Taft Stettinius & Hollister

Taft Stettinius & Hollister is an AmLaw 100 firm with over 1,250 attorneys across 25 offices, with a significant presence in the Midwest, and expanding into the Mountain West, Florida, and Atlanta, as well as Washington, D.C. and New York. The firm, founded in 1885, is ranked No. 61 on the 2026 Am Law 100 list and is recognized among Best Lawyers® “Best Law Firms” and Chambers USA.

Taft's Intellectual Property litigation practice is comprehensive, handling patent, trademark, and copyright infringement, trade secret misappropriation, unfair competition, and other IP-related disputes. The team, comprising over 100 attorneys including 50 registered patent attorneys, litigates in federal and state courts, the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO), the Patent Trial and Appeal Board (PTAB), the Trademark Trial and Appeal Board (TTAB), and the International Trade Commission (ITC). Their experience spans a diverse range of technologies, including semiconductor manufacturing, sports apparel, highway advisory systems, high-speed variable data printing, medical devices, pharmaceuticals (including Hatch-Waxman litigation), software development, and mechanical components.

The firm demonstrates a balanced approach to patent litigation, representing both plaintiffs and defendants. In tracked cases, Taft has acted as lead counsel in defending two entities against patent infringement claims, and as local or potential counsel for two plaintiffs. For instance, the firm successfully secured summary judgment for its clients, Cobra Firing Systems, LLC and Phantom Fireworks Showrooms LLC, in Titan Technologies International Inc v. Phantom Fireworks Showrooms LLC et al., a case involving patents related to automated detonation of fireworks. This case is currently on appeal at the Federal Circuit. On the plaintiff side, Taft served as local counsel for Rare Breed Triggers Inc. in a high-profile case involving forced reset triggers, which ultimately resulted in a settlement with the Department of Justice that vindicated Rare Breed Triggers. The firm is also representing a plaintiff in ABC IP, LLC et al. v. STRYKER ENTERPRISES, LLC, DBA 3CR TACTICAL. In One-E-Way, Inc. v. Anker Innovations Ltd., filed in December 2024, Taft is defending Anker Innovations against patent infringement claims related to wireless headphones and speakers supporting the Bluetooth standard.

Taft has a recognized practice in PTAB/IPR proceedings, with their patent litigation attorneys having litigated complex proceedings such as inter partes review (IPR), post-grant review (PGR), and covered business method (CBM) reviews. The firm's Intellectual Property practice was recognized in Juristat's Top Patent Firms 2025, based on an objective analysis of patent application performance at the USPTO.

Key partners in Taft's IP litigation practice include Thomas E. Hill and Donald R. McPhail, who have served as lead counsel in significant defense matters. Kellie Nelson Fetter and Charles D. Pfister are also noted for their roles in plaintiff-side patent litigation. The firm's IP litigation team is consistently recognized by publications such as Chambers USA, Best Lawyers, and IAM Patent 1000.