Lippes Mathias

Lippes Mathias LLP is a national, full-service business law firm headquartered in Buffalo, New York, with 17 offices across the United States and a presence in the Greater Toronto Area focused on U.S. law. The firm maintains a substantial footprint with 230 attorneys and was ranked #204 on the National Law Journal's NLJ 500 list in 2025, indicating its position as a large regional-to-national firm. Chambers USA has also recognized several of its practice areas.

The firm's intellectual property litigation practice handles complex patent, trademark, copyright, and trade secret disputes. Their patent litigation team comprises seasoned trial lawyers and intellectual property engineers with advanced degrees in diverse fields such as chemistry, electrical and mechanical engineering, bio engineering, physics, and computer science. This technical depth allows them to litigate across a broad spectrum of industries, including biotechnology, computer software, manufacturing, medical devices, telecommunications, automotive, consumer products, and semiconductors.

Lippes Mathias typically engages in both the enforcement and defense of intellectual property rights. In the firm's single tracked patent litigation appearance, Bose Corp v. IngenioSpec LLC, the firm represented the defendant, Bose Corp., as Of Counsel/Local Counsel in a patent infringement case in the Eastern District of Texas concerning wireless electronic devices and wearable hearing devices (earbuds). The case was ultimately terminated in October 2025 following a joint motion to dismiss by the plaintiff, IngenioSpec LLC, indicating a resolution between the parties.

Beyond district court litigation, Lippes Mathias also possesses experience in proceedings before the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO). Partner Tod M. Melgar, for example, has deep experience with Patent Trial and Appeal Board (PTAB) proceedings, including inter partes review (IPR), reexaminations, and appeals.

Key partners in the intellectual property practice include James E. Scarbrough, who leads the Cleveland office and focuses on patent prosecution, due diligence, and litigation support, particularly in mechanical arts. Tod M. Melgar is a prominent IP litigator with over two decades of experience, including significant work in PTAB and International Trade Commission (ITC) proceedings. Joseph D. Dreher serves as a team co-leader for intellectual property, and Robert M. Sieg, Ph.D. and Ann M. Skerry, Ph.D. are also noted as patent attorneys within the firm.