Garrard R Beeney

Partner , Sullivan & Cromwell LLP

Garrard Beeney, co-head of the Firm’s Intellectual Property and Technology Group, is regularly recognized as a leading lawyer for his counsel to clients on intellectual property and licensing transactions and litigation matters around the world. IAM Patent 1000 lauds Mr. Beeney as “the person to connect with when you want to push the boundaries,” commenting that he is “one of the best in the business” and “a fine litigator with sound judgment and strong pragmatic instincts.” Peers report, “when there is something you can’t do, you send it to him.” Legal 500 reports that Mr. Beeney has unparalleled experience advising on the formation of patent licensing pools.

Mr. Beeney has handled patent and intellectual property matters before the U.S. Supreme Court, the International Trade Commission, the U.S. Patent Trademark Office, federal district and appellate courts, arbitrations in a variety of forums, and regularly advises on non U.S. litigation, particularly in the European Community. He has represented both plaintiffs and defendants in infringement actions and advises plaintiffs on patent selection in pre-suit due diligence. Mr. Beeney has also represented clients before U.S. and European competition law authorities, particularly at the intersection of intellectual property and competition laws.

Beyond litigation, Mr. Beeney’s work includes advising clients on FRAND, patent damages, licensing, monetization, and pool formation and multi-party licensing. He has expertise structuring, drafting and negotiating IP-intensive transactions, including in the context of licensing, joint ventures, monetization, divestitures and other corporate transactions. Mr. Beeney’s licensing experience expands beyond the U.S., including the European Union, Korea, Japan and China.

Clients commend Mr. Beeney for his collaborative approach to matters, as The American Lawyer recently noted, quoting BlackBerry’s counsel: “I don’t think I have ever worked with counsel that have worked as collaboratively on a litigation as big as this. They made it easy for us to be full partners in this endeavor.”

Mr. Beeney is a frequent speaker at IP, antitrust and legal forums and often contributes thought leadership pieces, particularly in the area of standard essential patents and world-wide licensing.