Paul M. Schoenhard

Paul Schoenhard is a trial and appellate litigator who represents our clients in every area of intellectual property.

Paul offers clients extensive experience in patents, trade secrets, trademarks, copyrights, and unfair competition claims. Clients seek Paul’s representation on their most sensitive matters from inception through trial, appeal, and/or settlement, including as lead counsel in jury and bench trials and in appeals to the Federal and Ninth Circuits.

Paul’s robust pro bono practice includes representing disabled veterans in their appeals to the Court of Appeals for Veterans Claims and the Federal Circuit. He is the author of the seminal casebook Veterans Affairs Law, and he served consecutive terms on the Rules Advisory Committee to the Court of Appeals for Veterans Claims.

Paul frequently publishes and lectures on topics relating to intellectual property law, appellate practice, and veterans’ affairs. He has served as an adjunct professor at American University Washington College of Law and the Franklin Pierce Law Center at The University of New Hampshire School of Law, and he previously served as a visiting professor at the University of Utah, S.J. Quinney College of Law.

Legal 500 consistently recognizes Paul in Intellectual Property Patents: Litigation (Full Coverage) and the Intellectual Asset Management (IAM) Patent 1000 cites his “strategic perspicacity and advocacy skill across many forums and in disputes over many types of technology.” Clients have praised Paul as one of the “smartest and most effective IP lawyers on the market” and have stated “Paul is something of a savant when it comes to strategic thinking on patent and other matters.” In addition, he has been recognized by Benchmark Litigation on its “40 & Under Hotlist” and by Super Lawyers in Washington, DC.

Prior to joining Fried Frank, Paul served as partner at a large international law firm.

Work highlights include:

• Serving as lead trial counsel for Regal Logistics in a software dispute involving copyright and trade secret claims. Successfully obtained partial summary judgment on breach of contract claims and counterclaims; obtained Ninth Circuit decision remanding preliminary injunction bond issue; and led a two-week jury trial in the Central District of California.* (Softketeers, Inc. v. Regal West Corp.)
• Serving as trial counsel for Novartis Pharmaceuticals Corporation in a two-week jury trial involving patents relating to kinase inhibitors used for targeted cancer treatment.* (Plexxikon, Inc. v. Novartis Pharmaceuticals Corp.)
• Serving as lead counsel for Orthopaedic Hospital d/b/a Orthopaedic Institute for Children in a series of patent lawsuits relating to ultra-high molecular weight polyethylene (UHMWPE) for use in joint implants.* (Orthopaedic Hospital v. DJO Global, et al.; Orthopaedical Hospital v. Globus Medical; Orthopaedic Hospital v. Aesculap Implant Systems)
• Represented Bausch Health Companies in a patent lawsuit relating to the at-risk launch of a competing pharmaceutical formulation for the treatment of ulcerative colitis.* (Bausch Health et al. v. Actavis et al.)
• Represented Humvee®-maker AM General LLC in a trademark and trade dress infringement lawsuit against Activision related to its Call of Duty® video game franchise.* (AM General LLC v. Activision Blizzard Inc. et al.)
• Served as lead counsel for Michael Todd Beauty adverse to DD Karma, LLC in a design patent, trade dress and unfair competition dispute related to skin care devices for dermaplaning.* (DD Karma, LLC v. Michael Todd Beauty LP, et al.)
• Served as lead counsel for Serta Simmons Bedding in a dispute involving three patents related to foam mattress technology. Successfully obtained Federal Circuit reversal of district court decision improperly denying enforcement of settlement agreement.* (Serta Simmons Bedding, LLC, et al. v. Casper Sleep Inc.)
• Served as lead counsel for iOnRoad, Ltd. (a subsidiary of Harman) in an appeal to the Federal Circuit involving a patent relating to vehicle collision detection technology. Successfully secured affirmance of a final written decision of the Patent Trial and Appeal Board.* (MobilEye Vision Techs. v. iOnRoad, Ltd.)
• Served as lead counsel for Contour against GoPro in a patent infringement lawsuit related to wearable digital video cameras.* (Contour IP Holding, LLC v. GoPro, Inc.)
• Served as lead counsel for AMX and Harman in a patent infringement lawsuit related to data transfer for video display.* (Vesper Technologies v. AMX, LLC and Harman International Industries, Inc.)
• Served as trial counsel for Rovi adverse to Comcast in an ITC investigation involving seven patents relating to interactive program guides and related technologies.*
• Served as lead trial counsel for Spansion in an ITC investigation adverse to Macronix, relating to four patents directed to features of FLASH memory devices.*
• Served as lead counsel for a major US software company in an appeal to the Federal Circuit from a final determination of the International Trade Commission in a patent lawsuit relating to video game consoles.*

* Matter handled prior to joining Fried Frank.