Thomas Millikan is a first-chair trial lawyer who focuses on high-stakes patent disputes involving cutting-edge technologies, with a particular emphasis on standard essential patents (SEPs) and complex, multi-jurisdictional litigation.
Thomas has extensive experience leading trials and litigating patent cases in federal district courts, the International Trade Commission, and the Patent Trial and Appeals Board, including coordinating parallel proceedings to advance cohesive, trial-ready strategies. Clients rely on Thomas not only for trial execution but also for the ability to translate highly technical concepts into compelling narratives for judges and juries. Recognized for combining deep technical fluency with persuasive courtroom advocacy, Thomas represents leading global companies in their most business-critical intellectual property matters.
A significant portion of Thomas’s practice centers on SEPs and FRAND-related disputes, including litigation and arbitration involving global licensing programs. Thomas has advised implementers on valuation, litigation, licensing strategy, and design arounds, often in matters involving overlapping proceedings in the U.S., Europe, and South America. This cross-border perspective is critical in SEP disputes, where litigation strategy and commercial outcomes are tightly intertwined.
In addition to trial work, Thomas regularly handles claim construction, dispositive motions, and expert-intensive phases of litigation. He has substantial experience managing large-scale discovery and coordinating global teams of counsel and technical experts. Thomas also advises on pre-litigation strategy, including portfolio analysis, licensing negotiations, and risk assessment for standards-driven technologies.
Thomas’s experience as an electrical engineer adds to his understanding of clients' products, perspectives, and challenges. He routinely represents clients across a range of industries and technologies, including streaming video, telecommunications, consumer electronics, semiconductor design, video compression, audio compression, and emerging technologies. Whether asserting or defending against infringement claims, Thomas is known for delivering strategic, business-focused results in technically complex and high-value disputes.
Prior to law school, he worked at Texas Instruments as a digital signal processing engineer, where he designed software and systems for MP3 players, mobile phones, GPS systems, and video players. He managed and mentored teams of engineers in Asia, Europe, and North America while servicing customers in Hong Kong, Korea, Japan, Austria, and England. He is named as an inventor on twelve patents.