Overview
For nearly 20 years, Colin has been winning patent cases for leading technology and medical device companies in district courts around the country and at the Patent Trial and Appeals Board. Colin’s success in district court cases – from New York to California and from Washington to Texas – stems from his ability to focus large, complex litigation matters on key case-dispositive issues, and to develop the record necessary to win on those issues. His strategic approach has served him equally well in inter partes review proceedings, where he has served as lead counsel in dozens of successful IPR proceedings and was recently recognized as a Top 50 Best Performing IPR attorney for Petitioners in Patexia’s PTAB Intelligence (2023) report. He has also successfully argued multiple times at the Federal Circuit.
Super Lawyers recognized Colin as a “Washington Rising Star” in 2015 and, since then, Colin has been recognized four times as a “Future Star” by the Benchmark Litigation Guide, received the 2019 award for “IP Litigation Law within Washington” by International Advisory Experts, was named to the shortlist for 2023 “Litigator of the Year – Washington State” by Managing IP, was named one of “The World’s Leading Patent Professionals” for Litigation in the 2023 Patent 1000 guide by Intellectual Asset Management (IAM) magazine, and was selected by peers for inclusion in The Best Lawyers in America® (2024) for Intellectual Property Litigation.
Colin co-founded the Canadian American Bar Association and has served as its Vice President and as its Secretary-Treasurer. He is also an active member of the Washington State Patent Lawyers Association (WSPLA) and formerly served as the Chair of the WSPLA Litigation Committee. Away from the office, Colin serves as a volunteer coach for the Sno-King Amateur Hockey Association.
Education
- Vanderbilt University Law School (J.D., 2005), Associate Editor, Vanderbilt Law Review
- University of Alberta (B.S. Chemical Engineering, 2002), With Distinction
Representative Matters
Amazon.com, Inc. v. CustomPlay, LLC, IPR2018-01496, -01497, and -01498 (P.T.A.B.):
Served as lead counsel for Amazon in inter partes review (IPR) proceedings before the Patent Trial & Appeal Board (PTAB) on three patents relating to displaying annotations during the playback of a video. The PTAB invalidated all challenged claims. On appeal, Colin’s successful oral arguments at the Federal Circuit resulted in an affirmance of the PTAB’s decisions. (Case Nos. 2020-2207, -2208, -2209.)
Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute et al. v. Amazon.com, Inc., 1:18-cv-00549-BKS-CFH (N.D.N.Y):
Represented Amazon in a patent infringement lawsuit filed in the Northern District of New York relating to natural language processing. Obtained summary judgment of invalidity, securing a complete victory in the case for Amazon. See 2024 WL 1181133.
Vocalife Inc. v. Amazon.com, Inc., No. 2:19-cv-123 (E.D. Tex.), No. 2021-1937 (Fed. Cir.)
Represented Amazon in a patent infringement case against Amazon’s Echo smart speakers. Following a jury trial in the Eastern District of Texas, secured a complete victory by prevailing on non-infringement at the Federal Circuit. See 2022 WL 2986786.
Jawbone Innovations, LLC v. Amazon.com, Inc., Case No. 2:21-cv-00435-JRG
Represented Amazon in a nine-patent case involving sound signal processing in smart speakers and headphones. Prevailed on a motion to transfer the case from the Eastern District of Texas to the Northern District of California and prevailed on a motion to stay the case pending resolution of the concurrent IPR proceedings, in which Colin served as lead counsel. After the USPTO instituted all the IPR proceedings, the case settled.
ARTHREX, INC. v. SMITH & NEPHEW, INC.
Represented leading medical device company Smith & Nephew in a patent infringement case in the District of Massachusetts, and several IPR proceedings, involving patents relating to patient-specific instruments for knee replacement surgery. After our team successfully obtained final written decisions invalidating the first four asserted patents and Mr. Heideman conducted oral argument in four additional IPR proceedings, the parties settled.
Hammond Development Int’l, Inc. v. Amazon.com, Inc. et al., 6:19-cv-00355.
Represented Amazon in a patent infringement action in the Western District of Texas involving eight asserted patents relating to client-server networking and the remote execution of applications. Served as lead counsel in the related IPR proceedings, all of which were instituted.
Personalized Media Communications, LLC v. Amazon.com, Inc. et al., 1:13-cv-01608.
Represented Amazon in a patent infringement action in the District of Delaware on seven patents relating to personalized recommendations, internet check-out processes, decryption, online advertising, and operating system updates. Obtained judgment that all asserted patents were invalid for failure to claim patent-eligible subject matter. 2015 WL 4730906 (D. Del. Aug. 10, 2015). Also successfully represented Amazon in the subsequent appeal to the Federal Circuit. (Case No. 2015-2008.)
Amazon.com, Inc. et al. v. Personalized Media Communications, LLC.
Successfully represented Amazon in inter partes review proceedings involving all seven patents asserted in district court litigation. The PTAB held all of the challenged claims invalid as anticipated and/or obvious. See 2016 WL 932881; 2016 WL 1133371; 2016 WL 1170773; 2016 WL 1174571; 2016 WL 1224164; 2016 WL 1174550; 2016 WL 1296088. When PMC appealed the PTAB’s final written decision of invalidity, Colin successfully argued to the Federal Circuit, obtaining a Rule 36 affirmance of the PTAB’s decision. (Fed. Cir. Case No. 2016-2606.)
Depomed, Inc. et al. v. Watson Labs.-Florida, Inc. et al., 1:12-cv-00492.
Represent defendants in a patent infringement action in the District of Delaware on multiple patents relating to controlled-release oral dosage forms comprising metformin hydrochloride (the active ingredient in Glumetza®). Obtained favorable case-dispositive settlement for client.
Anderson v. Kimberly-Clark Corp., 2:12-cv-01979.
Represented defendant in a design patent infringement case in the Western District of Washington involving plaintiff’s design patent related to a disposable absorbent undergarment. Obtained early dismissal of plaintiff’s infringement claims and a declaration of noninfringement. 2013 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 188222 (W.D. Wash. Sept. 25, 2013). Also represented the defendant on appeal and obtained affirmance of the district court’s judgment. 570 Fed. Appx. 927; 2014 U.S. App. LEXIS 13016 (Fed. Cir. July 10, 2014).
Aegis Mobility, Inc. v. Katasi LLC and ObdEdge, LLC, 1:12-cv-03306.
Represented plaintiff in a declaratory judgment action seeking a declaration of noninfringement and invalidity in the District of Colorado. The technology at issue related to systems and methods for disabling mobile devices in vehicles to prevent distracted driving. Obtained a favorable case-dispositive covenant not to sue from defendants.
Jonna Markets, LLC v. Quickie Stores, Inc., 2:12-cv-92232.
Represented plaintiff in a trademark infringement lawsuit in the Western District of Washington involving defendant’s unauthorized use of the mark, “Plum Market.” Achieved a favorable case-dispositive settlement for client.
Lupin Atlantis Holdings S.A. v. Ranbaxy Labs. Ltd. et al., 2:11-cv-03851.
Represented defendants in a patent infringement action in the Southern District of New York on two patents relating to pharmaceutical compositions of fenofibrate (the active ingredient in Lupin’s Antara® product). Achieved favorable case-dispositive settlement for client.
Advanced Thermal Sciences Corp. v. Applied Materials, Inc., 8:07-cv-01384.
Represented plaintiff in a breach of contract and improper inventorship action in the Central District of California involving patents relating to thermal control of semiconductor manufacturing equipment. Obtained summary judgment on critical issues and, following a two-week bench trial, the Court ruled in favor of our client on all substantive issues. See 2010 WL 2015236 (C.D.Cal.). Following the bench trial, obtained $5.7 million in attorneys’ fees for our client.
Alltech, Inc. v. Cenzone Tech, Inc. and Jung Fu Wu 06-CV-0153 JM (RUB)
Represented plaintiff in a patent infringement action in the Southern District of California on a patent relating to compositions for binding mycotoxins in animal feed. After obtaining summary judgment of infringement and summary judgment on defendant’s antitrust and invalidity counterclaims, obtained favorable case-dispositive settlement for our client.
Recognition
Awards & Honors
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Received “Future Star” ranking in Benchmark Litigation’s U.S. Guide (2025)
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Recognized in the “Best Lawyers 2025 Guide” for Intellectual Property Litigation in Best Lawyers in America (2024)
- Recognized for outstanding work in patent law in the 2024 edition of the Intellectual Asset Management (IAM) “Patent 1000 Guide” for Litigation (2024)
- Recognized as a “Top 50 Best Performing IPR Attorney for representing Petitioners” in Patexia’s 2023 PTAB Intelligence Report
- Selected by peers for inclusion in The Best Lawyers in America® for his work in Intellectual Property Litigation (2024)
- Named one of “The World’s Leading Patent Professionals” for Litigation in the Patent 1000 guide by Intellectual Asset Management (IAM) magazine (2023). In the 2023 guide, Colin was described as “an excellent and efficient case manager who offers practical legal advice. He is very responsive, detail oriented and provides great value.”
- Recognized as a “Future Star” in the 2021, 2023 and 2024 editions of the Benchmark Litigation Guide
- Received the 2019 Award for “IP Litigation Law within Washington” by International Advisory Experts
- Named a 2015 “Washington Rising Star” in intellectual property law by Super Lawyers.
Affiliations
- Washington State Patent Law Association (Co-Chair, Amicus and Litigation Committee)
- Canadian American Bar Association (Co-Founder, Past Vice President)
- American Intellectual Property Law Association
- Federal Bar Association of the Western District of Washington
- American Institute of Chemical Engineers
News & Insights
Speeches & Seminars
“Update on Significant Intellectual Property Decisions,” Washington State Bar Association 29th Annual IP Institute (April, 2024)
“Optimizing & Improving Your IPR Strategy,” Roundtable, The IP Strategy Summit, Seattle, WA (January, 2024)
“Defensive Litigation and Risk Management Strategies,” The IP Strategy Summit, Seattle, WA (January, 2024)
“2018: A Year of Change for Post Issuance Proceedings,” The IP Strategy Summit, Seattle, WA (May 2, 2018)
“Fighting the Ultimate Troll: A Case Study,” the LOTNetwork Bridge, San Francisco, CA (May 11, 2017)
“Enforcement & Litigation Strategies,” IP Enforcement: Seattle, Seattle, WA (November 8, 2017)
“Highlights from Halo v. Pulse – The New Standard for Enhanced Damages in Patent Cases,” The IP Strategy Summit, Seattle, WA (October 20, 2016)
“Exploiting the IPR Process for Better Business Outcomes,” The IP Strategy Summit, Seattle, WA (October 20, 2016).
“Getting the Most Out of Your Relationship with Outside Counsel,” IP Impact Seattle 2012: Innovative Intellectual Property Litigation Strategies. Seattle, WA (February 29, 2012).
“Offers to License: The Tip of the U.S. Patent Litigation Iceberg,” IP Impact Vancouver 2011: Strategies for Protecting Your IP in the US (January 20, 2011).