Ropes & Gray guides clients through complex patent landscapes to protect innovation, manage risk, and unlock strategic value worldwide. We integrate deep technical fluency with sophisticated legal and commercial judgment to guide critical decisions across global patent landscapes.
Our attorneys hold advanced technical degrees in fields including biology, chemistry, engineering, and computer science, and bring significant experience advising on complex, cross-border patent issues. We are regularly engaged in matters where patent assets directly impact valuation, transaction structure, and competitive positioning.
We advise across the full lifecycle of patent strategy, with a focus on aligning intellectual property with business objectives, capital deployment, and innovation strategy.
How We Help Clients
- Developing and optimizing global patent portfolios aligned with business and R&D strategy
- Advising on licensing, collaborations, joint ventures, and IP-driven transactions
- Conducting freedom-to-operate, validity, infringement, and clearance analyses
- Managing opposition, reexamination, appeal, and contested patent proceedings globally
- Designing and implementing offensive and defensive patent strategies across industries
- Advising on competitor landscapes, portfolio risk, and patent enforcement strategy
Awards
We are consistently recognized among the top practitioners in intellectual property transactions and licensing, with honors reflecting our impact on high-value collaborations and strategic transactions.
- Chambers USA – Intellectual Property
- The Legal 500 US – Intellectual Property
- IAM Patent 1000: The World's Leading Patent Practitioners (2019-2026)
- Managing IP Americas Awards “IP Transactions Firm of the Year” (2023, 2025)
Experience
We develop and execute patent strategies that align with our clients' commercial objectives, including portfolio development, freedom-to-operate analyses, and strategic patent acquisitions and divestitures.
- Gloucester Marine Genomics Institute (GMGI) on a pro bono basis on a range of legal issues since 2015, supporting GMGI’s mission of using innovative scientific research and education to address critical challenges facing the oceans, human health, and the environment.
- Seakeeper, Inc. in inter partes reviews for boat-cooling apparatus patents, resulting in favorable outcomes.
- A public biotechnology company for over 10 years on a variety of intellectual property matters. During that period, drafted and prosecuted a broad patent portfolio in the U.S. and around the world and coordinated activities with collaboration partners.
- A private biotechnology company developing novel protein therapeutics. Counsels the client on patent strategy, portfolio development, licensing activities, and general intellectual property matters.
- IP due diligence for a venture capital firm in connection with an investment in a nucleic acid instrumentation company.
- IP due diligence for a syndicate of venture capital firms in connection with an investment in a protein therapeutics company.
- A medical device client in an ex parte reexamination and obtained claims that preserved coverage for their primary product.
- A global media and entertainment company in multiple European Patent Office oppositions, defending foundational electronic systems patents.
- A global technology company in European patent opposition and appeal proceedings related to mobile communication technology.
- A global investment banking firm on high-profile technology transactions, including data distribution, index licensing, and trading platform technology.
- A leading technology company on licensing standard-essential patents for video encoding/decoding.
- A global healthcare company in strategic collaborations and commercial arrangements for respiratory and patient monitoring products.
- Negotiated complex cross-border technology licenses, joint development, supply, and distribution agreements for major technology clients.
- Provided patent strategy, risk mitigation, and freedom-to-operate counsel for technology and life sciences companies with global patent portfolios.
- A global data broker on alternative data management strategies, AI vendor screening, and third-party data agreements.
- A major hedge fund on privacy and data governance issues related to use of mobile device data for investment purposes.
