Tillinghast Licht

Tillinghast Licht LLP, a full-service law firm historically based in Providence, Rhode Island, dissolved its operations in May 2008 after nearly 190 years of continuous practice. The firm, which traced its origins to 1818, was once the oldest continuously operating law firm in Rhode Island. In the early 2000s, Tillinghast Licht had up to 100 attorneys during a brief affiliation with a Boston firm, but by its dissolution, it had dwindled to approximately 20 attorneys. Due to its dissolution, current rankings by AmLaw or Chambers are not applicable.

Based on available records, Tillinghast Licht's involvement in patent litigation was limited to appearing as local counsel in a single tracked case, Uniloc USA, Inc. et al. v. Microsoft Corporation. This case involved allegations of patent infringement related to software anti-piracy technology, specifically concerning product registration software used in Microsoft Office and Windows programs. The firm's role as local counsel indicates support for a larger defense team in this specific matter.

The firm's participation in patent litigation, as reflected in tracked appearances, suggests a defendant-side preference, having appeared once for a defendant (Microsoft Corporation) and never for a plaintiff. The limited scope of its recorded patent litigation engagements prevents a broader characterization of specific technology specializations beyond software anti-piracy, which was the focus of the Uniloc case.

The Uniloc v. Microsoft case, initially filed in the U.S. District Court for the District of Rhode Island, garnered significant attention. The litigation saw a jury award of $388 million to Uniloc, which was subsequently overturned by the district court. On appeal, the Federal Circuit reversed the new trial on infringement but affirmed a new trial on damages, notably rejecting the "25 percent rule of thumb" for calculating patent damages. The parties ultimately reached an undisclosed settlement in March 2012. Steven M. Richard is the only attorney from Tillinghast Licht specifically noted in connection with this case, serving as local counsel.

Given the firm's dissolution in 2008, Tillinghast Licht did not have an active practice before the Patent Trial and Appeal Board (PTAB), as the PTAB and Inter Partes Review (IPR) proceedings were established under the America Invents Act (AIA) in 2012, several years after the firm ceased operations. Therefore, no PTAB/IPR practice or associated key partners can be reported for the firm.