Overview
A leading force in Delaware’s IP bar, Fred Cottrell is the chair of Richards Layton’s Litigation Department.
Fred regularly handles significant IP litigation before the United States District Court for the District of Delaware and in Delaware’s state courts. Clients cite his “incredibly deep knowledge,” calling him a “standout trial attorney” with “phenomenal knowledge of the judges and courts” (Chambers USA). Fred’s practice also includes several other areas of litigation, including antitrust, products liability, and commercial law.
Known for providing “exemplary judgement and exemplary value” (IAM Patent 1000), Fred has represented such industry giants as:
- Micron Technology
- Advanced Micro Devices
- Apple
- 10x Genomics
- Universal Robots
- Gilead
- L’Oréal
A prominent figure in Delaware District Court practice, Fred participated in a recent panel on IP practice with several judges handling such cases. He is currently chair of the Complex Commercial Litigation Division Advisory Committee for the Delaware Superior Court and past co-chair of the Delaware District Court’s IP Advisory Committee.
Fred has spoken at numerous seminars in his fields of practice, including at the Federal Circuit Bar Association on the use of injunctions in patent cases and at the ABA spring meeting on judicially assisted ADR. He has also been a frequent speaker on Delaware District Court practice.
PRACTICES
Select Experience
- Represented Micron Technology in patent litigation cases in Delaware
- Represented Advanced Micro Devices in the AMD v. Intel antitrust litigation
- Represented Occidental Chemical Corporation in products liability cases in Delaware
- Represented Under Armour in trademark litigation in Delaware
- Represented Gilead in patent infringement litigation against the United States
- Dickinson School of Law, J.D., cum laude, 1988
- University of Delaware, B.A., magna cum laude, Biological Sciences, 1985
Education
Publications
Litigating Intellectual Property Rights Created in Response to COVID-19
Bar Journal | May 2020
As companies race to develop vaccines, medical products, and other treatments to combat the COVID-19 pandemic, these advances will likely engender litigation related to the protection of intellectual property rights. Given the District of Delaware’s national prominence as a preeminent patent litigation venue, a sizeable portion of such litigation may proceed in a Delaware courtroom. A…
Product Liability Desk Reference, Daller, ed., Delaware chapter
2016
The Product Liability Desk Reference, 2016 Edition is a comprehensive resource that provides the most recent statutory and case law developments on product liability laws for each of the fifty states and the District of Columbia.…
Nonpracticing Entities: Come to Delaware
The Federal Lawyer | Oct/Nov 2013
While the District of Delaware historically has been a preferred venue for patent litigation, it now faces a new wave brought by a relatively new type of plaintiff.
Doing Business in United States: Delaware
Practical Law Company | 2011
This Q&A from Practical Law Company gives an overview of Delaware’s unique legal system.
Doing Business in United States: Delaware
Practical Law Company | 2009
This Q&A from Practical Law Company gives an overview of the legal system; foreign investment, including restrictions, currency regulations and incentives; and business vehicles and their relevant restrictions and liabilities. The article also summarizes the laws regulating employment relationships, including redundancies and mass layoffs, and provides short overviews on competition law; data protection; and product liability and…
- Product Liability Desk Reference, Daller, ed., Delaware chapter, 2013
- ANDA Litigation, Kenneth Dorsney, ed., Delaware chapter, 2012
- Business and Commercial Litigation in Federal Courts, Robert L. Haig, ed., Delaware chapter, 2010
Leadership
- Complex Commercial Litigation Division Advisory Committee for the Superior Court of the State of Delaware, Chair
- Delaware District Court, Intellectual Property Law Advisory Committee, Past Co-Chair
- Delaware State Bar Association, Intellectual Property Law Section, Past Chair
- University of Delaware, Presidential Selection Committee
- University of Delaware, Parents Fund Council, Past Co-Chair
Pro Bono Activities
- Boy Scouts of America – Del-Mar-Va Council, Advisory Committee
- Selective Service System for Delaware, Board Member
- St. Edmond’s Academy, Corporate Board Member
Recognition
- Litigation Counsel of America, Fellow
- Chambers USA, Intellectual Property, Band 1
- IAM 250 – The World’s Leading Patent Litigators
- IAM Patent 1000 – The World’s Leading Patent Professionals
- The Best Lawyers in America, since 2006; Wilmington, DE Patent Law Lawyer of the Year, 2019, 2017
- Lawdragon 500 Leading Litigators in America, 2024, 2023
- Super Lawyers
- Managing Intellectual Property, Patent Star
- Delaware Today Top Lawyer, Intellectual Property
Bar Admissions
- Delaware
- United States Court of Appeals, Third Circuit
- United States Court of Appeals, Federal Circuit