George, Brothers, Kincaid & Horton and Manatt, Phelps & Phillips

Manatt, Phelps & Phillips, LLP is a national professional services firm with a significant footprint across the United States. Headquartered in Los Angeles, the firm maintains offices in major business centers including New York, Palo Alto, San Francisco, Chicago, Washington, D.C., and Boston, in addition to several California locations and state capital offices in Sacramento and Albany. Recognized as an Am Law 200 firm, Manatt operates with over 450 attorneys and consultants, offering an integrated legal and consulting platform. The firm's capabilities have earned it recognition in the Chambers USA Guide.

Manatt's Intellectual Property Litigation practice is deeply rooted in technology, with its team possessing technical backgrounds in areas such as software, artificial intelligence, semiconductors, telecommunications, and medical devices. The firm handles the full spectrum of patent disputes, encompassing district court litigation, patent prosecution, licensing, and risk management. While Manatt states it works with clients on both asserting and defending patent rights, its single tracked appearance, alongside George, Brothers, Kincaid & Horton, was for a plaintiff, Monticello Enterprises LLC. George, Brothers, Kincaid & Horton is an Austin, Texas-based litigation boutique that includes intellectual property litigation in its practice areas.

A notable engagement for the firm was representing Monticello Enterprises LLC in Monticello Enterprises LLC v. Starbucks Corporation. This Western District of Texas case involved four U.S. patents related to in-app payments and wireless point-of-sale transactions. The case was administratively closed in April 2024, approximately 162 days after filing, due to a court-ordered consolidation into a lead case. No merits-based verdict, damages, or injunction were issued in the Starbucks docket itself. In the consolidated lead case, motions to dismiss challenging patent eligibility were subsequently denied without prejudice in January 2025.

Manatt also maintains an active practice before the Patent Trial and Appeal Board (PTAB), engaging in inter partes review (IPR) and other post-grant proceedings. Partner Bruce R. Zisser has contributed commentary on the USPTO's IPR practices, highlighting the firm's involvement and insights in this critical area. Key partners in Manatt's patent litigation group include Amar L. Thakur, Irah H. Donner, Robert A. Jacobs, Samantha J. Katze, Timothy Lohse, and Bruce R. Zisser. Amar L. Thakur was counsel in the Monticello matter.