Fish & Richardson Named "IP Firm of the Year" and "IP Litigation Department of the Year" Finalist

BOSTON, MA--(Marketwire - January 5, 2010) - Fish & Richardson announced today that it has been named an "IP Firm of the Year" by Law360 and an "IP Litigation Department of the Year" finalist by The American Lawyer. Fish earned the top rankings for the "extraordinary perseverance its lawyers have shown in turning big verdicts against its clients to dust," and specifically its success in reversing over $2 billion in damages awards against Microsoft Corp. Both rankings were published on January 4, 2010.

The American Lawyer focused on Fish's two big defense wins for client Microsoft. According to the magazine, Fish's "2007 obliteration of Alcatel-Lucent's $1.5 billion win against Microsoft for allegedly infringing MP3 digital music patents" was upheld on appeal in 2008, which "started a series of defense wins that effectively ended Alcatel-Lucent's patent war against Microsoft -- with the latter clearly on top." Fish also reversed a $388 million jury verdict against Microsoft in a patent infringement suit brought by Uniloc Corp.

"It is a huge honor to top both of these competitions," said Peter J. Devlin, President of Fish & Richardson. "When the stakes are high, the technology is complex, and legal issues are difficult, companies turn to Fish to protect their intellectual property."

In selecting Fish as a finalist, The American Lawyer also pointed to a robust record at the International Trade Commission (ITC), with Fish winning five cases in the last two years and noting that "Fish represents one side or the other in one of every four ITC cases filed in 2008." Also highlighted was Fish's impressive work in the U.S. district court for the Eastern District of Texas, where Fish won two rare summary judgment motions. The magazine concluded that Fish is "on track to dominate two of the nation's hottest patent venues."

Fish's top spot in Law360's IP firm rankings was for "setting the pace with massive verdicts and settlements, and key roles in policy changes." In addition to the reversals of the verdicts against Microsoft, Fish played an important role in creating new law through its defense of Bose Corp.'s WAVE trademark before the Trademark Trial and Appeal Board and the Federal Circuit. The appellate court determined that in order to force the cancellation of a trademark alleged to have been obtained by fraud, plaintiffs need to prove intent to deceive the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office. This precedent-setting case established a clear standard in a controversial, grey area of trademark law.

Fish & Richardson is a leading global law firm unlike any other law firm in the world. With 400 lawyers practicing intellectual property, litigation, and technology law, Fish has redefined IP law for a market that values IP as a fundamental business asset. The firm offers unique expertise to help clients maximize the value of their intangible assets. Fish handles more patent litigation than any other law firm (IP Law & Business, September 2009), is the number one IP firm for America's biggest companies (Corporate Counsel, September 2009), and was named the number one firm in the world for PCT filings (MIP, October 2009). For more information, visit www.fr.com.

Contact Information: Contact: Amy Blumenthal Blumenthal & Associates (617) 879-1511 or Kelly Largey Fish & Richardson (800) 818-5070