Merchant & Gould

Merchant & Gould P.C. is a national intellectual property boutique law firm with its headquarters in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Founded in 1900, the firm maintains a broad national footprint with additional offices in Atlanta, Boston, Denver, Knoxville, Los Angeles, New York, and the Washington D.C. area (Alexandria). With nearly 100 attorneys and legal professionals, Merchant & Gould is recognized as a leading IP firm, ranked National Tier 1 for Patent Law by U.S. News – Best Lawyers® "Best Law Firms" in 2022 and #6 in Vault's 2026-2027 Best Law Firms by Practice Area for Intellectual Property. Chambers USA also recognizes the firm for Intellectual Property in Minnesota and Tennessee.

The firm's IP litigation practice spans a diverse range of technology areas, including computer technology, semiconductor, software, medical devices, pharmaceuticals, automotive, and biotechnology. Its litigators handle cases involving patent, trademark, and copyright infringement, trade secret misappropriation, and Section 337 investigations before the International Trade Commission (ITC). Merchant & Gould demonstrates a balanced approach in its patent litigation, having represented both plaintiffs (7 cases) and defendants (10 cases) in tracked matters, signifying their capacity to work effectively on both sides of a dispute.

Merchant & Gould has been involved in several notable patent disputes. The firm achieved a significant initial victory for Caihong Display Devices Co., Ltd. against Corning Incorporated in a Section 337 investigation before the U.S. ITC, where the administrative law judge ruled that Caihong's "616" formula glass substrate did not infringe Corning's patents. The firm also represents Generac Power Systems, Inc., as a defendant in a patent infringement lawsuit filed by Champion Power Equipment Inc. concerning multi-fuel generators, a case that includes counterclaims of infringement by Generac. Furthermore, the firm successfully protected Vexilar's patent in 2019.

The firm possesses a notable practice in PTAB proceedings, with attorneys experienced in post-grant reviews, including inter partes reviews (IPRs) and reexaminations. Daniel Pereira served as Petitioner Counsel for Caihong Display Devices Co., Ltd. in an IPR against Corning Inc. The firm also represented Generac Power Systems Incorporated as a petitioner in an IPR against Champion Power Equipment Incorporated. Key partners in the IP litigation practice include Thomas J. Leach, who leads the firm's litigation training program and has over two decades of experience in patent and IP litigation, including IPRs. Joseph Dubis, a partner with a Ph.D. in biology and biomedical science, focuses on complex patent, copyright, trademark, and trade secret matters, as well as appellate and post-grant proceedings. Michael A. Erbele, also a partner, specializes in intellectual property litigation and appellate-level disputes across various technological fields. Gabrielle Kiefer has served as lead counsel in significant patent infringement cases. [case list]