Benjamin W. Hattenbach

Hattenbach recently represented Future Link Systems LLC in a 17-patent dispute with Intel Corp.

The dispute, which involved microprocessors manufactured by Intel, “started with Intel filing a declaratory judgment action against my client ... on nine patents,” Hattenbach said.

The declaratory judgment stated that neither Intel nor any of its customers infringed nine of Future Link’s patents.

“Throughout the course of the case, we were able to gain discovery against Intel,” Hattenbach said. As a result, Future Link counterclaimed for infringement of the original patents, as well as eight additional Future Link patents.

According to Hattenbach, the majority of Intel’s high-volume processors made over the last decade were accused of infringing multiple patents.

Hattenbach said challenges in the case included the number of patents and the large team of lawyers on the other side.

“There’s obviously a size disparity when you’re going against one of the largest companies in the world,” Hattenbach said.

Although he was working with “a quarter or a third” of the number of lawyers on Intel’s team, he said, “In ways, I’d say that worked to our benefit.”

“Less overhead when it comes to keeping everyone in the same direction,” he explained.

Despite the size disparity, Hattenbach secured wins in each stage of litigation — obtaining favorable claim construction rulings, defeating two rounds of summary judgment motions and convincing the court to reject each of Intel’s Daubert motions.

Ultimately, Intel agreed to a confidential settlement shortly before trial, which was scheduled to begin in September. Intel Corporation v. Future Link Systems LLC, 1:14-cv-337 (D. Del. Aug. 18, 2017).

— Skylar Dubelko