Richard T. Ruzich practices in the area of intellectual property law with an emphasis on litigating complex patent, copyright, trademark and trade secrets matters. Mr. Ruzich is a registered patent attorney representing high-tech and generic pharmaceutical companies (ANDA) in both opinion and litigation matters. He also counsels clients on intellectual property portfolio management and protection strategies as well as due diligence and transactional matters for clients in the pharmaceutical, chemical, computer hardware and software, and medical devices industries. His areas of practice also include filing and prosecuting patent, trademark, and copyright applications, and drafting and negotiating intellectual property agreements (including licensing, joint development, and government R&D agreements).

Prior to entering private practice, Mr. Ruzich served as a trial attorney for the U.S. Department of Justice in Washington, D.C., defending the United States and its agencies against patent infringement suits brought by the private sector. He is a member of the U.S. Navy (reserves) and holds a top-secret/SCI security clearance. In that capacity, Mr. Ruzich has defended the Department of Energy, The Department of Defense (Army, Navy, Air Force), The National Security Agency, CIA, FBI, and The White House against patent infringement suits.

In private practice, his cases have involved such varied technologies such as drug products, including hormone replacement therapy, secured satellite transmissions, encryption, avionics, radio transmission systems, dual processing microprocessors, compilers, slurry bubble column reactor and catalysis, pharmaceuticals, tooth whitening compositions, hazard waste materials storage, green technologies including alternative fuel cells, vehicular brake systems, artificial sweeteners, and various consumer products. He has handled cases from the trial level through the appellate process, including appeals to the Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit ("the Patent Court") and assisted on appeals to the United States Supreme Court.

Before entering the legal profession, Mr. Ruzich worked as an electrical engineer in Chicago and New York (ComEd/Exelon and LILCO, respectively). He is also a published author and an adjunct professor and speaks regularly on intellectual property issues.

He is a member of the U.S. Navy (reserves) and holds a top-secret/SCI security clearance.

Mr. Ruzich is a 1996 cum laude graduate of Southern Illinois University School of Law and a graduate of John Marshall Law School (LL.M., Intellectual Property Law) and Bradley University (B.S., Electrical Engineering Technology). Currently, he is pursuing a master's degree in computer science at DePaul University.

Areas Of Practice

Patents, Trademarks and Copyright
Intellectual Property

Representative Matters

Endo Pharmaceuticals Inc, and Penwest Pharmaceuticals Co., v. Sandoz, Inc. (Pharmaceutical Representations) (2008)
Wyeth v. Apotex Inc., and Apotex Corp. (venlaflaxine hydrochloride) (2008)
Aventis Pharma S.A. and Sanofi-Aventis U.S., LLC v. Apotex Inc. and Apotex Corp. (docetaxol) (2008)

Professional Activities

American Intellectual Property Owners Association
American Health Lawyers Association
Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers
Reserve Officers Association
Intellectual Property Owners Association
- Damages Committee
Association of Intelligence Officers
Adjunct Professor, The John Marshall Law School, Center for International Business & Trade Law

Admissions

Illinois
Indiana
Colorado
U.S. Patent and Trademark Office
U.S. Court of Federal Claims
U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois
U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit
U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Indiana
U.S. District Court for the District of Colorado
U.S. Supreme Court

Education

John Marshall Law School, LL.M., Intellectual Property Law, with honors, 2002
Southern Illinois University School of Law, J.D., cum laude, 1996
Bradley University, B.S., Electrical Engineering Technology, 1991

Experience

Epstein Becker & Green, P.C.
- Partner, 2007-2008
Mayer, Brown, Rowe & Maw LLP
- Associate, 2002-2006
Duane Morris LLP
- Partner, 2008-present
U.S. Department of Justice
- Trial Attorney, 1998-2002
Long Island Lighting Company
- Engineer, 1993
Commonwealth Edison Company
- Engineer, 1991-1992

Civic and Charitable Activities

U.S. Navy (reserves), Lieutenant

Selected Publications

Co-author, "Closing the Willful Infringement Floodgates: The Effects of In re Seagate Both Inside and Outside the Generic Pharmaceutical Litigation Arena," De Paul Journal of Art, Technology & Intellectual Property Law, Spring 2008
Co-author, "Qualcomm Court Sets Baseline for Electronic Discovery Programs for In-House and Retained Counsel," Cyberspace Lawyer, May 2008
Quoted in the article "Seals of Approval: 'Green' certification marks raise new liability issues," Inside Counsel, April 2008
Co-author, "New Rules in the N.D. of California Seek to Accomplish More Efficient Patent Trials, with the Help of KSR," Duane Morris Alert, March 10, 2008
Co-author, "Qualcomm Sets The Baseline For E-Discovery," IP Law360, January 29, 2008
Co-author, "Qualcomm Court Sets Baseline for Electronic Discovery Programs for In-House and Retained Counsel," Duane Morris Alert, January 16, 2008
Quoted in the article "Open Source's New Weapon: KSR v. Teleflex Ruling," IP Law 360, May 29, 2007
"Government Patent and Copyright Infringement Overseas Under 28 U.S.C. 1498 (in the shadow of the RIM Decisions)," Fed. Cir. Bar. J. (Spring 2006)

Selected Speaking Engagements

Speaker, "Implications of Recent Developments and Trends in Litigating Paragraph IV Disputes," Center for Business Intelligence's Pharmaceutical Congress on Paragraph IV Disputes, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, October 16, 2008
Speaker, "Compliance with United States Export Controls," Illinois State Bar Association CLE program ("Intellectual Property and International Law Issues in Representing a Globally Expanding Company"), Chicago, July 12, 2008
Speaker, "E-Discovery Ramifications of the Qualcomm Case," Webinar, March 18, 2008
Speaker, "An Update on Key Intellectual Property Issues (ANDA)," New York Pharma Forum Inc., New York City, November 13, 2006