A leader in the firm’s US International Trade Commission (ITC) Section 337 litigation practice, Aimee N. Soucie has over 15 years of experience in patent and trade secret litigation at the ITC, district courts, and the Federal Circuit.
Aimee has appeared in almost 40 Section 337 investigations while in private practice. She regularly provides advice regarding ITC-specific issues, such as domestic industry, remedy, and public interest considerations, and is an author of the “go-to” ITC litigation treatise, Unfair Competition and the ITC(published by Thompson Reuters).
In addition to her extensive expertise in the ITC, Aimee has a useful understanding of Hatch-Waxman litigation, having participated in eight such actions early in her career, some of which included ancillary issues related to trade secret misappropriation and antitrust violation.
In both the ITC and district court, Aimee handles all phases of litigation, including discovery, motion practice, claim construction, trial, and appeal. She is equipped with valuable knowledge of wideranging, complex technologies, consumer products, and legal issues, and is a frequent contributor to the firm’s CAFC blog (www.cafcblog.com), reviewing the latest IP decisions at the Federal Circuit.
Aimee spent two years as an Attorney Advisor to the Administrative Law Judges at the ITC, where her responsibilities included providing guidance to the Judges on substantive questions of law and procedural disputes, and drafting initial and summary determinations; Markman, discovery, and prehearing orders; and findings of fact and conclusions of law.
At the ITC, she acquired an in-depth comprehension of the intricacies of Section 337 investigations and an insider appreciation of ITC culture.
She is particularly interested in technology, fashion and design, and entrepreneurship; specifically, innovation that is leading to the intersection of these industries and the law in ways that require creative new legal solutions.
Experience:
- One of world’s largest motor manufacturers in an ITC patent litigation relating to electric power steering motors. Successfully obtained a favorable claim construction of a key disputed patent term, resulting in complainant’s withdrawal of the complaint prior to hearing, during expert discovery. Thermoplastic-Encapsulated Electric Motors, 337-TA-1073, ALJ Pender.
- Volkswagen and Audi in an ITC patent litigation relating to hybrid electric vehicles. Successfully defended numerous discovery disputes, leading to a favorable settlement. Hybrid Electric Vehicles, 337-TA-998, ALJ Pender.
- Sony in an ITC patent litigation relating to digital audio transmission in wireless headsets. Successfully argued before the ALJ and Commission that the asserted patents are invalid as indefinite, resulting in termination of the investigation. Wireless Headsets, 337-TA-943, ALJ Pender.
- Lenovo in an ITC patent litigation relating to optical disc drives. Successfully argued that the complainant lacked standing to file the complaint, resulting in termination of the investigation. Optical Disc Drives, 337-TA-897, ALJ Lord.
- Hewlett-Packard in an ITC patent litigation relating to flash memory card interfaces in computers, laptops and printers. Successfully argued that the complainant failed to establish that it met the domestic industry requirement of Section 337, resulting in a precedent-setting Commission opinion holding that “a complainant alleging the existence of a domestic industry under 19 U.S.C. § 1337(a)(3)(C) must show the existence of articles” protected by the intellectual property right at issue. Computers and Computer Peripheral Devices, 337-TA-841, ALJ Essex.
- Apple in an ITC patent litigation relating to secure communication applications between mobile phones, tablets and computers. Successfully argued that the complainant lacked standing to file the complaint, resulting in termination of the investigation. Devices with Secure Communication Capabilities, 337-TA-818, ALJ Shaw.
- Hebei Sukerui in an ITC patent litigation relating to the process of manufacturing sucralose. Preserved Hebei Sukerui’s ability to import into and sell in the United States a generic version of Splenda® (sucralose), based on determinations of no infringement and no domestic industry.
EDUCATION:
- JD, Cornell Law School, 2002
- BA, Bowdoin College, magna cum laude, 1999
- Certificate, Fordham Law School Fashion Law Institute, Summer Intensive Program, “Fashion Law Bootcamp”, 2016
BAR ADMISSIONS:
- District of Columbia
- New York
COURT ADMISSIONS:
- US Court of Appeals, Federal Circuit
GOVERNMENT EXPERIENCE:
- Attorney Advisor, US International Trade Commission, Office of the Administrative Law Judges, 2008-2010
Memberships:
- ITC Trial Lawyers Association
- ChIPs
- 2016 Fellow, Leadership Council on Legal Diversity
- Advisory Council, Entrepreneurship at Cornell
Cost
Rate : $$$