Overview
Gianni Cutri is a partner focusing on high-tech IP and commercial litigation, post-grant review proceedings and data protection and privacy matters. Gianni has litigated significant actions in state and federal courts around the country, including major patent cases in the Eastern District of Texas, the District of Delaware, the Northern District of Illinois, the Northern District of California, the Western District of Wisconsin the District of Colorado, the District of New Jersey and the Federal Circuit. Gianni’s practice covers the full range of specialized IP courts as well, from the International Trade Commission, where has represented Complainants and Respondents in multiple Section 337 investigations, to the Patent Trial and Appeal Board, where he has served as lead counsel in more than 17 post-grant review proceedings.
Gianni has significant experience representing industry-leading clients, such as Intel, Cisco, Motorola, Yahoo!, Sharp, NETGEAR and Murata in high-stakes litigation involving semiconductor, telecommunications, and computer hardware. Gianni has also successfully represented some of the world’s leading consumer and retail companies, including McDonald’s, Home Depot, FedEx, Delta Airlines, Barnes & Noble, Starbucks, UPS, The Buckle and Lucky Brand Jeans, in defensive patent litigation. He has represented clients in a diverse array of technologies, including 3-D imaging, healthcare billing and IT systems, electronic stability controls, flat-screen LCD monitors, radio frequency identification (RFID), MP3 encoding and accelerometers and gyroscopes.
Building on his familiarity with complex technological issues in litigation, Gianni is also part of Kirkland’s practice group on data security and privacy matters. He regularly advises clients on significant security breaches, such as theft of trade secrets and source code, intrusions by suspected state actors, extrusion of employee financial and tax data. In these matters, Gianni has led the incident response teams responsible for internal investigations, crisis management, public disclosures and litigation strategies. The practice group has represented numerous companies that have experienced significant security breaches. Clients have included retailers, health care providers, media companies, transportation companies and business service providers.
Gianni holds a J.D., Order of the Coif, from the University of Illinois College of Law and a B.S. in mechanical engineering from the University of Illinois.
Experience
Representative Matters
Representative Patent and IP Litigation
EagleView Technologies, et al. v. Xactware Solutions, et al. (D.N.J., PTAB)
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Lead counsel representing the leading suppliers of aerial imagery and analytics in litigation against competitors. The matter involves 9 patents being asserted in the District of New Jersey and simultaneously litigated at the Patent Trial Appeals Board.
Wi-LAN v. Sharp, et al. (D. Del.)
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Lead counsel defending supplier of LCD televisions in multi-patent, multi-party litigation proceeding in the District of Delaware.
TriZetto v. HealthEdge (D. Colo.)
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Lead counsel representing top-tier supplier of healthcare software in trademark and unfair competition matter; successfully defeated motion to dismiss and obtained voluntary removal of certain of the offending statements and infringing trademarks.
Syntel v. Cognizant and TriZetto (S.D.N.Y)
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Lead counsel in representation of leading supplier of healthcare software and leading supplier of software consulting services in trade secret, unfair competition and breach of contract matter.
Innovatio v. Cisco Systems, Motorola Solutions, NETGEAR, et al.
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Defended suppliers of Internet wireless routing products in complex multi-district action concerning patents alleged to pertain to 802.11-standardized wireless technology. After a seven-day bench trial, determined that the plaintiff’s damages claim was limited to a RAND rate of less than 10 cents for each accused Wi-Fi product and also found that plaintiff’s demands for damages of more than a billion dollars “lacked a credible methodology” and that the plaintiff’s case suffered from a failure of proof. The case was hailed as highly favorable to technology companies and consumers and received worldwide media attention including in the IPLaw 360 articles “FRAND Rulings To Rein In Standard-Essential Patent Demands” and “Judge Sets Low Royalty Rate For Essential Wi-Fi Patents.”
Wi-LAN v. Intel, et al. and Wi-LAN v. Motorola, et al.
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Defended world’s leading suppliers of Wi-Fi, WiMAX, Bluetooth and CDMA products in litigations brought in the Eastern District of Texas and the Northern District of California, involving 20 patents asserted against more than three dozen leading laptop, router and chip companies. Obtained summary judgment of no infringement on 16 asserted patents, as well as favorable rulings on claim construction for other asserted patents. Matter settled days before trial, shortly after plaintiff’s effort to delay its trial date was unsuccessful.
Representative Data Security Matters
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Confidential counseling pertaining to incident response in the retail space
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Confidential counseling pertaining to incident response in the B2B software space
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Confidential counseling for market-leading client in the healthcare space regarding HIPAA and data security matters
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Confidential counseling to educational services provider regarding incident response and data security matters
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Presenter, “Data Privacy and Cybersecurity: A New Legal and Enforcement Landscape” – The John Marshall Law School, Chicago, Illinois, April 2016
Representative Litigation
IDX Systems Corp. v. Epic Systems, Corp., et al., 285 F.3d 581, 62 U.S.P.Q.2d 1278 (7th Cir. 2002)
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Obtained reversal of trial court’s summary judgment ruling against client on trade secret, tortious interference and breach of contract claims.
Shuffle Master v. Awada (D. Nev. 2007)
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Obtained summary judgment of infringement on trademark and trade dress claims, and dismissal of defendants counterclaims.
Lisa Whisby-Myers v. Kiekenapp (N.D. Ill. 2008)
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Represented pro bono plaintiffs in civil action asserting hate crime and civil rights violation. Secured $25,000 settlement.
Clerk & Government Experience
Law ClerkHonorable Christine O'Dell Cook MillerUnited States Court of Federal ClaimsWashington, D.C., 2000–2001
More
Recognition
Recognized in The Legal 500 United States for Patent Litigation: International Trade Commission (2016), Patent Litigation: Full Coverage (2020), and Trade Secrets: Litigation and Non-Contentious Matters (2021–2024)
Named one of Managing Intellectual Property magazine's "IP Stars," 2014–2022
Recommended in Litigation in IAM Patent 1000, 2015–2018
Selected as a “Rising Star” Illinois Super Lawyers, 2010
Profiled in Chicago Lawyer, 2008
Credentials
Admissions & Qualifications
- 2000Illinois
Courts
- United States Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit
- United States Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit
- United States District Court for the Eastern District of Texas
- United States District Court for the Northern District of Illinois
- United States District Court for the Northern District of Illinois, Trial Bar
- United States District Court for the Central District of Illinois
- United States Patent and Trademark Office
- United States Court of Federal Claims
Languages
- Italian
Education
- University of Illinois College of LawJ.D.2000
Order of the Coif
Associate Editor, University of Illinois Law Review
Articles Editor, University of Illinois Journal of Law, Technology and Policy
- University of Illinois at Urbana-ChampaignB.S., Mechanical Engineering1997
James Scholar