Clem Roberts

Clem Roberts, the co-head of Orrick’s global IP litigation practice, is an accomplished intellectual property lawyer with a reputation for being one of the most influential figures in the industry.

He and an Orrick team have been instrumental in protecting the intellectual property of some of the most prominent companies of modern times.

He has led Sonos’ worldwide patent dispute with Google that secured an unprecedented order through the International Trade Commission, in addition to obtaining summary judgments in a separate federal court case in California over the past year.

Last year, the ITC took an extraordinary step and sided with Sonos on all five patent claims against Google, issuing an order that banned the importation of all infringing products, such as Nest audio speakers and Pixel phones. This was Google’s first loss in the ITC and a significant win for Roberts and his team.

These orders have significantly weakened Google’s arguments in those forums, and Roberts’ efforts have been instrumental in shaping Sonos’s efforts to protect its innovations. Furthermore, Roberts leads a team that has already secured a summary judgment order in a pending Northern District case, siding with Sonos on one patent. Google v. Sonos Inc., 3:20-cv-06754, (N.D. CA filed Sept. 28, 2020).

“This is part of a larger multipart set of disputes between Sonos and Google spanning the globe,” he said. “There are cases in Federal District Court. There are cases in the ITC. There have been cases in Canada. There are cases that have been in many other jurisdictions around the world, including across Europe. And Sonos has had a remarkable track record in these cases so far.”

This judgment heightens Sonos’ odds of winning damages when the case goes to trial. Such a development is a considerable victory for Sonos, and it demonstrates his exceptional legal acumen and ability.

“It’s a significant dispute because Sonos really invented the category. It has groundbreaking technology in the area. I don’t think there’s really any dispute about that, and for Sonos, this litigation is about protecting the intellectual property at the heart of that technology.”

—Douglas Saunders