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MINNEAPOLIS, Feb. 13, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Fish & Richardson announced today that three principals at the firm – John Dragseth, Michael Kane and William Woodford – have been named "2016 Attorneys of the Year" in the team category by Minnesota Lawyer for their win at the U.S. Supreme Court for client Halo Electronics, Inc.  The "Attorney of the Year" recipients are selected based on leadership in the profession and involvement in major cases.  Dragseth, Kane, and Woodford will be honored at an event in Twin Cities on February 16, 2017.

Fish's groundbreaking U.S. Supreme Court win in June 2016 for Halo was a capstone of its nine-year patent litigation with Pulse Electronics, Inc. (Halo Electronics, Inc. v. Pulse Electronics, Inc.).  The Supreme Court ruled, in a unanimous decision, that the current legal test for increased damages was not consistent with Section 284 of the Patent Act.  The decision makes it easier for courts to award enhanced damages in cases of egregious behavior by the infringer.  The case has been widely cited as one of the most important patent cases of 2016.

Based on the Supreme Court win, Fish and Halo are now seeking treble the $1.8 million they obtained against Pulse in a 2012 jury trial, led by Woodford, in the federal district court for Nevada.  Fish has represented Halo since 2007 when the company filed suit claiming that Pulse infringed its portfolio of patents that cover packaging for surface mount transformers, a common electronic component in computer networks.  The subsequent Federal Circuit and Supreme Court appeals were handled by Woodford, Kane, Dragseth, and Craig Countryman, a colleague in Fish's Southern California office.

Woodford specializes in high-stakes patent litigation and has successfully represented both patent owners and accused infringers in courts throughout the United States.  He received his J.D., cum laude, from the University of Minnesota Law School in 2002 and his B.S., cum laude, in electrical engineering from Marquette University in 1998.

Dragseth's practice centers on complex legal analysis and writing – in federal appeals, patent prosecution, post-grant, pre-suit and due diligence investigations, and patent opinions.  He received his J.D., Order of the Coif, from the University of Minnesota Law School in 1996 and his B.S., summa cum laude, Tau Beta Pi, in mechanical engineering from the University of Minnesota in 1992.

Kane specializes in complex patent litigation with a particular emphasis in the areas of pharmaceuticals, biotechnology, and electrical and medical devices.  He received his J.D., magna cum laude, from the University of Minnesota Law School in 1994 and his B.S., with honors, in mechanical engineering from Iowa State University of Science and Technology in 1981.

Fish & Richardson is a global patent, intellectual property (IP) litigation, and commercial litigation law firm with more than 400 attorneys and technology specialists across the U.S. and Europe.  Fish has been named the #1 patent litigation firm in the U.S. for 13 consecutive years and is one of the busiest post-grant firms, representing more petitioners at the PTAB than any other firm.  Fish has been winning cases worth billions in controversy – often by making new law – for the most innovative clients and influential industry leaders since 1878.  For more information, visit www.fr.com.

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SOURCE Fish & Richardson