Merri C. Moken

Merri C. Moken is a partner in DWT's intellectual property litigation practice, based in New York. A highly experienced trial lawyer and trusted intellectual property counselor, she brings more than 20 years of experience representing sophisticated clients in patent, trademark, trade secret, and commercial disputes across the biotech, regenerative medicine, chemical, medical device and pharmaceutical fields, as well as the mechanical and electrical arts. She has appeared before state, federal district and appellate courts, and the U.S. International Trade Commission (USITC). Merri also represents numerous high-profile clients in internal or third-party investigations, related contract negotiations and media-related efforts.

Merri is recognized by Legal 500 where it was noted that "clients praised her for her 'extremely impressive' litigation capabilities" that "covers the biotech, regenerative medicine, chemical, and pharmaceutical sectors, among others." A client commented that "Merri Moken was the best IP and trade secret lawyer we have dealt with and she did a fantastic job on our case. She also took a personal interest in us as clients and as people, and that has made the whole experience significantly easier." Another client commended that "she handled the case with extreme skill and grace" and that "the IP group led by Merri were the stars for us." She is also included in the list of World's Leading IP Strategists and Global Leaders by IAM Strategy 300.

Merri has served as lead counsel in a number of patent and trademark infringement and commercial litigations, and has successfully argued claim constructions and numerous motions, including for injunctive relief, summary judgment and pretrial motions at the U.S. district court level. Merri represents both plaintiffs and defendants concerning patent infringement, validity and enforceability. She also represents internationally based clients and has served as counsel in both domestic and foreign proceedings. Her litigation practice relies on her knowledge of diverse technologies, a thoughtful and consider-all-angles approach, and her command of the deposition room and courtroom. She has been successful through both jury and bench trials.

Merri's extensive experience in Abbreviated New Drug Application (ANDA) litigation has been particularly advantageous for her pharmaceutical clients. She has both enforced and defended against the assertion of patent rights with respect to a wide array of scientific disciplines. She also has litigated and counseled clients in the medical device arena, including with respect to drug-eluting stents, transdermal drug delivery systems, biologic and synthetic surgical meshes, and revolutionary hip and knee replacement technology. In addition, Merri has an extensive knowledge of engineering technologies, including in the communication device, automotive, digital surveillance, internet and cable industries. Merri's practice includes client counseling, due diligence, licensing, unfair competition, dispute resolution, opinion work, contract-related matters and strategy for defining and achieving intellectual property and business goals. Her portfolio evaluations of M&A targets worldwide have included all forms of intellectual property, particularly in the chemical, biologics and medical device spaces. Merri's licensing work also has largely focused in these spaces internationally, and has included chimeric antigen receptor and other antibody technologies, as well as the use of machine-learning solutions in the diagnosis and treatment of cancer.

Prior to her legal career, Merri gained practical work experience at several pharmaceutical companies, providing her with a real-world perspective and a significant understanding of underlying technologies. This experience gives her valuable insight into managing both the business and intellectual property goals of her clients, as well as providing creative solutions to help them reach those goals. Merri also spent several years performing independent research, discovering that disinfectants induce the expression of the mar gene, conferring multiple antibiotic resistance in bacteria.

As an undergraduate at Princeton University, her scientific research and thesis focused on metal-assisted assembly of multi-helix protein bundles.