Sasha’s Profile
Sasha Rao is Chair of Maynard Cooper & Gale’s Intellectual Property Practice. Sasha is a seasoned intellectual property lawyer with an established record of success for some of the world’s leading companies.
Sasha regularly leads intellectual property and commercial litigation for her clients, including cases involving patents, trademarks, copyrights, trade secrets, unfair competition, and complex commercial disputes. Sasha has tried cases in district courts throughout the U.S. Her strong science background in physics has enabled her to develop effective courtroom strategies for cases involving technologies ranging from pharmaceuticals, medical devices, and biotechnology to computers, Internet, and software. In the technology realm, Sasha has defended some of Silicon Valley’s leading companies in cases brought by competitors and non-practicing entities. In the realm of life sciences, Sasha has extensive experience in Hatch-Waxman/ANDA litigation and has represented generic and branded pharmaceutical companies in numerous patent cases.
Sasha also advises clients on corporate, transactional, policy and regulatory matters, including IP aspects of mergers and acquisitions. Sasha’s enthusiasm for cutting-edge technologies has led to her being recognized as one of the leading practitioners in the emerging field of autonomy and robotics systems, including autonomous vehicles, drones, and UAVs, urban air mobility, and connected and artificially intelligent systems. Her legal subject matter expertise includes regulatory, policy, intellectual property, data rights, and legal strategy.
Sasha is registered to practice in the United States Patent and Trademark Office. She also represents clients in Patent Office trials, including covered business method (CBM) and inter partes review (IPR) post-grant invalidity challenges available under the America Invents Act.
In 2018, Chambers USA named Sasha a Recognized Practitioner in the area of Intellectual Property. Sasha’s success and talents in the IP field have also earned her recognition by The Best Lawyers in America© in the area of Litigation: Intellectual Property. In 2013, 2014 and again in 2017, The Recorder recognized Sasha as one of the “Women Leaders in Tech Law.” She was also recognized as a “Trailblazer” by the South Asian Bar Association – Northern California (2016); “Top 75 IP Litigator in California” by the Daily Journal (2013); an “IP Star” by Managing IP magazine (2013–2017); one of the “Top 250 Women in IP” by IP Stars (2013–2018).
Sasha’s Experience
Notable Cases and Successes
- Square, Inc. v. Unwired Planet, LLC Represented Square in a covered business method petition related to mobile payments technology. Obtained PTAB decision invalidating all claims as unpatentable abstract ideas.
- Broadband iTV, Inc. v. Hawaiian Telcom, Inc. et al Represented Hawaiian Telcom in multi-defendant patent infringement suit brought in the District of Hawaii by non-practicing entity involving delivery of video-on-demand content over the Internet. Obtained summary judgment opinion invalidating all of the asserted claims as unpatentable abstract ideas which was affirmed by the Federal Circuit. The U.S. Supreme Court later denied cert., sealing the win for Hawaiian Telecom.
- Digital Verification Systems v. Square Inc. Represented Square in a 2017 patent infringement case related to Square’s mobile payment platforms, achieving a dismissal with prejudice for Square.
- North Star Innovations v HP, Inc. Represented HP in an NPE case related to software components of HP mobile produces, achieving early exit for HP via successful indemnity claim.
- Cypress Lake Semiconductor v. HP, Inc. Represented HP in an NPE case related to software components of HP mobile products, achieving an early dismissal for HP.
- Progme v. HP, Inc. Represented HP in an NPE case related to software components of HP mobile products, achieving an early dismissal for HP.
- MiMedx Group, Inc. v. NuTech Medical Inc. Ongoing representation of NuTech in a patent infringement lawsuit in the Northern District of Alabama relating to placental tissue grafts.
- Gametek LLC v. Gameview Studios, LLC Represented Gameview Studios (subsidiary of DeNA) in a patent infringement lawsuit brought by Gametek involving in-game advertising and purchasing technology. Case settled favorably after successful transfer from the Southern to the Northern District of California.
- Confidential client Represented a prominent Mountain View-based technology company in securing a summary judgment ruling of non-infringement in a Central District of California case involving four patents related to geo-location technology. Following a favorable claim construction ruling for our client that led directly into summary judgment motions, the Court granted our client’s summary judgment motion of non-infringement of all asserted claims.
- Eolas v. Adobe et al Represented a prominent Mountain View-based technology company defendant in securing victory in a case brought by Eolas Technologies Inc. on two patents that it contended cover all websites containing interactive content. After an invalidity trial involving multiple defendants, an Eastern District of Texas jury returned a verdict finding all asserted claims of both patents invalid.
- Software Research Int’l v. HP, Inc. Represented HP in a patent infringement lawsuit involving testing software for websites in the Northern District of California. Case dismissed by plaintiff after initial discovery.
- Compaq Computer Corp. v. eMachines Represented Compaq in patent infringement action asserting computer systems patents in the Southern District of Texas. Obtained summary judgment of infringement of nine patents relating to personal computer subsystems. Obtained permanent injunction before trial against further infringement of two patents. Damages claim was in excess of $200 million before trebling. Case settled favorably through mediation two weeks before trial.
- Lucent v. Periphonics Represented Lucent in patent infringement action asserting patents regarding interactive voice technology in the District of Delaware. Case settled favorably through mediation after the Markman hearing.
- Tria Beauty, Inc. v. Radiancy, Inc. Represented Tria Beauty, an FDA-regulated medical device manufacturer, in a false advertising lawsuit brought against a competitor marketing an unregulated device with false claims. Case settled favorably before scheduled trial in the Northern District of California.
- Purdue Pharma Products L.P. v. Par Pharmaceuticals Represented Purdue Pharma and associated companies in a Hatch-Waxman patent infringement lawsuit involving controlled-release tramadol in the District of Delaware.
- Rexall Sundown, Inc. v. Weider Nutrition International, Inc. Represented Rexall in a patent infringement lawsuit involving glucosamine and chondroitin nutraceuticals in the Western District of Wisconsin. Case settled after initial discovery.
- Warner-Lambert Company v. Teva Pharmaceuticals USA Represented Teva Pharmaceuticals in ANDA patent infringement litigation brought under the Hatch-Waxman Act involving quinapril ACE inhibitor in the District of New Jersey. Case tried for inequitable conduct issues and the Court found no equitable conduct. The decision was affirmed on appeal.
Sasha’s Awards
- Chambers USA: Recognized Practitioner in the area of Intellectual Property (2018)
- The Best Lawyers in America© for Litigation: Intellectual Property (2018)
- IP Star, Managing IP (2013 – present)
- Patent Star and Trademark Star, Managing IP (2017 – present)
- Who’s Who Legal – Patents (2013 – present)
- Top 250 Women in IP, IP Stars (2013 – present)
- Trailblazer, South Asian Bar Association, Northern California (2016)
- Women Leaders in Tech Law, The Recorder (2013-2014, 2017)
- California Super Lawyers® for Intellectual Property Litigation (2014 – present)
- Top 75 IP Litigator in California, Daily Journal (2013)
- Woman of Influence, Silicon Valley Business Journal (2013)
- Rainmaker, MCCA’s Diversity & The Bar (2012)
Sasha’s Affiliations & Civic Involvement
- Stanford Program of Law, Science & Technology, Advisory Board
- Bay Area IP Inn of Court
- South Asian Bar Association – Northern California, Life Member
