Patent Law Practice Center

The Art of Negotiation – Mediation of IP Disputes

Jeff Kichaven (pictured left) is one of California’s leading mediators. I met Kichaven several months ago while I was in Newport Beach, California, to speak at the Orange County Bar Association. At the conclusion of our breakfast meeting I asked if he would be interested in an on the record conversation for publication. He agreed. What follows are except from our conversation, which took place on Monday, December 22, 2014. To read the full transcript of the interview please see Working toward settlement wherever possible.

Here is our dialogue on the reality that in most circumstances neither party really wants a court to make a decision and would be better off reaching a negotiated resolution.

QUINN: … And my experience usually when the judge or the jury makes the decision neither party is happy.

KICHAVEN: That’s true. So many times it has cost so much, taken so long and been so grueling along the way, that even the winner questions whether it was worth it.

QUINN: Yes.

KICHAVEN: It’s especially true in intellectual property cases because when people get too involved in litigation focusing on the past and perhaps lose their focus on the marketplace, new competitors can come in and beat them in the marketplace. So it’s important, particularly for technology companies in fast moving industries, to keep their eyes focused on the future and competing in the marketplace rather than focused on the past and competing in the courtroom, other than in a small number of cases where that focus really is absolutely necessary.

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