Heidi Keefe

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I like to win.

Experience

CoolIT Protects Key Patent at PTAB

September 1, 2020

In August 2020, Cooley convinced a panel of judges at the PTAB to protect a key patent for CoolIT, a leader in data center cooling. A three-judge panel upheld the validity of all challenged claims while adopting arguments Cooley advanced against Petitioner’s expert and his proposed prior art combination.

Related contacts

Reuben Chen
Partner, Palo Alto
Heidi Keefe
Partner, Palo Alto
Daniel Knauss
Partner, Palo Alto
Dustin Knight
Associate, Washington, DC

Related Practices & Industries

Facebook scores key victory by nixing online messaging patent

May 16, 2017

In May 2015, Cooley convinced a panel of judges at the PTAB to cancel claims of an online messaging patent asserted against Facebook by plaintiff EveryMD. A three-judge panel ruled that the challenged claims of the patent are invalid and also threw out EveryMD's proposed new claims finding that the plaintiff failed to prove the validity of those claims in light of prior art. In March 2016, the Federal Circuit upheld the PTAB's decision in its entirety.

Related contacts

Heidi Keefe
Partner, Palo Alto
Mark Weinstein
Partner, Palo Alto
Reuben Chen
Partner, Palo Alto
Andrew Mace
Special Counsel, Palo Alto

Related Practices & Industries

Trial win for Facebook in patent case targeting “Like” button

July 27, 2016

Cooley defended Facebook in a patent infringement suit that targeted one of Facebook's most prominent features – the "Like" button. Rembrandt Social Media filed the case in the Eastern District of Virginia, accusing Facebook of willfully infringing two patents covering social media.

Originally, Rembrandt accused Facebook of willfully infringing two patents but we convinced the court to dismiss willful and indirect patent infringement claims early in the case. We also persuaded the judge to exclude the testimony of two Rembrandt expert witnesses, including, significantly, an expert tasked with calculating damages. As a result of this ruling, Rembrandt filed an appeal with the Federal Circuit, which was denied, and the case proceeded to trial.

In June 2014, following a five day trial, Cooley secured a complete defense verdict - the jury issued a ruling of non-infringement and also invalidated the two patents. To date, Facebook has had only two patent jury trials, both of which Cooley has resolved successfully.

Related contacts

Michael Rhodes
Partner, San Francisco
Heidi Keefe
Partner, Palo Alto
Mark Weinstein
Partner, Palo Alto
Phillip Morton
Partner, Washington, DC
Liz Stameshkin
Special Counsel, Palo Alto
Andrew Mace
Special Counsel, Palo Alto
Dane Voris
Special Counsel, Boston

Related Practices & Industries

Federal Circuit affirms patent cancellation in Facebook’s first-ever patent case

March 3, 2015

When Facebook was first sued for patent infringement over eight years ago, the young company turned to Cooley.

The case was filed in the Eastern District of Pennsylvania by venture capital firm, Cross Atlantic Capital Partners (XACP) just one year after Facebook expanded its site from Harvard University to the general public. XACP claimed that its "online community" patent covered a wide variety of key Facebook features. XACP was seeking royalties, a permanent injunction against Facebook, and attorneys' fees.

Cooley guided the company through seven years of hotly contested litigation across multiple forums. Just a few weeks before trial, Facebook asked the Patent Office to invalidate the patent based on several systems and books that predated the patent, and convinced the district court to stay the case pending the Patent Office's decision.

The Patent Office initially found the claims valid. Facebook appealed to the Board of Patent Appeals (BPAI) and the BPAI judges ruled that the Examiner was wrong, and that the patent claims were invalid. XACP appealed and, in 2014, the Federal Circuit affirmed the invalidity of all claims of the patent.

Related contacts

Heidi Keefe
Partner, Palo Alto
Mark Weinstein
Partner, Palo Alto
Michael Rhodes
Partner, San Francisco
Lowell Mead
Partner, Palo Alto
Liz Stameshkin
Special Counsel, Palo Alto

Related Practices & Industries

The… thing a client looks for in a lawyer is someone who gives them the confidence that you’re giving them the best advice that you possibly can.

Heidi Keefe

Admissions and credentials

California

Registered to practice before the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO)

Rankings and accolades

Lawdragon: 500 Leading Litigators in America

Managing Intellectual Property: IP Litigator of the Year (California) Shortlist  

Law360: Top Women in PTAB Appearances

Law360: Top 20 Influential Women in IP Law

The Recorder: Women Leaders in Technology Law

Daily Journal: Top 100 Lawyers in California, Top Intellectual Property Litigators, Top Women Lawyers, Top Women Litigators

PTAB Bar Association: Top 50 Women in PTAB Trials

Managing Intellectual Property: Top 250 Women in IP

IAM Patent 1000: Leading Patent Lawyer

Managing Intellectual Property: IP Star

Chambers USA: Intellectual Property: Patent Litigation – California

Chambers USA: Intellectual Property – Nationwide

Best Lawyers in America: Intellectual Property Litigation

The Legal 500 US: Leading Lawyer in Patents: Litigation

Memberships and affiliations

American Bar Association (ABA)

Silicon Valley IP Law Association

Heidi is a world-class stand-up litigator who has a knack for understanding the technology and breaking it down in a way that’s understandable to a lay jury or a judge. I trust her, and I trust the team, and they've done nothing but get good results for us.

Chief IP Counsel

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