Robert James Scheffel

Robert James Scheffel is a patent litigation attorney with extensive experience in district court and appellate proceedings, including the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit, where he previously clerked for Judge Arthur J. Gajarsa (ret.). As a co-founder and Partner at Dowd Scheffel PLLC, he focuses his practice on intellectual property litigation, appeals, and strategic IP counseling. His technological focus spans a wide range of areas, including network security and cybersecurity, pharmaceuticals, agriculture, chemicals, and consumer products.

While his tracked appearances predominantly feature plaintiff-side representation, including cases for patent owners seeking to monetize their portfolios, his firm's broader practice encompasses both plaintiff and defendant roles. Representative engagements involve defending against false advertising and unfair competition claims, litigating patent infringement for crop fungicides, and representing clients in ITC investigations.

Mr. Scheffel has been involved in several notable cases. He served as appellate counsel for Centripetal Networks, LLC in its suit against Cisco Systems, Inc., which initially resulted in a multi-billion dollar damages award for willful patent infringement of cybersecurity technology. However, this judgment was later vacated by the Federal Circuit due to a judicial recusal issue and subsequently affirmed by the Supreme Court's denial of certiorari. In Centripetal Networks, LLC v. Palo Alto Networks, Inc. et al., the Federal Circuit affirmed an invalidity ruling against one of Centripetal's patents. Separately, a PTAB invalidity finding for another Centripetal patent was vacated and remanded by the Federal Circuit, which instructed the Board to consider evidence of copying.

His practice also includes significant experience before the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office's Patent Trial and Appeal Board (PTAB), particularly in Inter Partes Review (IPR) proceedings. Mr. Scheffel is admitted to practice in the District of Columbia, before the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit, and the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office. He earned his J.D. from the UNH School of Law (formerly Franklin Pierce Law Center) in 1999, specializing in intellectual property law, and holds a B.S. in Chemical Engineering from the University of Colorado, Boulder, received in 1995.