T.J. Murphy

T.J. Murphy is a Senior Patent Counsel at Unified Patents, specializing in challenging low-quality patents to deter abusive patent litigation. His practice primarily involves plaintiff-side work, with 13 out of 14 tracked appearances on the plaintiff side, predominantly for Unified Patents. This role aligns with Unified Patents' mission to operate as an anti-NPE (Non-Practicing Entity) organization, frequently initiating post-grant review proceedings at the Patent Trial and Appeal Board (PTAB) and ex parte reexaminations to invalidate patents asserted by NPEs.

Murphy's experience encompasses a wide range of technology areas, including image processing, location tracking, Wi-Fi standards (e.g., 802.11n), IoT technologies, and various mechanical and automotive-related patents. Prior to his in-house role at Unified Patents, T.J. Murphy (also identified as Timothy J. Murphy) was associated with cgolaw.com, where his practice included patent prosecution, International Trade Commission (ITC) proceedings, intellectual property litigation, and post-grant proceedings. He also served as a Patent Examiner at the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO), bringing a foundational understanding of patent examination to his current role.

His significant PTAB and IPR experience is evident through cases like Unified Patents PTAB Data v. Data Health Partners Inc. He has been involved as in-house counsel in successful ex parte reexamination requests for Unified Patents, leading to findings of substantial new questions of patentability for patents related to image processing (VDPP LLC's '452 patent) and Wi-Fi standards (AX Wireless, LLC's '776 patent). Additionally, his work has included challenging IoT patents (Cloud Systems HoldCo IP) and patents asserted against automobile manufacturers (Foras Technologies). During his time at cgolaw, he achieved a reversal of a PTAB decision for a pallet manufacturer before the Federal Circuit and successfully defended a Canadian furniture manufacturer in an ITC investigation.

T.J. Murphy earned his J.D., cum laude, from Wayne State University Law School in 2012 and a B.S.E. in Mechanical Engineering, cum laude, from the University of Michigan in 2008. He is admitted to practice before the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office, the State Bar of Michigan, the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan, and the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit.