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Pavan K. Agarwal

Partner

Pavan K. Agarwal uses his strong business acumen to provide practical legal counsel that supports clients’ overall business goals.

A partner and intellectual property lawyer with Foley & Lardner LLP, Pavan applies his decades of experience advising clients on business impacts of patents throughout their life cycles. His practice is centered on patent law and trade secret law, with concentration on patent litigation and licensing, opinions, and counseling (including patent prosecution).

With an emphasis on advising electronics and automotive technology companies, Pavan represents clients in leading-edge technical sectors such as artificial intelligence, autonomous vehicles, and medtech. In patent disputes, he has extensive experience representing manufacturing and high-tech clients in several patent-heavy U.S. Federal Districts, the International Trade Commission, and in post-grant proceedings (mostly inter partes reviews) in front of the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office’s Patent Trial and Appeal Board (PTAB). He has litigated numerous cases and conducted licensing negotiations related to standard essential patents (SEPs).

Pavan is chair of the firm’s Innovative Technology Sector and a member of the Automotive Sector. He is a member of the firm’s Electronics, IP Litigation, Appellate, and International Practices. His past firm leadership positions include chair of the firm’s Intellectual Property Department and member of the firm’s Management Committee.

Pavan regularly lectures both in the United States and internationally, emphasizing leading-edge legal and technical trends. He has spoken and written about artificial intelligence, connected cars and autonomous vehicles, as well as wireless communications. Previously, Pavan served as an adjunct professor at George Washington University Law School, as a patent editor for the Federal Circuit Bar Journal, and as a judicial clerk to the Honorable Alvin A. Schall of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit.

Representative Experience

  • Represented home security company in International Trade Commission investigation where major competitor asserted infringement of two patents. Achieved competitor dropping one patent during the course of the investigation. Successfully litigated the remaining patent to obtain summary determination of noninfringement in favor of client. This decision was upheld by the Commission (and was not appealed).
  • Represented major automotive supplier in inter partes reviews (IPR) on patents that were asserted against certain automakers in district court litigation. Two IPRs were favorably resolved shortly after the IPR petitions were filed. The USPTO PTAB instituted proceedings on the two remaining patents, and issued final decisions invalidating all the asserted claims.
  • Represented leading chipmaker in patent infringement and trade secret litigations in Federal District Court, and in 337 patent infringement litigation in the International Trade Commission (ITC). Technologies included graphics processing, memory control, semiconductor processing, and phased arrays.
  • Represented Greene’s Energy Company before the U.S. Supreme Court in a case concerning the constitutionality of inter partes review proceedings. Supreme Court ruled in favor of client, upholding the constitutionality of IPRs.

Awards and Recognition

  • IAM Patent 1000 – The World’s Leading Patent Practitioners
  • The Legal 500
  • Managing Intellectual Property magazine – IP Star

Professional Memberships

  • The American Intellectual Property Law Association
  • The American Bar Association
  • The Giles S. Rich American Inns of Court
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November 5, 2025 Events

Digital Disruption: AI-Driven. Cyber-Secure. Business-Ready.

Discover how cutting-edge technologies like AI, digital twins, and generative design are reshaping manufacturing with measurable impact. Gain executive-level insights from industry leaders and connect with peers who are accelerating transformation in the era of smart manufacturing on November 5th, 2025, in Milwaukee, WI.
June 5, 2025 Honors and Awards

IAM Recognizes Foley Attorneys and Jurisdictions in 2025 Edition of IAM Patent 1000: The World’s Leading Patent Practitioners

Seventeen Foley & Lardner LLP attorneys and five firm jurisdictions have been recognized in the 2025 edition of IAM Patent 1000: The World’s Leading Patent Practitioners.
February 14, 2025 In the News

Pavan Agarwal Featured in Leadership Q&A - 'Reflecting our firm’s core values drives me to do my best'

Foley & Lardner LLP partner Pavan Agarwal is featured by Law.com for his career journey, legal practice, and leadership in the article, “How I Made Practice Group Chair: ‘Keep Listening and Keep Learning,’ Says Pavan Agarwal of Foley & Lardner.”
June 17, 2024 Honors and Awards

IAM Recognizes Foley Attorneys and Jurisdictions in 2024 Edition of IAM Patent 1000: The World’s Leading Patent Practitioners

Fourteen Foley & Lardner LLP attorneys and four firm jurisdictions have been recognized in the 2024 edition of the IAM Patent 1000: The World’s Leading Patent Practitioners.
A glass globe rests on a completed circular jigsaw puzzle with one piece missing in the foreground, evoking the intricate problem-solving and precision of a top corporate law office.
May 16, 2024 Events

Litigating Patent Claims at the ITC and How It Could Impact Your Company

The U.S. International Trade Commission is a fast-paced, high-stakes forum empowered by Section 337 of the U.S. Tariff Act to hear and resolve patent infringement complaints brought by companies against acts in the importation of products.
January 24, 2024 Events

AI in Practice: How AI Systems Are Being Deployed, Utilized, and Protected

The Association of Corporate Patent Counsel (ACPC) is pleased to gather with its Chief Patent Counsel community at the 2024 Winter Meeting for three days of in-person professional programming, networking, and social activities at the Four Seasons Hotel in New Orleans, LA on January 21-24, 2024.