Irene Yang

IRENE YANG, co-leader of the firm’s global IP Litigation practice, is a trial lawyer representing clients in the high tech and life sciences industries in their intellectual property and complex commercial disputes.

Irene has secured notable victories in jury trials and has spearheaded litigation teams to achieve pre-trial successes. She frequently acts as lead counsel in critical disputes for her clients across various industries, leveraging her background handling disputes involving complex technologies as well as her understanding of her clients’ business objectives to develop successful IP and litigation strategies. Her litigation experience spans patent litigation, trade secret claims, commercial contractual disputes and business torts, trademark and trade dress infringement claims, antitrust litigation, and copyright infringement claims.

“Irene shows unwavering dedication to her clients. She is an invaluable strategic partner in navigating tricky issues.”
Chambers USA 2024

“Irene Yang is ‘nothing short of remarkable. She is an extremely hardworking and skilled practitioner, who is very knowledgeable, highly organised and diligent, and provides sound practical advice. She is very responsive…’”
IAM Patent 1000 2023

Irene’s extensive experience covers a diverse set of products and technologies, such as networking and telecommunications, software, semiconductors, cybersecurity, medical devices, pharmaceuticals, and consumer devices. In addition, she has litigated and counseled clients on FRAND obligations for standard-essential patents. She has represented clients before the Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit; U.S. district courts in California, Texas, Delaware, Illinois, Washington, New York, and Florida; the U.S. International Trade Commission (ITC); the Patent Trial and Appeal Board (PTAB); and California state courts. She also counsels clients on intellectual property issues, negotiates pre-litigation patent portfolio licenses, assists with intellectual property due diligence in connection with transactional matters, and serves as a court-appointed mediator for the Northern District of California’s Alternative Dispute Resolution program. Irene’s pro bono work includes veterans’ benefits applications and litigation, and immigration and asylum proceedings.

Irene earned a J.D. from the University of California, Davis School of Law and a B.S. in computer science from Stanford University.

Irene's awards and rankings recognition includes:

• Benchmark Litigation’s “Future Star” (2024–2026) and “40 & Under List” for IP Litigation (2022)
  
• The Best Lawyers in America®, Litigation — Intellectual Property (2024–2026)
• Chambers USA, California — Intellectual Property: Patent Litigation (2022–2025)
  
• Daily Journal, “Top Intellectual Property Lawyer” (2024)
  
• IAM Patent 1000 (2023–2025)
  
• Lawdragon, “500 Leading Litigators in America” (2022–2024, 2026)
  
• Law360, “Rising Star” (2019)
• Legal 500 United States, Patent Litigation (2025); Trade Secrets Litigation (2025)
• Super Lawyers, Northern California (2019‒2020; 2023–2025)
  
• Super Lawyers, “Rising Star” (2016)
  

Highlights of Irene's experience include:

Representative IP Disputes

• Representing a solar cell manufacturer in a patent infringement suit in the Northern District of California involving solar cell manufacturing technology.

• Representing a multinational technology company in the Western District of Texas alleging infringement of multiple patents related to cloud technologies.
• Representing a networking technologies company in a trade secret misappropriation and related business torts case.
• Represented a multinational technology company in a patent infringement suit involving haptics technologies.
• Represented an international semiconductor company in a six-patent case filed in the Eastern District of Texas.
• Defended a cybersecurity solutions provider in a multidistrict patent litigation in the Eastern District of Texas.
• Biscotti Inc. v. Microsoft Corporation (E.D. Tex.) – Represented Microsoft in a patent infringement suit related to videoconferencing technologies. Obtained a complete defense jury verdict of non-infringement and invalidity following a one-week trial in Eastern District of Texas, Marshall Division.
• Defended a Fortune 500 company in a patent infringement suit involving technologies used in e-commerce platforms. Obtained a defense jury verdict in the Eastern District of Texas following a one-week trial.
• Represented Microsoft in multi-patent litigation involving telecommunications, consumer electronics, and software (W.D. Tex.). The case settled favorably immediately before trial.
• Appellate counsel for Block, Inc. in a Federal Circuit case holding that all asserted claims, directed to the processing of financial transactions, were ineligible under 35 U.S.C. § 101.
• Zeroclick, LLC v. Microsoft Corporation and Dell Technologies Inc. (W.D. Tex.) – Represented Microsoft and Dell in patent litigation involving touchscreen technologies.
• Baxter International, Inc. v. Fresenius Medical Care Holdings, Inc. (N.D. Ill.) – Represented Baxter in a patent infringement suit involving technologies used in peritoneal dialysis therapy.
• CareFusion 303, Inc. v. Sigma International (S.D. Cal.) – Represented Sigma International in a two-week patent infringement jury trial involving a patent related to occlusion sensor assemblies for large volume infusion pumps, obtaining a defense verdict of non-infringement. The case was named a “Top Defense Verdict of 2012” by the Daily Journal.

Representative Complex Commercial Disputes

• Represented a software company in antitrust and unfair competition proceedings against a competitor, involving technology used by the real estate industry.
• Representing a networking technologies company in a breach of contract case and related statutory and common law claims in the Northern District of California.
• Represented an individual technologist on a contractual dispute related to clean energy.
• Assisting a global technology company with an internal investigation related to technologies used in connection with social media and online marketing.
• Represented a blockchain telecommunications company in San Francisco Superior Court in connection with a contractual dispute. The case settled on favorable terms immediately before trial.
• Represented a multinational technology company in a contractual dispute between a former employee and the company relating to ownership of patents alleged to cover certain cloud computing, security, and networking technologies.
• Defended a life sciences company focused on developing cell and gene therapy products in a commercial dispute that was filed in the District of Nevada.
• Represented a cell and gene therapies company in a breach of contract dispute.

Some of the above matters were handled prior to joining Sidley.

• Asian American Bar Association of the Greater Bay Area, Treasurer (2025); Secretary (2024); Board of Directors, Director at Large (2022–2023); Co-Chair, Professional Development Committee (2018–2021)
• Federal Circuit Bar Association, Board of Directors (2021–Present); Co-Chair, Bench & Bar Committee (2019–2021); Vice Chair, Patent Litigation Committee (2018–2021); Global Fellow (2017–2018)
• Edward J. McFetridge American Inn of Court (2016 – 2019)
• Federal Bar Association
• Korean American Bar Association of Northern California