Farella Braun + Martel

Farella Braun + Martel is a prominent Northern California law firm headquartered in San Francisco, with an additional office in the Napa Valley. Recognized as a leading regional firm, it is ranked in Chambers USA for Intellectual Property: Patent Litigation and was included in Patexia's 2026 Patent Litigation Intelligence Report among the top 50 law firms for patent litigation. The firm integrates the resources and quality often found in larger firms with the client relationships and flexibility of a mid-sized practice, housing an estimated 100-250 attorneys.

The firm's IP litigation practice specializes in complex patent and trade secret disputes across diverse high-technology sectors. These include computer hardware and software, semiconductors, internet and gig economy platforms, medical devices, and other advanced technology industries. Farella Braun + Martel represents a broad client base, from startups to Fortune 100 corporations, and is adept at both prosecuting and defending patent infringement actions. This balanced approach is evident in its case history, which includes acting as lead counsel for plaintiffs in cases such as Dell Technologies, Inc. et al. v. Cloud Byte LLC, and as lead counsel for defendants in matters like Cloud Byte LLC v. Dell Inc. et al. and Excalibur IP, LLC v. Lyft, Inc.

Farella Braun + Martel also possesses substantial experience in Patent Trial and Appeal Board (PTAB) proceedings, routinely handling inter partes review (IPR), post-grant review (PGR), and covered business method (CBM) proceedings. The firm's PTAB team includes lawyers with engineering and technical degrees who are experienced in coordinating PTAB strategies with parallel district court litigation. For instance, the firm was involved in IPR proceedings concerning Dell Technologies Inc. et al. v. Cloud Byte LLC.

Notable cases include representing Dell Inc. as a defendant in Cloud Byte LLC v. Dell Inc. et al. in the Eastern District of Texas, where certain counterclaims were dismissed in January 2026. The firm also represented Ingeniospec LLC as a plaintiff, a non-practicing entity involved in patent litigation concerning AR/VR headset display technology against Meta Platforms, which saw a voluntary dismissal by Meta in July 2025. Ingeniospec, represented by Farella, also pursued an ITC complaint against Meta Platforms, which terminated in September 2025, and initiated patent infringement actions against Apple related to wireless audio and connectivity technology. The firm has publicly highlighted achieving significant trial outcomes, including a federal jury verdict in a patent matter and a $30-million-dollar jury award in a trade secret case.

Key partners recognized for their IP litigation expertise include Eugene Y. Mar, a Chambers USA Band 4 ranked practitioner specializing in complex technology disputes, and Winston Liaw, a Chambers USA Band 5 ranked patent litigator particularly noted for his work with technology-sector clients. James L. Day is also recognized as a leading global IP lawyer.