Biography

Jeff Fisher has a diverse practice involving a variety of high stakes intellectual property and technology disputes, including patent, trade secret, copyright, and trademark infringement, as well as antitrust and unfair competition cases. He is the former co-chair of Farella’s Litigation Department and was the long-time chair of Farella’s Intellectual Property Department. Jeff has also served as a member of Farella’s Advisory Board and is a Fellow of the American College of Trial Lawyers.

Jeff has been active in all phases of litigation, in both federal and state courts and at both the trial and appellate levels. He has specific experience with a wide variety of technologies, including semiconductor and chip packaging technologies; computer hardware, software, and networking technologies; green energy technologies; internet and encryption technologies; digital data compression technology; and data center cooling and construction technologies. He also represents clients in connection with parallel Patent Trial and Appeal Board (PTAB) proceedings.

Notable engagements include:

  • Prevailing in a three-week jury trial in the Eastern District of Texas clearing our client CNEX Labs, Inc. of all allegations of trade secret misappropriation, CFAA, and RICO claims made by Chinese smartphone maker behemoth Huawei Technologies. Instead, the jury found in favor of CNEX on its counterclaims for trade secret misappropriation, claims which CNEX uncovered during the discovery phase of the case.
  • Winning a jury verdict following a five-week trial on trade secret and breach of NDA claims including a finding of willful and malicious misappropriation in a case pending in the Northern District of California relating to data center technology.

  • Winning a jury verdict following a three-week jury trial for our client Volterra Semiconductor Corporation in the Northern District of California upholding the validity of Volterra's key patents for flip chip integrated power switches against challenges by defendants Infineon and Primarion. Infringement in favor of our client had been determined prior to trial as a result of key rulings we obtained in favor of Volterra in connection with claims construction and summary judgment proceedings.

  • Representing Dolby Laboratories in seeking a declaratory judgment that Dolby’s AC-3 (Dolby Digital) technology did not infringe patents that Alcatel-Lucent had asserted against Dolby’s licensees. Following protracted litigation, in which we obtained discovery sanctions against Alcatel-Lucent on multiple occasions and attorneys’ fees at the conclusion of the case, we successfully obtained orders granting summary judgment of non-infringement on the patents-in-suit. The Federal Circuit affirmed the district court's orders awarding summary judgment and attorney's fees.

Distinctions

  • The Best Lawyers in America in the area of Litigation- Patent, Trade Secrets Law (2019-2025); Commercial Litigation (2025)
  • Daily Journal, "Top Trade Secrets Lawyers" in California (2019-2021)
  • Managing Intellectual Property’s IP Stars (2013-2023) in the areas of Patent Litigation and Trademark
  • Daily Journal “Top 75 IP Litigators” in California (2012, 2019, 2020) 
  • Northern California Super Lawyers in IP Litigation since (2011-2024)

Memberships and Affiliations

  • Fellow, American College of Trial Lawyers (Inducted in 2021); Chair, California-Northern State Committee (2024)
  • President, Ninth Judicial Circuit Historical Society (2008-2012); board member (2001-present)
  • Member, Board of Directors, Legal Aid of Marin (2018-present)
  • Board Chair, ConnectED: The National Center for College & Career (2014 - present)
  • Co-chair, Northwestern University Leadership Circle of the San Francisco Bay Area
  • Chair, Intellectual Property Section, Bar Association of San Francisco (2009 - 2010)
  • American Intellectual Property Law Association (AIPLA)
  • Association of Business Trial Lawyers (ABTL)
  • International Trademark Association (INTA)
  • San Francisco Bay Area Intellectual Property American Inn of Court