Stephen W. Larson

Stephen W. Larson is a highly experienced patent litigator and co-chair of the Antitrust & Competition practice at Knobbe Martens Olson & Bear LLP. His practice primarily focuses on high-stakes cases at the intersection of complex patent, antitrust, and competition law. He represents clients across a diverse array of technology sectors, including medical devices, pharmaceuticals, biotechnology, software, and semiconductors. His work encompasses patent infringement, monopolization, attempted monopolization, tying, bundling, exclusive dealing, trade secrets, and class actions.

Larson has a notable record of securing significant outcomes for his clients. He served as trial counsel for Masimo Corporation in a patent and antitrust litigation against Philips Electronics North America Corp., which resulted in a $466 million verdict for Masimo based on patent infringement of pulse oximetry technology. He also played a key role in an antitrust case for Applied Medical, securing a $381 million jury verdict against Medtronic for violations of the Sherman Act, Clayton Act, and California Cartwright Act. In the tracked case, I/P Engine, Inc. v. AOL, Inc. et al., he appeared as Of Counsel for the plaintiff on appeal before the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit, which ultimately reversed the district court's judgment of infringement, finding the asserted claims invalid for obviousness. His experience reflects a strong engagement in asserting clients' rights in complex intellectual property disputes.

While his primary litigation focus is in federal district courts and on appeal, Larson has also been involved in Patent Trial and Appeal Board (PTAB) proceedings. For instance, he was listed as counsel in a December 2023 communication regarding inter partes review (IPR) petitions filed against a Masimo patent in the context of litigation against Apple Inc. This indicates his involvement in comprehensive patent invalidity strategies that include PTAB challenges.

Prior to joining Knobbe Martens, Larson gained valuable appellate insight through a clerkship with the Honorable Pauline Newman on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit. He is admitted to the California Bar (active, #240844) and earned his J.D. from the University of California, Davis School of Law, where he was elected to the Order of the Coif and awarded the 2004 UC Davis Law School Medal for Academic Excellence. He received his B.A. from UCLA, magna cum laude.