Colleen M. Coyle manages and tries a variety of complex commercial cases, including class actions and multidistrict litigation, but focuses on patent and trade secret litigation. The technology involved in her IP cases has ranged from the fairly simple – wheel bearings — to the complex – telecommunications switching, semiconductors, light emitting diodes and laser disk technology. She has tried both jury and non jury cases to verdict in federal and state courts, before arbitration panels and before the U.S. International Trade Commission under section 337 of the Tariff Act. She has frequently been invited to speak and write on intellectual property issues.
From 1985 to 1986 Ms. Coyle worked as a caseworker with the International Catholic Migration Commission, Joint Voluntary Agency in Manila and Battan, Philippines. She worked closely with the U.S. Immigration and Naturalization Service and American voluntary agencies in resettling refugees in the United States. From 1984 to 1985 she was the assistant operations officer for the Intergovernmental Commission for Migration in Palawan, Philippines, responsible for transportation and medical services for refugees in a first asylum refugee camp.
Ms. Coyle received her B.A. in 1984 from Georgetown University and her J.D. in 1989 from the Catholic University of America, where she was lead articles editor of the
Journal of Contemporary Health Law and Policy. She is a member of the District of Columbia and New York Bars and is on the board of advisors of the District of Columbia Bar Foundation.
Ms. Coyle’s publications include—
- “Business at the Cutting Edge of Technology Litigation,” American Bar Association, August 2008
- “eBay's Effect on Trial Strategy and Preparation,” IP Law360, June 30, 2008
- “The Ins and Outs of an ITC Section 337 Case,” IP Law360, April 14, 2008, co-authored with Arthur Wineburg
- Cundiff, V. and Katsh, S., Trade Secrets 2002, How to Protect Confidential Business Information, chapter titled “Special Litigation Issues Pertaining to Trade Secrets.” (PLI 2002)
- “Think Twice About ‘Signing’ an E-Mail: You Just May Create a Binding Contract,” The Metropolitan Corporate Counsel (August 2002)
- “Settlement of a Patent Infringement Case Before Trial Does Not Necessarily Avoid Application of an Adverse Markman Ruling in Subsequent Litigation,” Patent Litigation Alert (March 2001)
- “Remedies in Trade Secret Litigation,” The Metropolitan Corporate Counsel (June 2000)
- “Trade Secret Misappropriation: Traps for the Employer to Avoid,” The Metropolitan Corporate Counsel (March 2000).