Thomas W. Sankey, P.C.
Partner
Duane Morris LLP
Suite 800
1330 Post Oak Boulevard
Houston, TX 77056-3166
USA
Phone: +1 713 402 3924
Fax: +1 713 583 9157
Email:
twsankey@duanemorris.com
Thomas W. Sankey practices in the area of intellectual property litigation. Mr. Sankey has extensive intellectual property and commercial litigation experience, focusing on patents, copyrights, trade secrets, unfair competition, employer/employee disputes and the Lanham Act. He has represented inventors, medical supply companies, medical R&D companies, electronic device companies, semiconductor companies, and others. He also is board certified in Civil Trial Law by The Texas Board of Legal Specialization.
He has also handled appeals before the Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit, Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit and the U.S. Supreme Court as well as Texas Appeals Courts and the Texas Supreme Court.
Mr. Sankey is a 1986 graduate of South Texas College of Law, where he was assistant technical editor of the South Texas Law Journal, and a graduate of the University of Tennessee.
Areas of Practice
- Intellectual Property Litigation
- Commercial Litigation
Representative Matters
- Co-led a team staffed across multiple offices in obtaining a jury verdict of patent infringement in the amount of $52 million on behalf of plaintiff LaserDynamics in a patent infringement jury trial in the Eastern District of Texas. Won the subsequent bench trial on a defense raised by the defendant and obtained a finding by the Judge of no inequitable conduct. This is a significant win on a patent that does not expire for over six years. LaserDynamics, Inc vs. Quanta Computer, Inc.
- Tried numerous misappropriation of trade secret cases in both federal and state courts.
- Tried cases for infringement of patents for coin discrimination technology, obtaining favorable judgments, a finding of willful infringement, and a finding that one case was "exceptional"
- Successfully defended a patent infringement action brought against a Taiwanese manufacturer of circuit board architecture.
- Represented multiple clients in patent infringement litigation over patents directed to holographic imaging.
- Initiated a case in Eastern District of Texas before Judge Davis against major cable and satellite TV providers for infringement of a patent directed to DVR technology. This case resulted in a multimillion-dollar settlement for the client.
- Successfully represented a client in multiple infringement actions to enforce patents on DVD technology.
- Successfully prosecuted patent litigation involving the in situ replacement of valve bodies in high pressure flow lines.
- Litigated cases arising under the Architectural Work Copyright Protection Act (AWCPA.)
- Represented clients in trademark and copyright disputes both before the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office and in various federal district courts.
- Currently representing plaintiffs and defendants in the Eastern District of Texas and the Northern District of California for DRAM semiconductor chips, DVD technology and network communication controls.
Professional Activities
- American Intellectual Property Law Association
- Houston Bar Association
- Texas Young Lawyers Association
- Texas Association of Civil Trial and Appellate Specialists (TACTAS)
- American Association for Justice
Admissions
- Texas
Education
- South Texas College of Law, J.D., 1986
- Assistant Technical Editor, South Texas Law Journal - University of Tennessee, B.S., 1983
Experience
- Duane Morris LLP
- Partner, 2008-present - Thompson & Knight LLP
- Partner, 2006-2007 - Sankey & Luck, LLP
- Partner, 1995-2005 - Boyer, Ewing & Fabio
- Partner, 1990-1995 - Looper, Reed & McGraw
- Associate, 1986-1990
Honors and Awards
- Million Dollar Verdict Club
- AV® Preeminent™ Peer Review Rated by Martindale-Hubbell
