John S. Ferrell

Firm: Carr & Ferrell
Location: Menlo Park - CA

  • 120 Constitution Drive
    Menlo Park, CA 94025
    USA
  • Tel : 650.812.3400
  • Fax : 650.812.3444

John is a founding partner of Carr & Ferrell LLP, one of Silicon Valley’s foremost technology and litigation law firms, and specializes in patent litigation and intellectual property matters. He is Chair of the Firm’s Intellectual Property Practice Group.

John’s practice focuses on creating and defending market monopolies by organizing and leveraging intellectual property assets. Litigation emphasis includes patent infringement, patent appeals and post grant reviews, internet defamation removal and takedown, trade secret theft, cyber extortion,and other business and commercial torts. Representation includes a wide range of highly technical fields, including cybersecurity, semiconductors, communications, computer, software, social networking, wireless, bio- and eco-engineering.

Representative clients have included: 3Com, A10 Networks, Analogix, Apple Computer, Ariat, ASG Technologies, Atmel, Autodesk, Bank of America, Broadcom, Cadence, Canon, Catepillar, Charles Schwab, Cirrus Logic, Cisco Systems, CSX, Dreamworks, Elasticsearch, Epson, Facebook, FireEye, Fonality, Fujitsu, Hewlitt Packard, Hitachi, Icon Aircraft, IDEO, Intuit, Intuitive Surgical, KLA-Tencor, Knowles, Kodak, Lam Research, Lockheed, LSI Logic, Lucent, Marvell Technology, Mitsumi, Netgear, Olivetti, Oracle, PeopleSoft, Polycom, Philips, Plantronics, Princess Cruise Lines, Proofpoint, Rambus, Raytheon, Ricoh, Rohm Semiconductor, Ruckus Wireless, SDL, Seagate, Sega, Seiko Systems, Silver Peak, Sonos, Sony, Sun Microsystems, Sutter Health, Swagelock, Synnex, Synthetic Genomics, Technogym, The Ferrero Group, Trend Micro, Urban Outfitters, VIA Technologies, vArmour, Veritas, VMware, Wells Fargo, Western Digital, and Xilinx.

Distinguished by his demonstrated technical and legal expertise, John has been noted in the Silicon Valley Business Journal list of Who’s Who in Silicon Valley and Northern California’s Super Lawyers. He was also listed by the Los Angeles Daily Journal as one of California’s top Rainmakers, by San Jose Magazine as one of Silicon Valley’s top Legal Eagles, and by San Francisco Magazine as one of Northern California’s top lawyers. Additionally, under his leadership, the firm was recently recognized by Corporate Counsel Magazine as a Go to Law Firm for Intellectual Property. John has received an AV® Peer Review Rating from Martindale-Hubbell® (a representation of the highest level of professional excellence). Over the past decade, John has presented on and spoken about patent and intellectual property issues, both legal and technology business forums around the globe.

In addition to practicing law, John is an active technology investor and member of The Band of Angels, Silicon Valley’s oldest seed fund organization.

Education

  • J.D., Santa Clara University
  • M.S.E.E., Texas A&M University
  • B.S.E.E., University of Texas at Austin, Tau Beta Pi and Eta Kappa Nu

Admitted

  • Supreme Court of the United States
  • United States Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit
  • United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit
  • United States Federal Court for the Northern District of California
  • United States Federal Court for the Central District of California
  • United States Federal Court for the Eastern District of California
  • United States Federal Court for the Southern District of California
  • United States Federal Court for the Eastern District of Texas
  • United States Patent & Trademark Office
  • State Bar of California
  • Supreme Court of California
  • California Appeals, Superior and Municipal Courts – All

Media Mentions

  • ZDNet – “Microsoft’s Android Patents Will Face Challenges”
  • PRWeb – “vAmour Expands Patent Portfolio for Data Center Security”
  • ZDNet – “Pro-patent Partnership for American Innovation lobby wobbles on take-off”
  • PRWeb – “Carr & Ferrell LLP Celebrates 20 Years Serving Silicon Valley Technology Community”
  • ZDNet – “Patent troll Innovatio IP goes after small businesses”
  • Wireless Week’s Show Daily – “Hear Ye! Hear Ye! Wireless Comes of Age – in Court”
  • TheStreet.com – “Samsung Could Cut IP Ties With SanDisk”
  • Information Week – “Federal Court to Reconsider Software Patent Issue”
  • linuxpipeline.com – “SCO Raises New Funding — And Experts Raise Questions”
  • eWeek – “If Legal Questions Killed an Oracle-JBoss Deal, Why Not Red Hat-JBoss?”
  • SFGate.com – “Apple, Microsoft Duel Over iPod Patent”
  • SFGate.com – “Mind Your Business: Dream of opening cafe or wine bar could turn into nightmare”
  • adtmag.com – “When Corporate Lawyers Attack”
  • itcinstitute.com – “Intellectual Property: Risk or Red Herring?”
  • microsoft-watch.com – “Microsoft Advocates for Patent Reform”
  • Enterprise Strategies – “Careers: How “Inevitable Misappropriation” May Limit Job Mobility”
  • CNET News.com – “Judge slams SCO’s lack of evidence against IBM”

Media Appearances

  • BusinessWeek
  • Information Week
  • InfoWorld
  • San Jose Mercury News
  • San Francisco Chronicle
  • California Law Business
  • The Recorder
  • The Register
  • CNN Radio
  • CNET News
  • Silicon Valley/San Jose Business Journal
  • San Jose Magazine
  • Seattle Post-Intelligencer
  • SD Times
  • eWeek
  • Daily Herald
  • Reuters
  • NewsForge
  • EE Times
  • Linux Today

Speaking Engagements

  • “Write and File your own Provisional Patent Application”, Inventor’s Forum, Orange Coast College
  • “Entrepreneurship in Biotechnology” at Haas School of Business, Berkeley
  • Harris & Harris Group CEO Day, Palo Alto, CA
  • Woodside Fund Clean Energy Technology Roundtable, Palo Alto, CA
  • PLI’s Advanced Patent Licensing Seminar, San Francisco, CA
  • “Entrepreneurs in Biotechnology” at UC Berkeley, Berkeley, CA
  • IP Due Diligence for Semiconductor Venture Investments, Palo Alto, CA
  • National Manufacturing Week, Chicago, IL
  • Stanford Guest Lecture, Palo Alto, CA
  • IEEE Presentation, Santa Clara, CA
  • Success By Design Conference Presentation, Providence, RI
  • SemiCon West Trade Show, San Francisco, CA

Carr & Ferrell

Carr & Ferrell is a full-service law firm dedicated to helping you grow ideas into world class enterprises. We protect our clients’ rights through our corporate and venture capital practice, strategic patent and intellectual property services and a robust litigation practice. Based in the heart of Silicon Valley’s technology and venture capital community, and keeping close to commercial and technology markets, our attorneys leverage their technical, business and legal expertise to help emerging companies and investors succeed through the entire life cycle of an enterprise.