Covington & Burling LLP operates as a limited liability partnership worldwide, with the practice in England and Wales conducted by an affiliated
limited liability multinational partnership, Covington & Burling LLP, which is formed under the laws of the State of Delaware in the United States
and authorized and regulated by the Solicitors Regulation Authority with registration number 77071..
With experience spanning more than 25 years across more than 200 patent cases, Indranil (“Indy”) Mukerji is a lead trial lawyer and litigator who handles complex technical disputes in federal courts and tribunals around the country. He brings a practical, client-focused approach to litigating high-stakes cases, focusing on issues that matter and working hard to simplify complicated technical and legal concepts, whether in the boardroom or the courtroom.
Indy has represented a “who’s-who” of the world’s leading tech companies against competitors, non-practicing entities (NPEs), and patent assertion entities (PAEs) alike. His experience includes both jury and bench trials, and he has played key leadership roles in many of the highest profile patent cases of the past decades, vindicating clients from liability demands totaling into the billions of dollars. Along the way, Indy has led teams in courts nationwide (e.g., Texas, Delaware, California, Virginia, Massachusetts, and Ohio) and in Section 337 proceedings before the International Trade Commission (ITC). He has also argued before the Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit, and been deeply involved in some of the most significant patent appellate cases of recent years.
Indy has been recognized by Chambers & Partners for Intellectual Property Litigation, based on client feedback noting his ability to “convey[ ] even complicated concepts in a simple, effective and charming way,” and characterizing him to be “one of the best writers I have worked with” and “excellent on his feet.” Other clients have said he provides “excellent service in terms of understanding the client’s business objectives,” and has a “masterful command of patent litigation." IAM Magazine has repeatedly recognized him among the ranks of its “Patent 1000 – The World’s Leading Patent Professionals,” noting that he is “a deeply experienced IP litigator with rich technical expertise,” who “understands his clients’ needs and adopts a pragmatic approach when providing advice.” He “rightly pride[s] [himself] on [his] courtroom skills and ability to make what is complex simple. . . Unflinching when reputations and finances are on the line, [he] has mastered the art of persuasion. In 2023, the analytics company Patexia also ranked him as one of the “Top 25 Patent Litigators in America.”
With an engineering background, and as a registered patent attorney, Indy also has strategized IP portfolios for clients ranging in size from start-ups to global corporations. He brings that experience to bear in advising companies on the strategic nexus between prosecution, licensing, and litigation. He has also led teams before the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office in procedures such as inter partes reviews (IPRs) before the Patent Trial and Appeal Board (PTAB). Indy also has been involved in cases implicating various important technical standards, and is experienced in handling the unique issues that go along with litigating standards essential patents (SEPs).
Indy's cases have involved nearly every important aspect of computer and electrical hardware and software, including: semiconductors, microprocessors, mobile data, operating systems, wireless networking, data storage, power (including lithium-ion batteries), solid state memory, consumer electronics, enterprise security systems, network identity management, e-commerce, unified communications, video streaming, and displays. Beyond these fields, he has litigated cases involving a variety of other technologies, such as insecticides, chemical compositions, oil and gas equipment, and medical devices.
The son of immigrants, Indy takes great pride in the strides made to foster diversity in the legal profession. In 2011, TheNational Law Journal named Indy as the only patent litigator on its national “Minority 40 Under 40” list. Lawyers of Color named him to its “Power 100” list of the nation’s most influential minority attorneys for successive years (2014, 2015), and recognized him again in 2022 as a “Law Firm Leader.”
Indy has lectured at Cornell University’s School of Engineering on professional ethics and practice, and at the Boston University School of Law regarding intellectual property trial advocacy.
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