Sullivan & Cromwell

Sullivan & Cromwell is a leading multinational "white shoe" law firm headquartered in New York City, with a global footprint of 13 offices across Asia, Australia, Europe, and the United States. With over 1,000 attorneys worldwide, the firm is consistently recognized as a BigLaw powerhouse, ranking #5 on the 2026 Vault Law 100 and #25 on The American Lawyer's 2025 Am Law 200 by gross revenue.

The firm's Intellectual Property & Technology Litigation Group is known for handling complex IP disputes, including patents, trademarks, and trade secrets, often involving antitrust and competition law issues. Their practice spans a broad range of technology areas, evidenced by cases involving networking technology (Centripetal Networks v. Keysight Technologies, Centripetal Networks v. Cisco Systems), audio compression (e.g., MP3 patents), mobile technology (BlackBerry v. Nokia, Masimo v. Apple), and robotic systems (Ocado v. AutoStore). Sullivan & Cromwell demonstrates a balanced approach in its patent litigation practice, with an equal number of tracked appearances on both the plaintiff and defendant sides (3 each).

Sullivan & Cromwell has achieved significant outcomes in high-stakes IP litigation. The firm secured a $940 million arbitration award against Qualcomm Incorporated related to royalty payments. They also played a key role in a $634 million patent infringement jury verdict for Masimo against Apple, where Apple was found to have infringed patents for a low-power pulse oximeter. Other notable successes include a complete defense win for Ocado Group in an ITC Section 337 investigation, finding five patents invalid or not infringed, and a subsequent settlement with AutoStore involving a $270 million payment and cross-license. The firm regularly appears in the Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit.

The firm actively engages in PTAB/IPR proceedings. For instance, in the Ocado matter, favorable rulings before the PTAB were part of the offensive victories leading to a significant settlement. Similarly, in litigation involving Vestas, the firm pursued inter partes review (IPR) challenges at the PTAB, which led to a settlement. Key partners in the IP litigation practice include Andrei Iancu, former Under Secretary of Commerce for Intellectual Property and Director of the USPTO, who co-heads the Intellectual Property and Technology Litigation Group. Other prominent partners are Dustin Guzior, also a co-head of the practice, known for major trial wins, and Amy Proctor, a highly regarded IP litigator with extensive experience in patent infringement disputes. Daniel J. Richardson and Aviv S. Halpern are also noted for their involvement in appellate and complex IP disputes, respectively.