Brian C. Riopelle, an acclaimed McGuireWoods litigator and chair of the firm’s Intellectual Property Litigation and Patents Department, is featured on The National Law Journal’s list of 2016 Intellectual Property Trailblazers. The publication recognizes top lawyers who influence intellectual property law through leadership or innovative legal strategies.
Riopelle’s leading role in landmark cases has earned him widespread recognition, particularly his representation of DuPont in a six-year-long trade secrets case against Kolon Industries of South Korea. Kolon pleaded guilty in 2015 to federal conspiracy charges and agreed to pay $360 million in penalties and restitution for stealing trade secrets related to DuPont’s Kevlar bulletproofing material. The American Lawyer recognized the massive settlement of the civil suit against Kolon Industries as one of 2015’s most noteworthy dispute resolutions in its Global Legal Awards.
In another major case, Riopelle served as trial counsel for Verizon in its 2006 lawsuit against Vonage Holdings Corp., which alleged infringement of Verizon’s patented Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP). A jury found Vonage infringed three patents and awarded Verizon $58 million in damages, and a federal judge enjoined Vonage from using the technology. The case eventually settled with Vonage paying Verizon nearly $120 million to continue using the technology.
Riopelle, a partner in the firm’s Richmond, Virginia, office, joined McGuireWoods in 1993 and he has led the IP Litigation and Patents Department since 2007. The Best Lawyers in America recognized Riopelle as Richmond’s 2016 “Lawyer of the Year” for patent litigation and Richmond’s 2015 “Lawyer of the Year” for intellectual property litigation. He has been selected for inclusion in Chambers USA’s esteemed guide annually since 2004.