Shawn Blackburn is a seasoned trial lawyer who represents both plaintiffs and defendants in all types of commercial litigation in federal and state courts including intellectual property, energy and environmental, business disputes, antitrust, class action, and probate.  Blackburn handles all aspects of commercial litigation and has argued dipositive motions and appeals in courts throughout the country.

Blackburn was previously named an “Intellectual Property Trailblazer” by the National Law Journal (2017, ALM)  for the significant IP litigation he has done in the past few years.

For example, Blackburn recently scored a major victory for client Queen’s University against Samsung by securing a first-of-its-kind ruling from the Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit that upholds privilege for patent agents and their clients.  Read more about this win here and listen to Shawn’s argument here.  For his success on this matter, Blackburn was one of four attorneys who received a 2017 Editor’s Choice Award from Managing IP. Read more here.

In the patent infringement matter Rockstar Consortium US LP and Netstar Technologies LLC, v. Google Inc, where Rockstar and Netstar alleged infringement of several patents related to search-related advertising, Blackburn laid the foundation for a favorable Markman ruling. The case settled soon after that hearing – the settlement resulted in a $900 million sale of the patent portfolio. This case received ample attention from media which you can read here, here and here.

Blackburn’s practice and expertise extend far beyond patent law. He was trial counsel to Westlake Chemical in a construction dispute arising out of a $400-million-plus construction project. Following a two week trial, the jury returned a multi-million dollar verdict in favor of Westlake. Blackburn also represents Preston L. Marshall, the grandson of J. Howard Marshall II, in several long running lawsuits involving the Marshall family’s estate and related trusts. These lawsuits are pending in Probate Court in Harris County Texas, state court in Harris County Texas, and state and federal court in Louisiana. Blackburn also represents the University of Texas in a breach of contract suit against IDEXX Laboratories alleging significant underpayment of royalties. The district court granted summary judgment in favor of the University and the case is now on appeal.

Prior to joining Susman Godfrey, Blackburn clerked for Judge Sharon Prost of United States Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit where he gained unparalleled experience and insight into the workings of the bench.