Sunwoo Lee, Ph.D.

Partner

202.696.1466

A seasoned intellectual property litigation attorney, Sunwoo counsels domestic and foreign clients in all aspects of intellectual property law. He regularly handles patent, trademark, copyright and trade secrets litigation for a variety of businesses — from startups to Fortune 100 companies.

Sunwoo has litigated as lead counsel for cases involving patent infringement, trademark infringement and trade secrets disputes in federal district courts as well as Section 337 intellectual property investigations before the International Trade Commission.

He also counsels clients in patent mining; builds and manages strategic domestic and foreign patent and trademark portfolios; and prosecutes patents related to electronic and mechanical devices as well as process- and software-based technologies.

Sunwoo has extensive knowledge in the areas of electrical engineering, mechanical engineering and materials science. He prosecutes, counsels and litigates in a variety of technologies, including: Semiconductor circuitry and fabrication process; Micro electro-mechanical system (MEMS); Digital imaging sensors including CMOS and charge coupled device (CCD); Flat panel display devices such as liquid crystal display, plasma display panel and organic light emitting diode (OLED); Light emitting diode (LED)/laser diode; Solar cell module; Cellular telephonic equipment and system and wireless telecommunication standard protocols including GSM and CDMA; Optical disc structures such as Blu-ray Discs; Digital signal processing including JPEG image compression; Digital television standards such as ATSC including signal processing, compression, multiplexing and packetization; Computer hardware including microprocessor, chipset, computer process architecture and peripheral devices; Software-based technologies such as electronic design automation (EDA), internet-driven technologies, computer networking, computer games and graphic user interfaces; Medical devices such as 3D ultrasound imaging and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) systems; and Automobiles including hybrid engines, transmission and car batteries for hybrid and electric vehicles.

Before Fox Rothschild

Prior to joining the firm, Sunwoo was the Intellectual Property Practice Group Leader with an NLJ 250 firm and also worked at various AmLaw 100 firms as a partner. Prior to his legal career, he was a senior scientist and project manager at a Fortune 100 company, working on solid state thin film devices, including wide band gap semiconductors.

Sunwoo also served as an assistant professor at the Center for Solid State Science & Technology, Department of Physics, at Syracuse University. At that time, he was also a visiting staff scientist at IBM Research Center in Endicott, NY.

Representative Matters

Represents patentees in patent enforcement actions related to computer aided mapping technologies applicable to a variety of wireless consumer electronics including smart phones.
Represents a world’s leading manufacturer of high power light emitting diodes in patent infringement action based Section 337 investigation before the International Trade Commission against major competitors.
Defends Virginia construction service companies in a patent/trademark infringements, antitrust, and tortious interference action related to highway safety products.
Represents a Florida business entity in a patent enforcement action related to computer aided mapping technologies.
Represents a world's leading manufacturer of home appliance in patent infringement actions regarding the use of direct-drive technology in drum type washing machines.
Defended a Virginia technology company in a patent infringement action related to RFiD technology.
Represented a capital management company in patent infringement claims relating to high power light emitting diodes
Represented a client in patent infringement actions regarding the use of WiFi technologies.
Represented a global leading electronics company in trademark infringement actions relating to wireless network devices.
Defended a computer peripheral device manufacturer in a patent infringement action brought by client's major competitor. After aggressive pretrial negotiations, case settled very favorably on terms to the client including a royalty-free license to all current and future intellectual property owned by the plaintiff.
Represented one of the world's leading manufacturers of consumer electronics to defend patent infringement claims regarding the use of real time data processing technology in GPS navigation devices, resulting in favorable settlement without a substantial investment in legal fees.
Defended a world leading electronics company in trademark infringement action brought by a large personal communication device manufacturer involving cellular phones, resulting in favorable settlement.
Defended one of the world's leading manufacturers of flat panel displays in patent infringement case involving the image processing technologies in liquid crystal display devices. Obtained favorable Markman ruling and case settled before trial.
Represented an international entertainer and its agency company in trademark infringement action involving entertainer's stage name. Successfully defended the clients against a preliminary injunction after being hired only one week before the hearing. Case resolved highly favorable on terms to the clients.
Represented several clients involving ink cartridges with chips for inkjet printers against patent infringement claims based Section 337 investigation before the International Trade Commission and in federal district court. Case settled favorably for the clients during discovery.
Defended a leading flat panel display company and a thin film coating system equipment company in misappropriation of trade secrets case involving allegations of misappropriation of technical manufacturing information, and other technical and competitive trade secret information on coating systems for thin film applications. Case settled favorably for the client during discovery.
Represented an aftermarket auto parts company to defend patent infringement action in rear view monitoring camera technologies. Case resolved favorably on terms to the client during discovery.
Represented a telemedicine company in trademark infringement and breach of contract actions brought by a diabetes treatment service company in diabetic cell phones. Case settled favorably before trial.
Represented a world's leading semiconductor manufacturer in patent infringement action relating to dynamic random access memory (DRAM) devices. Obtained highly favorable claim construction ruling and case settled before trial.
Represented a leading semiconductor company in Section 337 investigations before the U.S. International Trade Commission involving gallium nitride light emitting devices. Investigation terminated on the basis of settlement agreement before the hearing.
Defended a manufacturer in patent infringement case in LCD computer monitors. Case settled favorably for client without a substantial investment in legal fees.
Represented a world's leading wireless telecommunication device manufacturer in patent infringement action regarding the use of folder type design in cellular phones. Case settled favorably for client without a substantial investment in legal fees.
Represented a world's leading semiconductor manufacturer in patent infringement action relating to DRAM and flash memory devices. Obtained highly favorable Markman ruling and case settled before trial.
Represented a company in patent infringement and complex antitrust actions involving patent misuse and misconduct in the context of industry standard setting organizations relating to JPEG image compression technology for digital cameras and digital camcorders. Case settled favorably for the client.
Represented a global leader in flat panel displays in defending against claims of patent infringement for plasma enhanced thin film deposition technologies. Case settled favorably for the client without a substantial investment in legal fees.
Represented a leading consumer electronics company in defending against patent infringement claims involving touch-screen technologies. Case resolved favorably on terms to the client during discovery.

Honors and Awards

Best Paper Presenter Award in the 19th Annual Upstate New York - American Vacuum Society Symposium (1992)
Electronic Materials & Processing Division Student Award of American Vacuum Society (1991)
National Science Foundation Research Fellowship (1991)
Research Fellowship of Air Force Scientific Office of Research (1990)
IBM Research Scholarship (1988)

Biography