Overview
Sarah Chapin Columbia is a Fellow in the American College of Trial Lawyers. Over the last dozen years, she has led 17 patent infringement, trade secrets and invalidity trials (11 jury trials, six bench trials) across several jurisdictions, including the federal courts in Massachusetts, Florida, Delaware, Colorado, California and Texas.
Sarah counsels clients on overall intellectual property strategy and positioning, including litigation avoidance. She also provides strategic guidance in complex transactions in which intellectual property assets often are critical to a successful deal.
Sarah provides legal services across several industries, including pharma/biotech, internet, semiconductor, hardware and software, medical device and manufacturing companies.
Sarah is a member of the faculty of the Munich Intellectual Property Law Center, where each year she teaches a two-day course focused on US patent litigation.
Results
- Lead counsel for Alnylam in ongoing patent infringement litigation involving the cationic lipids essential to the delivery of the COVID-19 vaccines (Alnylam v. Pfizer/BionTech (D. Delaware); Alnylam v. Moderna (D. Delaware))
- Lead counsel for Next Caller in simultaneous patent infringement litigation and trade secrets, tortious interference and breach of contract litigation related to authentication services. Successfully secured a unanimous jury verdict in favor of Next Caller in both matters (TrustID Inc. v. Next Caller Inc., (D. Delaware), TRUSTID, Inc. v. Next Caller Inc., (D. Colorado))
- Lead counsel for Amgen in a patent infringement action and jury trials involving breakthrough biologic therapy for the treatment of high LDL cholesterol (Amgen v. Sanofi, et al., (D. Delaware))
- Lead counsel for Amgen in a patent infringement action involving breakthrough biologic therapy for the treatment of atopic dermatitis and asthma (Amgen v. Sanofi and Regeneron (C.D. California))
- Lead counsel for BlackBerry in a patent infringement litigation and jury trial involving smart phone signaling (MTel v. BlackBerry, (N.D. Texas))
- Lead counsel for Seikagaku Corporation and Zimmer, Inc., in patent litigation, injunction hearings and jury trial involving a pharmaceutical device and treatment (Genzyme Corp. v. Seikagaku Corp., et al., (D. Massachusetts))
- Lead counsel for BlackBerry in a patent infringement litigation and jury trial involving three patents related to smartphone technology (NXP B.V. v. BlackBerry, (M.D. Florida))
- Lead counsel for Siemens Corporation in patent litigation involving product lifecycle management software and water filtration (Sky Technologies, LLC v. Siemens, (D. Massachusetts)) (Veolia Water Solutions & Technologies Support v. Siemens Industry, Inc., (D. North Carolina))
- Lead counsel for BlackBerry in a patent infringement litigation and jury trial involving three patents covering 3G wireless communications technology (Innovative Sonic, Ltd. v. BlackBerry et al., (N.D. Texas))
- Represented Akamai in two separate patent litigations involving internet content delivery and traffic management technology (Akamai Technologies, Inc. v. Speedera Networks, Inc., (D. Massachusetts)) (Akamai Technologies, Inc. v. Limelight Networks, Inc., (D. Massachusetts))
- Represented CIBA Vision Corporation in patent infringement litigation involving contact lenses (Johnson & Johnson Vision Care, Inc. v. CIBA Vision Corporation (M.D. Florida))
- Lead counsel for Citrix in a patent case accusing Citrix’ Go-to-Meeting and Go-to-Webinar products (Pixion v. Citrix (N.D. California))
- Lead counsel in patent litigation involving process for ultra violet grafting on non-woven polymer films (Crane & Co. v. Hollingsworth & Vose Corp. (D. Massachusetts))
- Lead counsel for Furukawa Electric North America and its subsidiary, OFS Fitel, in patent infringement litigation involving optical fiber products and methods for manufacturing them (Furukawa Electric North America, Inc. v. Yangtze Fibre & Cable Company, Ltd. (D. Massachusetts))
- Lead counsel for MKS in three cases in the fields of mass flow controllers and monometers (Brooks Instruments v. MKS Instruments (E.D. Texas (two cases) and D. Massachusetts))
- Lead counsel for Teradyne Diagnostics and Teradyne, Inc. in patent litigation involving diesel engine diagnostic test equipment (Teradyne Diagnostic Solutions, Ltd. v. Mission Valley Ford Truck Sales, Inc. (E.D. Michigan); Mission Valley Ford Truck Sales, Inc. v. Teradyne, Inc. (N.D. California))
Recognitions
- Euromoney, Americas Women in Business Law Awards, Patent Lawyer of the Year, 2023
- LMG Life Sciences – Leading Life Sciences Lawyer, 2021-2022
- Managing Intellectual Property, Massachusetts Litigator of the Year, 2015 and 2022; Top 250 Women in IP, 2017-2021 and 2023; IP Stars, 2013-2021; Patent Star, 2024
- Intellectual Asset Management (IAM) Strategy 300, Global Leaders Guide, 2021-2022, 2025
- Best Lawyers in America, Lawyer of the Year in Boston: Litigation – Intellectual Property, 2022, 2024 and 2025
- Best Lawyers in America, Litigation – Intellectual Property 2011-2025; Litigation – Patent, 2011-2025; Biotechnology and Life Sciences Practice, 2023-2025; Patent Law, 2025
- Massachusetts Lawyers Weekly, Go To Intellectual Property Lawyer, 2021
- LMG Life Sciences, Shortlisted for General Patent Litigator of the Year – New England, 2020-2022
- IAM Patent 1000, Leading Patent Practitioner, 2013-2024
- Lawdragon, Top 500 Leading Litigators in America, 2022
- Chambers Global, 2020 and 2021
- Chambers USA, Band 1, 2008-2024
- Expert Guides, Women in Business Law, 2020
- Euromoney, Women in Business Law Expert Guide, 2020-2021
- The Legal 500 US, 2010-2024
- Benchmark Litigation, 2012-2020
- LMG Life Sciences, Life Science Star, 2018
- The Am Law Litigation Daily, Litigators of the Week, 2017
- American College of Trial Lawyers, Inductee, 2016
- National Law Journal, Litigation Trailblazer, 2015
- Law360, Influential Woman in Intellectual Property Law, 2014
Community
- The Sedona Conference®, Working Group on Patent Damages and Remedies
Credentials
Education
Harvard Law School, JD, magna cum laude, 1987
John F. Kennedy School of Government – Harvard University, MPP, 1987
Wesleyan University, BA, Economics 1982
Admissions
Massachusetts
Courts / Agencies
Supreme Court of the United States
US Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit
US Court of Appeals for the First Circuit
US Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit
US Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit
