Timothy C. Meece - Banner Witcoff

Timothy C. Meece is a principal shareholder in the Chicago office of Banner Witcoff and has 25 years of experience litigating and trying complex intellectual property cases. His reputation as an effective and winning first-chair trial lawyer has been earned representing both Fortune 500 companies and small clients in intellectual-property infringement lawsuits in district courts throughout the country and in inter partes reviews (IPRs) in the Patent Trial and Appeal Board.

Mr. Meece has been named to the 2019 edition of the Best Lawyers in America and featured in the National Law Journal’s “Intellectual Property Hot List” of the top 20 IP firms in the U.S. He has also been featured as a “Legal Lion” for his successful representation of Lexmark International, Inc., in, Law360′s “Weekly Verdict: Legal Lions & Lambs.” In addition, he has been recognized repeatedly in intellectual property law as well as in commercial litigation by Chambers USA, Managing Intellectual Property, Intellectual Asset Management, Martindale-Hubbell™ (AV LexisNexis® Martindale-Hubbell® Peer Review Rating), where he has a 5.0 out of 5.0 rating for peer and client reviews, American Lawyer Media, Chicago Magazine, Illinois Super Lawyers, Illinois Leading Lawyer’s Leading Lawyers Network, Who’s Who Among Law Professionals, and Who’s Who Among Executives and Professionals. He is listed as one of the top 3% of attorneys in the United States by The Legal News and listed in the 2018 and 2019 editions of IAM Strategy 300: The World’s Leading IP Strategists as an individual who offers “world-class services relating to the development and implementation of strategies that enable IP owners to maximize the value of their intellectual property portfolios.” He has also been a winner of Corporate LiveWire – Global Awards in the field of IP Litigation.

Mr. Meece has won on behalf of multiple defendants facing potential liability of hundreds of millions of dollars. He recently won a General Exclusion Order for Lexmark International Inc. in one of the largest ITC investigations ever initiated which, according to the Office of Unfair Import Investigations, involved assertion of an “unprecedented” number of patents. On behalf of intellectual property owners, he has won many judgments/settlements in the range of $10 million-$100 million, temporary restraining orders, preliminary injunctions, permanent injunctions, and orders for contempt for violations of permanent injunctions. He has also successfully defended more cases brought by non-practicing entities against his clients than most attorneys in the country.

Recent Exemplary Successes

Won multiple IPR trials before the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office’s Patent Trial and Appeal Board invalidating all challenged claims in patents related to cable systems and communication software
Won Federal Circuit affirmance of judgment of no infringement on video slot machines for video game manufacturer and its casino gaming customers
Won judgment of no infringement on video slot machines for video game manufacturer and its casino gaming customers
Won landmark en banc Federal Circuit appeal for patent owner regarding no patent exhaustion for products sold domestically subject to a single-use license and products first sold outside the United States
Won Federal Circuit appeal for voice-over telephony defendants affirming invalidity of patents asserted by a patent troll and notorious contigent-fee patent firm
Won judgment of invalidity under 35 U.S.C. 101 for $100M claim for damages for alleged infringement of software patent
Won petition for writ of mandamus from Federal Circuit on behalf of a software defendant ordering transfer of a patent case from a pro-plaintiff forum and thereafter won the case in the correct venue
Won approximately 75+ judgments for infringement, permanent injunctions, 4 contempt orders and a preliminary injunction for myriad cases involving 21 patents on laser toner cartridges as well as multiple awards of attorneys’ fees
Won final judgement, permanent injunction, domain name seizure, treble damages and an award of attorneys’ fees in Online Video Game Lawsuit for trademark counterfeiting, trademark infringement, cyber piracy, unfair competition, false designation of origin and copyright infringement
Won TRO and Preliminary Injunction in Online Video Game Lawsuit for trademark counterfeiting, trademark infringement, cyber piracy, unfair competition, false designation of origin and copyright infringement
Won dismissal of complaint on $500M claim for alleged false-patent marking on myriad patents and products, which was the largest case under 35 U.S.C. 292 ever filed in the United States
Won GEO and multiple CDOs for complainant in ITC investigation in which 15 patents were asserted against over 20 respondents
Won judgment of no infringement of software patents for defendant in East Texas on $30M claim
Single-handedly tried and won patent infringement arbitration on three patents and obtained $3M damage award
Won JMOL of no patent infringement during trial at close of plaintiff’s case in chief on $650M in accused sales
Won JMOL of patent infringement during trial at close of defendant’s case in chief
Won summary judgment on $1B counterclaim for alleged antitrust violation
Won multiple summary judgments of infringements, validity, and enforceability
Million dollar attorney-fee award and multiple multimillion dollar settlements with large royalty rates
Won landmark en banc Federal Circuit appeal for patent owner regarding no patent exhaustion for products sold domestically subject to a single-use license and products first sold outside the United States
Won judgment of invalidity under 35 U.S.C. 101 for $100M claim for damages for alleged infringement of software patent

Representative Clients Served (and Sample Subject Matter of Representation)

Aria Resort & Casino Holdings (casino gaming equipment and gaming software)
Bally Gaming (casino gaming equipment and gaming software)
Bayer Healthcare (consumer care products and pharmaceuticals)
Bellagio (casino gaming equipment and gaming software)
CIBA Vision (colored contact lenses, chemical processes for making colored lenses, and extended wear contact lenses)
Circus Circus Casinos (casino gaming equipment and gaming software)
Comcast (cable systems and communications software)
Delphi Automotive (automobile condensers)
Digimarc (software digital watermarking of images and audio files)
Dimension Data (Managed Cloud Platform supporting public and private cloud services with a common user interface and application programmable interface)
Georgia-Pacific (computer system controlling programmable logic controllers)
IMX Cosmetics (scanning, designing, creating, and dispensing custom cosmetic products for consumers)
Ionit Technologies (compression technology used in digital video recording security systems)
Jagex (server software for RuneScape, a massive multiplayer online game, which holds the World Record for the most popular MMOG with approximately 104 million subscribers worldwide)
Lexmark International (toner cartridges for printers; microchips on toner cartridges; software embedded in printer firmware; software embedded in toner cartridge microchips; multifunction device telephony, networking, and software; managed print services; and managed software services; AirPrint Apple technology; and televisions)
Logitech (voice-over IP telephony equipment)
Lydall (thermal and acoustical insulating shields for automobiles)
Mandalay (casino gaming equipment and gaming software)
MGM Grand Hotel (casino gaming equipment and gaming software)
Microsoft/Skype (voice-over IP telephony equipment)
New Castle (casino gaming equipment and gaming software)
New York-New York Hotel & Casino (casino gaming equipment and gaming software)
NIKE (Internet websites and online tools)
PepsiCo (Internet websites and electronic communication)
Ramparts (casino gaming equipment and gaming software)
RTX Telecommunications (voice-over IP telephone equipment)
Scientific-Atlanta (subscription television systems and interactive program guides)
Scientific Games Corporation (ticket-in/ticket-out printer technology; casino gaming equipment; and gaming software)
Team Play (video games and computer source code)
The Mirage Casino-Hotel (casino gaming equipment and gaming software)
U.S. Robotics (voice-over IP telephony equipment)
Victoria Partners (casino gaming equipment and gaming software)
Wargaming.net (WORLD OF TANKS, which has risen quickly to become one of the most popular, massive, multiplayer, online games of all time, having amassed over 18 million users by December 21, 2011, and earning a Guinness World Record for Most Players Online Simultaneously on One MMO Server)
WMS Gaming (casino gaming equipment and software)

Recent News/Press Releases

Mr. Meece is also an FAA-approved instrument-rated commercial pilot as well as a PADI Master Diver.

Please contact Mr. Meece directly for a complete listing of articles and publications authored by him, his press interviews, his bar association memberships, bar committee assignments, and adjunct professorships as well as other teaching activities.