Steven E. Adkins

Steve Adkins, resident in the Washington, D.C., office, co-chairs Orrick's Section 337 practice before the United States International Trade Commission (ITC).  Steve is a trial lawyer specializing in Section 337 investigations before the ITC and at US Customs.

Steve has served as lead trial counsel in representing both respondents and complainants based in Asia, Europe and the United States in approximately 20 Section 337 investigations involving various technologies, such as chemicals, computer software, telecommunications, mechanical patents and semiconductors (including graphics and flash memory).  He also has represented clients in matters before various state and federal appellate courts, including the U.S. Supreme Court.  He has tried cases before juries, judges and administrative law judges. 

Steve has extensive experience in all phases of complex commercial litigation pertaining to patent infringement, trademark and trade dress infringement, trade secrets misappropriation, general business disputes and reinsurance disputes. 

He has written and lectured extensively on matters relating to federal intellectual property litigation and Section 337 investigations for the American Intellectual Property Law Association, the American Bar Association Section of Intellectual Property Law, and various trade and governmental associations in Europe, India, China, Japan and Korea.

Steve was included in the US Legal 500 for Section 337 ITC investigations.

Admitted in

• District of Columbia
• Virginia

Court Admissions

• Federal Circuit
• Fourth Circuit

Memberships

• Asia Society
• National Committee on U.S.- China Relations
• ITC Trial Lawyers Association
• The Federal Circuit Bar Association
• Federal American Inn of Court (Litigation)
• Fourth Circuit Judicial Conference
• American Bar Association (Intellectual Property Law Section, International Litigation Committee, International Trade Commission Committee and Litigation Section, IP Litigation Subcommittee)
• World Affairs Council of Washington, D.C.
• The Rotary Club of Washington, D.C.
• Customs Lawyers Association

Multimedia

Publications

• "Several Healthy Steps Away: New & Improved Products In Section 337 Investigations," 8 J. Marshall Rev. Intell. Prop. L. 309 (2009).
• There Is Nothing So Expensive As A Cheap Lawyer, www.chinastakes.com.
• Protecting America’s Borders: Section 337 IP Infringement Investigations at the ITC, Winter 2006.
• "Not Mere Litigation: Remedies Available for IP Infringement at the International Trade Commission," ABA Intellectual Property Litigation, Vol. 16, No. 4, Winter 2005.
• IP Infringement and the Ultimate Rocket Docket: Enforcing ITC Orders Against Infringing Goods, July 2005.
• "Protecting the Asian Company’s U.S. IP Rights," Asia Law, June 2005.
• "Not Mere Litigation: Remedies Available for IP Infringement at the International Trade Commission," The Computer & Internet Lawyer, Vol. 22, Number 5, May 2005.
• IP Infringement and the Ultimate Rocket Docket: Section 337 Investigations at the ITC, October 2004.

Speeches & Programs

• "The Accused Infringer–Caught in the Crossfire—Strategies for Continuing to Do Business in the Face of an ITC Remedial Order," American Intellectual Property Lawyers Ass'n 2008 Annual Meeting, Washington, D.C.
• “An Introduction To Significant Issues In U.S. Law,” Presentation for a Delegation of Lawyers and Officials from the Jiangsu Province of China in Washington, D.C., November 29, 2008.
• “High-Stakes Patent Litigation Practice: Patent Litigation in the International Trade Commission, the Federal Circuit, and the Supreme Court” Cambridge, Massachusetts, November 28, 2007.
• “Friend or Foe: Section 337 IP Infringement Investigations,” Korean Electronic Association, Seoul, Korea, May 31, 2007.
• “Friend or Foe: Section 337 IP Infringement Investigations,” Korea Small Business Association, Seoul, Korea, May 30, 2007.
• “Section 337” A Primer, Rotary Club of Beijing, China, May 29, 2007.
• “Not Mere Litigation: General Exclusion Orders at the U. S. International Trade Commission,” 2007 Chinese Hi- Tech Enterprise and U.S. IP Litigation Strategy Forum, Beijing, China, May 25, 2007.
• “Responding to Section 337 Investigations,” 2007 Chinese Hi- Tech Enterprise and U.S. IP Litigation Strategy Forum, Shanghai, China, May 23, 2007.
• “Nuts and Bolts of Section 337 Investigations,” 2007 Chinese Hi- Tech Enterprise and U.S. IP Litigation Strategy Forum, Shenzhen, China, May 22, 2007.
• “Friend or Foe: Section 337 IP Infringement Investigations,” American Chamber of Commerce, Hong Kong, China, May 20, 2007.
• Section 337 Investigations: A Primer Texas State Bar; Intellectual Property Law Section, Dallas, Texas, March 2007.
• “Protecting Your Intellectual Property in China and The Global Marketplace” Seattle, Washington, July 2006.
• "How China is Affecting Intellectual Property: Section 337 Investigations." The U. S. Patent and Trademark Office, China Roadshow, Atlanta, Georgia, March 2006.
• “Friend or Foe: Section 337 IP Infringement Investigations at the United States International Trade Commission” New Delhi, India, February 2006.
• “Section 337 IP Infringement Investigations at the U. S. International Trade Commission,” IPR Summit 2006, Bangalore, India, January 2006.
• “Not Mere Litigation: Using Section 337 to Protect the Asian Company's US IP Rights,” British Chamber of Commerce Hong Kong, January 2006.
• “Friend or Foe: Section 337 IP Infringement Investigations at the United States International Trade Commission,” Hong Kong SAR Intellectual Property Department, Hong Kong, January 2006.
• “Section 337 IP Infringement Investigations, at the US International Trade Commission” Tokyo, Japan, January 2006.
• “A Guide To Section 337 IP Infringement Investigations,” Sino-American Forum of Intellectual Property Rights, Dongguan, China, October 2005.
• “A Guide to Using Section 337 to Enforce IP Rights in the United States” Hong Kong SAR, China, October 2005.
• “Guide to Section 337 IP Infringement Investigation” Hsinchu Science Park, Taiwan, July 2005.
• “IP Infringement and the Ultimate Rocket Docket: Enforcing ITC Orders Against Infringing Goods,” 31st Annual Intellectual Property Law Summer Institute, Mackinac Island, Michigan, July 2005.
• “Section 337 IP Infringement Investigations: A Primer” Hong Kong SAR, China, July 2005.
• “Not Mere Litigation: IP Infringement Actions at the U.S. International Trade Commission,” Tsinghua University, Beijing, China, May 2005.
• “IP Infringement Actions in the Ultimate Rocket Docket: the US International Trade Commission” Beijing and Shanghai, China, October 2004.
• “The Ins and Outs of Section 337 Investigations,” Michigan Bar Association, Mackinac Island, Michigan, July 2004.
• “Mining Your Patent Portfolio: Using Section 337 to Enforce IP Rights, Law Seminars International” Houston, Texas, November 2003.
• “Section 337 IP Infringement Actions for Respondents (and Complainants) Based In Taiwan” Hsinchu City, Taiwan, October 2004.
• “Responding to A Section 337 (IP Infringement) Investigation” Tokyo, Japan, October 2003.
• “Not Mere Litigation: Section 337 Investigations before the International Trade Commission,” Centre for International Legal Studies, Kitzbühel, Austria, January 2002.