Gabrielle E. Higgins
Partner
Gabrielle Higgins is an IP litigation partner in Ropes & Gray’s Silicon Valley office. She is a trial lawyer with more than 20 years of experience litigating complex patent cases involving diverse technologies. She tries cases for industry-leading companies in Federal district court and before the International Trade Commission.
Experience
- In the Matter of Certain Gaming and Entertainment Consoles, Related Software, and Components Thereof, Investigation No. 337-TA-752 (ITC): As trial counsel in the ITC for Motorola, obtained determination of infringement on two patents asserted against Microsoft’s Xbox 360.
- Motorola v. Microsoft (W.D. Wisconsin/W.D. Washington): As trial counsel in Seattle Washington for Motorola, litigating patent and contract action involving the Xbox 360 and Windows.
- Smart Memory Solutions v. Panasonic et al. (N.D. California): As litigation counsel for Fujitsu, obtained early settlement in multi-defendant patent litigation involving microcontrollers with flash memory.
- OPTi Inc. v. Advanced Micro Devices (E.D. Texas): As trial counsel for AMD, defended litigation over patents relating to processors and chipsets. The case settled favorably for AMD, shortly before it would have been submitted to the jury.
- Worlds.com v. NCsoft Corp. (E.D. Texas/N.D. California): Successfully concluded litigation over patents directed to multiplayer online games, after transferring case from E.D. Texas to N.D. California.
- Linear Technology Corp. v. Impala et al. (N.D. California): Represented LTC in six-party litigation over patent related to switching voltage regulators in which LTC won settlement valued in excess of $100 million.
- Linear Technology Corp. v. Micrel, Inc. (N.D. California): Trial counsel for LTC in litigation over patent for transistor drive circuitry. Obtained judgment that LTC’s patent was valid, enforceable, and infringed.
Insights
Publications
- Quoted, “Patent Lawyers Split on Impact of Switch to First-to-File System,” The Recorder (February 12, 2013)
- Silicon Valley Business Journal "Woman of Influence" (2013)
Presentations
- Speaker, “Latest Developments in IP Litigation & More,” Institute for Advanced Corporate Counsel (iACC) 2.0 - Association of Corporate Counsel (ACC), Santa Clara, CA, May, 2013
- Speaker, "Ropes & Gray West Coast Lunchtime Legal Briefing Teleconference - Patent Litigation Before The ITC: Recent Developments And Trends," March 2013
- Speaker, "Year in Review: 2012 Patent Litigation Legal Landscape and Lessons Learned," Association of Corporate Counsel - Bay Area Chapter (January 2013)
- Speaker, "News from the IP Front: The Federal Circuit’s Akamai Opinion and Updates on the America Invents Act," Ropes & Gray Asia Morning Briefing Teleconferences (September 2012)
- Speaker, "News from the IP Front: The Federal Circuit’s Akamai Opinion and Updates on the America Invents Act," Ropes & Gray CLE Seminar, Silicon Valley (September 2012)
- Panelist, "What You Need To Know About Mobile Patent Wars," Association of Corporate Counsel - Bay Area Chapter (July 2012)
- "Multi-Defendant Patent Litigation: Front Line Strategies for Success," SVAGC 22nd All Hands Meeting, Santa Clara, CA (2010)
- "The First Step is the Hardest: Responding to Claims of Infringement," Association of Corporate Counsel, Palo Alto and San Francisco, CA (2010)
- "Northern District of California: What Works and What Does Not," Venue Based Patent Litigation Strategies,” PLI, San Francisco, CA (July 2010)
- Panelist,“Litigation Makes Strange Bedfellows,“ Association of Corporate Counsel San Francisco Bay Area Chapter, San Francisco and Palo Alto, CA (July 2009)