Ruffin Cordell

Ruffin B. Cordell — Principal, Fish & Richardson P.C. (Washington, D.C.)

Specialty / focus. Cordell is a first-chair patent trial lawyer whose practice centers on electrical, computer, and telecommunications technology, with additional software/internet and energy/chemical subject matter listed in his firm profile. His tracked matters reflect that mix: hard-drive read-channel/semiconductor technology (Marvell, in the Lake Cherokee case), enterprise software and communications/collaboration platforms (Sampo IP v. Intuit), and 5G standard-essential wireless patents (G+ Communications v. Samsung). His broader practice description also covers fiber-optic and digital electronics work, and Fish and Chambers both describe him as a leading ITC Section 337 practitioner — reportedly well over 50 ITC investigations, many run in parallel with district court litigation.

Side preference. The tracked record is entirely defense-side: 0 plaintiff, 3 defendant appearances, all as lead counsel for operating companies. That matches his public profile — clients reported in press and firm materials include Samsung, Marvell, Micron, Intel, General Motors, Citrix, and Quotient, i.e., technology and manufacturing defendants facing NPE/SEP or competitor assertions. He has, however, represented patent owners as plaintiffs in at least one notable matter (Ciena Corp. in a fiber-optic infringement suit against Corvis in D. Del., litigated in a trifurcated infringement/validity/damages format), so the defense tilt reflects his client base rather than an absolute restriction.

Notable cases. The most prominent tracked matter is G+ Communications, LLC v. Samsung Electronics (E.D. Tex., Judge Gilstrap), where Cordell and a Fish team defended Samsung against 5G SEP assertions. The January 2024 jury found infringement of two patents and awarded $67.5M; after the court ordered a damages retrial, a second jury awarded $142M ($61M + $81M) in April 2024, with the court later severing and staying the '130 patent claim. On appeal, the Federal Circuit affirmed the PTAB's invalidation of the '130 patent (see the nonprecedential opinion in G+ Communications v. Samsung), a favorable outcome on that patent. In Sampo IP, LLC v. Intuit (D. Del. 2014), a Marathon Patent Group subsidiary asserted communication/collaboration patents against Intuit; Cordell was lead defense counsel — the tracked docket does not, however, show a verified final outcome. Earlier in his career he co-led a take-nothing jury verdict for Marvell Semiconductor in Lake Cherokee Hard Drive Technologies v. Marvell (E.D. Tex. 2013), where the NPE had sought nine-figure damages. He was named a National Law Journal "IP Trailblazer" in 2016 and elected a Fellow of the American College of Trial Lawyers in 2012.

PTAB/IPR experience. He does appear in post-grant proceedings, including as lead counsel and power-of-attorney signatory for Micron Technology in IPR2013-00005 and IPR2013-00006 (semiconductor device patents asserted by the University of Illinois), and Samsung's IPRs against G+ Communications patents. His PTAB practice thus appears tied to his district court/ITC defense work rather than as a standalone post-grant boutique practice.

Bar / education. B.S. in electrical engineering, Louisiana State University (1985); J.D. magna cum laude, Order of the Coif, Georgetown University Law Center (1989). Admitted in Texas (1989), Virginia (1993), and D.C. (1995), and registered to practice before the USPTO (Reg. No. 33,487); he worked as a USPTO patent examiner before joining Fish & Richardson as a partner in 1996, having previously been a patent agent and law clerk at Baker & McKenzie.