Smith, Katzenstein & Jenkins

Smith, Katzenstein & Jenkins LLP is a regional litigation boutique headquartered in Wilmington, Delaware, with a single office footprint. Founded in 1985, the firm comprises approximately 14 professionals, including 6 attorneys recognized by Super Lawyers. The firm is well-regarded for its in-depth knowledge of Delaware practice and routinely serves as Delaware counsel to leading national and international law firms.

The firm's Intellectual Property Litigation practice is primarily focused on patent, copyright, trademark, false advertising, and trade secret cases, often acting as local counsel in the U.S. District Court for the District of Delaware. Their experience spans diverse technology areas, including pharmaceuticals (particularly ANDA matters), computer hardware and software, telecommunications, and consumer electronics. Recent engagements include cases involving voice-based search and commerce technology, consumer audio devices, and automotive technologies.

Smith, Katzenstein & Jenkins LLP works extensively on both sides of patent disputes, having represented plaintiffs in 4 tracked cases and defendants in 7, often in its role as local counsel. The firm exhibits a slight preference for defendant-side work.

Notable engagements include serving as Delaware counsel for VB Assets, LLC in its patent infringement dispute against Amazon.com Services LLC, which resulted in a November 2023 jury verdict finding willful infringement and awarding $46.7 million in damages, later adjusted to over $40 million. The firm is also involved in VB Assets, LLC's ongoing litigation against Apple Inc. and Samsung Electronics Co., LTD. over natural language processing and Bixby 2.0 voice assistant technologies, respectively. Additionally, the firm represented Ford Motor Co. as a defendant in AutoConnect Holdings LLC v. Ford Motor Co., where the case was stayed pending multiple post-grant review proceedings before the USPTO. One of the related IPRs, Ford Motor Co. v. AutoConnect Holdings, LLC, IPR2025-01342, was designated as informative by the USPTO Director in May 2026.

While the firm's patent litigation practice is concentrated on serving as Delaware counsel in district court matters, its involvement in cases like AutoConnect Holdings LLC v. Ford Motor Co. demonstrates experience navigating the interplay between district court litigation and Patent Trial and Appeal Board (PTAB) proceedings. Key partners in the intellectual property litigation practice include Neal C. Belgam, who is recognized by Chambers USA for his extensive experience as local Delaware counsel across technology and pharmaceutical sectors. Jason Z. Miller and Daniel A. Taylor also contribute significantly to the firm's IP litigation efforts.