is a patent litigator and intellectual property investor with a practice focused on monetizing and enforcing patent portfolios for technology companies. His background as an electrical engineer informs his work, which frequently involves complex software, artificial intelligence (AI), and media streaming technologies. His tracked cases include representing plaintiffs in matters concerning conversational AI, voice commerce, and adaptive video streaming. Based on his tracked appearances and professional history, Cote primarily represents patent holders in an enforcement capacity, aligning with the provided data showing three of his four tracked cases are for plaintiffs.

Currently the founder and CEO of Cote Capital, an IP investment firm, Cote previously had a significant career in private practice. He founded and served as the managing partner of the New York office of McKool Smith from 2008 to 2018. Prior to that, he was a partner in the IP group at Orrick Herrington & Sutcliffe. His earlier career includes an of counsel role at Cowan, Liebowitz & Latman.

Cote's notable representations include serving as lead counsel for Personalized Media Communications (PMC) in a significant, multi-year patent dispute with Google over adaptive-streaming technology. He also appears as lead counsel for VB Assets, LLC in its ongoing patent infringement suit against SoundHound AI concerning its conversational AI platform. While at McKool Smith, he represented BMC Software in a patent infringement litigation that resulted in a $270 million settlement.

While district court litigation is his primary focus, Cote has a strong record in Patent Trial and Appeal Board (PTAB) proceedings. A 2018 analysis of inter partes review (IPR) outcomes ranked him as the second-best performing attorney nationally for patent owners, with a 91% success rate in cases that reached a final decision.

Education & Bar: Cote earned his J.D. from St. John's University School of Law (1989) and a B.S. in Electrical Engineering from Syracuse University (1986). He is registered to practice before the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office.