Anthony M. Stiegler, Partner

Anthony M. Stiegler ("Tony" ) is a partner in the Cooley Litigation department, specializing in complex technology, life science and intellectual property matters. He joined the Firm in 1996 and is resident in the San Diego office.

Mr. Stiegler has litigated many technologies and subjects within the intellectual property and commercial/business arenas for both plaintiffs and defendants.  He is a veteran first chair trial lawyer, in jury and non-jury cases, and in arbitration matters.  His verdicts, awards and settlements include many multimillion-dollar results and he has defensed cases where claimed damages exceeded $200 million.

Mr. Stiegler's trial practice has focused for many years on life science matters, including drug discovery, biotechnology and medical device matters, and collaborations related to those subjects.  He has litigated claims related to patents, trade secrets, collaboration and intellectual property license agreements, trademarks, copyrights, antitrust claims, unfair competition, other contracts, defamation, rights of publicity and First Amendment, product liability and related commercial matters.

Mr. Stiegler has also  tried, arbitrated and/or settled many disputes related to consumer products, consumer brands, electronics, computers (including hardware and software), telecommunications, semiconductors, data storage, manufacturing, gaming and hospitality, music, engineering, real estate, architecture and insurance.  Mr. Stiegler has extensive expertise and experience in anti-counterfeiting matters where he designed and implemented worldwide anti-counterfeiting programs for several Fortune 500 companies and major brands. He has worked closely with the United States Customs Service and foreign counsel to block the import of counterfeit goods, obtain ex parte seizures and prosecute actions against counterfeiting rings trafficking in sporting goods, video and digital media games and entertainment, semiconductors and clothing.

Representative matters, lead counsel roles and current clients include:

• Represented The Salk Institute For Biological Studies against Ligand Pharmaceuticals, Inc. as lead trial counsel in a three judge AAA arbitration over intracellular steroid and assay technology used to identify the cancer drug Targretin and payments owed to Salk under a patent license, resulting in a settlement valued at more than $17M.
• Represented Ichor Medical Systems, Inc. v. Cyto Pulse Sciences, Inc. as lead trial counsel in a plaintiff's biotechnology drug delivery medical device (electroporation system) jury trial in the United States District Court for the Southern District of California, winning a $20M jury verdict and obtaining post trial injunctive relief.
• Represented Gilead Sciences, Inc. as co-counsel against challenges to the validity of Gilead's patents covering the AIDS drug Viread in re-examination proceedings before the United States Patent Office.
• Represented Gilead Sciences, Inc. as lead counsel in connection with Novartis v. Corus Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (acquired by Gilead) relating to the drug compound and medical device surrounding an inhalable drug to treat cystic fibrosis and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.
• Represent Gilead Sciences, Inc. in various confidential intellectual property and commercial matters.
• Represent Websense, Inc. in various intellectual property and commercial matters, including trade secret, contract and patent matters.
• Represent Amylin Pharmaceuticals, Inc. in commericial and intellectual property matters, including various collaboration agreement matters.
• Represent Eli Lilly & Co. and Amylin Pharmaceuticals, Inc. in copyright litigation brought by Consumer Health Information Corporation.
• Defended Conexant Systems, Inc. adv. British Telecom, Inc. in a patent infringement action in the Southern District of California related to allegations of patent infringement of BT's V42.bis standards based modem technology patents, resulting in a favorable settlement.
• Defended Natural Selection Foods, Inc., dba Earthbound Farms, Inc. in trade secret litigation brought by AnTerra, Inc. concerning the use of asserted proprietary carbon dioxide technology to wash and sanitize post-harvest organically grown produce, resulting in a favorable settlement. 
• Represented Molecular Simulations, Inc. v. Axel Brunger in a AAA arbitration related to X-Ray crystallography software used for drug discovery for crystallographic diffraction and macromolecular refinement inventions, involving Yale University, resulting in a favorable confidential settlement.
• Represented Diversa Corporation adv. Syngenta as lead counsel in various technology and commercial disputes related to enzyme technology and intellectual property matters.
• Defended Verenium Corporation adv. Valley Research, Inc. as lead trial counsel in federal and state court litigation seeking over $50M in a biotechnology dispute concerning the enzymatic conversion of biomass and corn to ethanol, resulting in a favorable confidential settlement.
• Represented Sibia Neurosciences Inv. adverse to Cadus Pharmaceuticals, Inc., as co-counsel, in a plaintiff's biotech patent infringement trial related to transcription based assays, resulting in an $18M jury verdict in the United States District Court for the Southern District of California.
• Co-Managed Cooley's trial teams representing Ronald A. Katz Technology Licensing, LP adverse to dozens of defendants in patent infringement actions related to automated call processing, in one of the largest Multi District Litigation patent litigations in the United States.
• Represented Qualcomm, Inc. in a confidential government oriented matter.
• Represented Qualcomm, Inc. in a real estate matter adv. to Torries CDC, Inc. resulting in a confidential favorable settlement.
• Represented Tall Tree Golf, Inc. against ASICS Corp, winning a $5.7M jury verdict in a California state court contract/fraud and fiduciary duty trial related to the design, manufacture and sale of golf club heads and equipment,
• Defended a high net worth individual in a claimed $200M damage dispute related to alleged omitted assets in a marriage dissolution and fiduciary duty matter, resulting in a complete defense judgment on a matter litigated through the California Supreme Court.
• Represented Angstrom Pharmaceuticals, Inc. adv. Almedica, Inc. and Aptuit, Inc. as lead counsel in an arbitration addressing the management of Angstrom's clinical trial on its ovarian cancer drug, resulting in a confidential favorable settlement.
• Represented Primarion, Inc. v. On Semiconductor, Inc. as lead counsel in a commercial arbitration concerning the terms of a semiconductor wafer qualification and purchase agreement, resulting in a favorable confidential settlement.
• Represented Packet Video, Inc. v. Ingenient Technologies, Inc. as lead counsel in wireless communication semiconductor chip design litigation in the United States District Court for the Northern District of Illinois, resulting in a favorable confidential settlement.
• Defended Exactis, Inc. and 24/7 Media adv. to Email Direct as lead counsel in a California Superior Court action related to a commercial services web and email hosting services agreement, resulting in a favorable settlement.
• Represented Koch Membrane, Inc. v. Advanced Membrane Technology in two biotech/engineering trade secret misappropriation jury trials related to ultra filtration membrane systems, in the United States District Court for the Southern District of California, resulting in multimillion dollar jury verdicts.
• Represented Artecon, Inc. v. Storenet, Inc. as lead counsel in an employee mobility trade secret, and non-compete matter before a California Superior Court, which granted a temporary restraining order, preliminary injunction, and contempt proceedings, resulting in a favorable settlement.
• Represented Lawrence United Insurance Co. v. Willis Corroon, Inc. as lead trial counsel in a California Superior Court jury trial resulting in a plaintiff's verdict in a trade secret theft and non-compete matter.

Mr. Stiegler regularly arbitrates domestic and international disputes as an advocate before panels administered by the American Arbitration Association (AAA), Judicial Arbitration and Mediation Services (JAMS), the Center for International Dispute Resolution and the International Chamber of Commerce (ICC). He is a published author on numerous litigation and intellectual property subjects and regularly speaks at industry conferences, including "Arbitrating Biotech Intellectual Property Disputes" at the ICC Conference in La Jolla, California in 2005.

Before joining the Firm, Mr. Stiegler was an associate and then a partner at Gray, Cary, Ames & Frye (now DLA Piper) in San Diego between 1987--1996, and before that served as a federal district court law clerk for the Honorable Edward J. Schwartz in San Diego from 1986 – 1987.

Mr. Stiegler was recognized as one of the top 10 "Most Admired Attorneys" in the United States by Law 360. He has been recognized as one of the Best Lawyers in America in the category of Intellectual Property Law in 2006, 2007 and 2012 and from 2007-2012 in the category of Commercial Litigation. He has also been named one of San Diego Super Lawyers in 2007, 2008, 2009 and 2010 in the category of Intellectual Property Litigation.  Client comments and endorsements about Mr. Stiegler can be accessed here, as posted on the Best Lawyers in America website.

Mr. Stiegler graduated from Grinnell College in 1982 with a B.A. and graduated, Order of the Coif, from Tulane University Law School in 1986, where he was Senior Notes & Comments Editor of the Law Review. He has been active in various community and bar causes and functions and currently sits on the Board of Directors of the Legal Aid Society of San Diego (2004—present; President 2011-2012) and has served on the Boards of the San Diego chapters of the American Business Trial Association Lawyers (1999—2002; and 2011--current) and the Federal Bar Association (1993-1996), and has further served in various children's' oriented community service and charitable organizations and projects through the YMCA and Francis Parker School.

Mr. Stiegler co-chairs Cooley's pro bono practice nationwide through its Pro Bono Committee and leads the firm's pro bono practice in San Diego.  He also served for five years on the firm's Risk Management Committee.

Education

• Tulane Law School
  JD, 1986, Order of the Coif
• Grinnell College
  BA, 1982

Court Admissions

• All California State Courts
• U.S. Court of Appeals, Ninth Circuit
• U.S. District Court, Central District of California
• U.S. District Court, Eastern District of California
• U.S. District Court, Northern District of California
• U.S. District Court, Southern District of California

Admissions

• California

Memberships

• American Bar Association
• American Intellectual Property Law Association
• Association of Business Trial Lawyers
• Federal Bar Association
• San Diego County Bar Association

Awards & Honors

• The Best Lawyers in America,  Intellectual Property category (2006 through current)
• Since 2007 Southern California Super Lawyers - San Diego,  Intellectual Property Litigation
• 2006 - 2010, "Top San Diego County Attorneys" in the category of IP (Litigation Law), San Diego Daily Transcript
• Order of the Coif, Tulane University Law School, 1986
• Morrison Award for best law review article at Tulane University, 1986.
• Am Law Award for highest grade in Constitutional Law, Tulane University, 1984.