Jonah D. Mitchell

Since 1999, Jonah D. Mitchell has navigated the ebbs and flows of various IP areas, with litigation remaining a steadfast focus. He was initially drawn to the field by the allure of strong mentorship and team dynamics.

"But it was the creative thinking that accompanied IP cases, and the creative thinkers who were often involved in those cases, that held my interest," he said.

Mitchell continued: "The clients were also fascinating -- having a chance to work with innovators in their fields. Despite not having an engineering or technical background, I found the challenge of trying to master a new subject with each case enticing."

Recently, he has been handling a multi-venue patent litigation for Keysight Technologies. Centripetal Networks initially sued Keysight in the Eastern District of Virginia in 2017. That case settled in 2018 with a license that expired at the end of 2021. In the interim, Centripetal had obtained a verdict against another party for an estimated $2.7 billion.

On Jan. 1, 2022, Centripetal Networks launched a renewed legal offensive against Keysight in the Eastern District of Virginia on 11 patents and extended the battle to Germany with lawsuits on three European patents.

Mitchell's legal acumen was once again on display when Centripetal took the fight to the U.S. International Trade Commission with a three-patent lawsuit. The case, tried in March 2023, resulted in a ruling by the Administrative Law Judge in August 2023 that found no violation by Keysight. After the ruling, the Commission affirmed the judge's finding of no violation.

Mitchell added that Centripetal is pursuing an appeal of the ITC's ruling.

"Meanwhile, we initiated inter partes review petitions at the PTAB on eight of the 11 asserted patents in the EDVA Action (two of which were also asserted patents the ITC)," Mitchell said. "Our institution rate was 100%; the PTAB instituted review on all eight IPR petitions, including IPR petitions on two patents it had previously denied institution on IPRs sought by another party. By comparison, other parties pursuing IPRs against the Centripetal portfolio had obtained institution on an average of around 50-55%."

He added that he had not tried a case at the ITC, so learning the forum was important.

"We were also litigating against an adversary which had momentum coming-off a large victory against another party, and which had survived multiple validity challenges to its portfolio," he said.We were able to flip the script at the ITC and the PTAB."