Senior Counsel

Bruce R. Genderson

Bruce Genderson Photo

Bruce Genderson founded and is the senior trial lawyer of Williams & Connolly’s patent litigation practice.  He is nationally-known for his work representing major corporations in patent disputes.  Over the course of his more-than-three-decade career, he has represented some of the world’s largest companies in patent infringement suits involving billion-dollar-a-year pharmaceuticals, complex biotechnology inventions, computers and electronics, and medical devices.  He has represented a number of emerging companies in patent litigation in different industries as well.

Bruce has litigated civil and criminal matters of all types — from intellectual property disputes to complex corporate and commercial cases to defending against criminal charges as diverse as tax fraud and capital murder.  He has also represented individuals in both complex civil and criminal litigation, and defended prominent law firms in legal malpractice actions.  Bruce has been named an "IP Star" by Managing Intellectual Property every year since 2013.  The 2015 edition stated that he “has been described by peers as a ‘superb trial lawyer’ and a ‘brilliant strategist.’"  LMG Life Sciences 2012 states that “peers consider [Bruce] to be ‘one of the best patent litigators in the country'," and the publication recognized him as a "Life Science Star" from 2012 to 2024.  In 2015, LMG inducted him into its Hall of Fame, and in 2019 Bruce was awarded "Branded Hatch-Waxman Litigator of the Year."  Bruce also received top rankings in intellectual property litigation in the 2013 to 2025 editions of Chambers USA: America's Leading Lawyers for Business, and was recommended in the 2015 edition of The Legal 500 in the area of commercial litigation.  Since 2016, Benchmark Litigation has named Bruce a “Local Litigation Star” in the category of intellectual property litigation. In 2020, Benchmark also shortlisted Bruce with five others for Intellectual Property Attorney of the Year and recognized him as a "National Practice Area Star."

Representative Experience

Though all cases vary and none is predictive, Bruce’s experience includes:

  • Lead counsel for Bayer in ANDA litigation related to Bayer and Johnson & Johnson’s drug Xarelto®, a novel oral anticoagulant and the most prescribed product in its class.  With annual sales in the billions, Xarelto® is prescribed to reduce the risk of stroke and blood clots in people with atrial fibrillation or in people who have just had knee or hip replacement surgery.  It is also prescribed to treat deep vein thrombosis and pulmonary embolism, and to help reduce the risk of those conditions.  Several manufacturers have filed applications with the FDA to sell generic versions of Xarelto®, and have challenged the validity of three patents covering the product. 
  • Lead counsel for Bayer in a patent infringement suit brought by Biogen relating to Bayer’s genetically-engineered Interferon product for the treatment of multiple sclerosis.  The case involves the use of genetic engineering to identify the gene that codes for Interferon and to transform bacterial cells with plasmids containing the human DNA sequence to induce the bacteria to produce human Interferon.

Education

Clerkships

Recognitions

Fellow, American College of Trial Lawyers

“Intellectual Property (D.C.),” Chambers USA, 2013-2025

"Intellectual Property: Patent - USA (Global),” Chambers USA, 2020-2024

"Intellectual Property (Nationwide)," Chambers USA, 2021-2023

"National Practice Area Star," Benchmark Litigation, 2020-2023

“Local Litigation Star,” Benchmark Litigation, 2016-2023

"IP Star," Managing Intellectual Property, 2013-2022

"Leading Patent Practitioners," IAM Patent 1000, the World’s Leading Patent Practitioners, 2012-2025

"IAM Global Leaders," IAM Patent 1000, 2020-2025

"Hall of Fame – Litigators," Lawdragon, 2023-2025

“500 Leading Litigators in America,” Lawdragon, 2023-2024

“Life Science Star,” LMG Life Sciences, 2012-2024

Shortlisted, Intellectual Property Attorney of the Year, Benchmark Litigation, 2020

Recognized as one of The Best Lawyers in America ®, 2010-2021

Learned Hand Award, American Jewish Committee, 2019

"Branded Hatch-Waxman Litigator of the Year," LMG Life Sciences, 2019

Inducted into LMG Life Sciences Hall of Fame, 2015

“Top 10 Life Sciences Litigators in the United States,” Managing Intellectual Property, 2012

Admissions

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