Teresa Stanek Rea

Teresa Stanek Rea — Patent Litigation Practice Summary

Specialty / focus. Rea's practice centers on complex pharmaceutical and life-sciences patent disputes, with a heavy Hatch-Waxman (ANDA) component. Her tracked docket is consistent with her firm-bio focus on "pharmaceutical, biotechnology, and other life science issues," complex patent litigation, and post-grant administrative proceedings; firm materials also list chemicals, medical devices, and biologics among her industry concentrations. She is a licensed pharmacist, which underpins her pharma practice. Her work spans district-court litigation, PTAB trials, and Federal Circuit appeals (e.g., oral argument in the Gilenya appeal, covered by Law360, Jan. 2020).

Side preference. Rea works both sides but leans toward the challenger/petitioner side: 2 of 3 tracked appearances are plaintiff-side (both as lead counsel at Crowell & Moring), including her lead role for Argentum against Novartis. Web-verifiable matters reinforce this — she has repeatedly represented generic companies (Apotex, Argentum) challenging brand-name patents (Alcon's olopatadine patents in IPR2016-01640; Novartis's Gilenya patent). Her one tracked defense-side appearance, and work as lead counsel for Apotex as appellee in IPR2016-01542 (Amgen), show she also defends patent owners.

Firm context. Rea was a partner (and vice-chair of the IP Group) at Crowell & Moring in Washington, D.C., including a return in 2013 after serving as Acting Under Secretary of Commerce for IP and Acting Director of the USPTO (2013), where she led AIA implementation and co-wrote the implementing regulations for IPR, CBM, and PGR proceedings. Earlier career: patent attorney at Ethyl Corporation (1980–84), Burns, Doane, Swecker & Mathis, and an earlier Crowell & Moring stint. She is now retired from Crowell and consults through Rea Consulting LLC while teaching at GW Law — a transition reflected in her current bios (Crowell; GW Law; Stanford IP Forum 2025).

Notable cases. Her flagship tracked matter is Argentum Pharmaceuticals LLC v. Novartis AG (IPR2017-01550, consolidated with IPR2017-00854), a multi-petitioner IPR challenging Novartis's U.S. Patent No. 9,187,405 covering Gilenya (fingolimod). After the PTAB upheld the patent, Rea argued the consolidated Federal Circuit appeal (Argentum Pharm. LLC v. Novartis Pharm. Corp., 956 F.3d 1374 (Fed. Cir. 2020)), which was dismissed for lack of Article III standing after all co-petitioners settled; she then filed the en banc and Supreme Court certiorari papers (No. 20-779) arguing standing for joint-venture ANDA partners — the cert outcome is not verified in my sources.

PTAB/IPR experience. Extensive and unusually deep. Beyond her AIA/IPR rulemaking role, she has served on the PTAB Bar Association Board (Vice President 2021–22) and practices regularly in IPR/PGR as lead counsel for petitioners (Apotex, Argentum) and patent owners on appeal.

Bar / education. B.S. Pharmacy, University of Michigan (1976); J.D., Wayne State University Law School (1980); admitted in D.C., Virginia, Michigan, and before the USPTO and Federal Circuit.