Ropes & Gray

Ropes & Gray is a multinational AmLaw-ranked firm, recognized as a top-tier global legal entity with over 1,500 lawyers and 16 offices across the United States, Asia, and Europe, headquartered in Boston, MA. The firm is consistently acknowledged for its leading practices, including intellectual property, by publications such as Chambers and U.S. News & World Report – Best Lawyers. While having spun off its patent prosecution practice in 2017, the firm retained its robust IP litigation and transactions practices.

The firm's patent litigation practice specializes in high-stakes disputes for major technology and commercial enterprises, demonstrating deep expertise across diverse technical fields. Ropes & Gray handles cases involving life sciences, including biotechnology, pharmaceuticals, and medical devices, as evidenced by its defense of Novartis Gene Therapies in complex AAV gene therapy patent disputes. The firm also has significant experience in electronics, computers, and software, encompassing areas like network security, telecommunications (including 3G, 4G LTE, 5G, and WiFi standards), semiconductors, and user authentication technologies, as seen in its defense of Keysight Technologies and Apple Inc. Their practice also addresses IP/antitrust issues, particularly those related to standard-essential patents and patent assertion entities.

Ropes & Gray primarily defends operating companies in patent litigation, with 7 of its 8 tracked appearances being on the defendant side. [cite: Case list] The firm regularly acts for leading tech companies in district courts, the ITC, and the Patent Trial and Appeal Board (PTAB). Notable defense outcomes include securing a favorable settlement for Novartis Gene Therapies against Genzyme Corporation, where multiple asserted patents were invalidated during claim construction or found not literally infringed prior to settlement. Additionally, the firm successfully defended Keysight Technologies against Centripetal Networks, LLC, with the Federal Circuit affirming PTAB decisions that found most of Centripetal's asserted patent claims unpatentable as anticipated or obvious.

The firm possesses a notable PTAB / IPR practice, with lawyers recognized for their work in post-grant reviews. This includes defending clients in IPRs challenging patents related to interactive television program guides and representing medical technology leaders in IPRs concerning trans-catheter replacement heart valves. Keysight's defense alone involved securing PTAB decisions invalidating 185 claims across eight asserted patents. Key partners in the firm's litigation efforts include Douglas Hallward-Driemeier, who leads the firm's Appellate and Supreme Court practice and has extensive experience in intellectual property appeals, and Filko Prugo, who chairs the firm's life sciences intellectual property litigation practice. James R. Batchelder, a prominent IP trial lawyer, retired in 2025 after a distinguished career including being recognized as a PTAB "Legal Lion."