Duane Morris represented Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company, Ltd. (TSMC), in an intellectual property matter concerning a licensing company founded by a well-known inventor. The licensing company claimed that TSMC had infringed upon its process patents. Not only did the company threaten suit, it also began contacting TSMC's customers directly to demand royalties. (This licensing company had a history of making patent infringement claims and had previously won a multimillion dollar decision against another company.) To protect itself and its valued customers, TSMC needed an aggressive defense against such tactics, and called upon Duane Morris.

Duane Morris, working hand-in-glove with TSMC, pursued an innovative legal strategy. Rather than wait for the licensing company to file a patent infringement lawsuit against TSMC, Duane Morris filed suit first, seeking a declaratory judgment of non-infringement, invalidity and unenforceability of the licensing company's patents, and also seeking damages for interfering with TSM's contractual relationships. No other company threatened by the licensing company had taken this bold approach. Shortly after our filing, the licensing company initiated negotiations resulting in a settlement our client found very favorable.