RuyakCherian

Cherian Harkins Dunham LLP is a patent litigation-focused law firm with offices in Washington, D.C., Oakland, CA, and Houston, TX. While not appearing on recent AmLaw or Chambers rankings, the firm, previously known as RuyakCherian LLP, was recognized by Legal 500 United States 2019 Edition for Civil Litigation/Class Action: Plaintiffs and by U.S. News – Best Lawyers® “Best Law Firms” for its patent litigation work both nationally and regionally.

The firm specializes in intellectual property disputes, including patent litigation and appeals, trademarks, copyrights, trade secrets, and unfair competition litigation. Their practice areas demonstrate a focus on technologies transforming industries, with case experience encompassing data communication systems and proxy-based web data collection.

In its tracked appearances, Cherian Harkins Dunham LLP has exclusively represented plaintiffs, aligning with its recognition as a firm active in plaintiff-side civil litigation. The firm also possesses extensive experience in post-grant proceedings before the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) Patent Trial and Appeal Board (PTAB).

A notable case series involves Bright Data, Ltd. (formerly Luminati Networks Ltd.), where the firm represented the plaintiff in district court litigation against Teso LT, UAB et al. Subsequently, the firm represented Bright Data, Ltd. as appellant in Federal Circuit appeals (including docket 23-2443), challenging PTAB decisions that found claims of several of its data communication patents unpatentable across ten inter partes reviews (IPRs). On August 1, 2025, the Federal Circuit affirmed the PTAB's finding of unpatentability for three of Bright Data's patents.

Key partners involved in the firm's patent litigation practice include Korula T. Cherian, Robert M. Harkins, Jr., Thomas M. Dunham, and Ronald Wielkopolski, all of whom were counsel for Bright Data, Ltd. in the significant Federal Circuit appeals concerning data communication patents.