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Sharif Ahmed

Sharif Ahmed

Associate

“We hired Husch Blackwell for a complex trademark dispute, and they quickly became the biggest blessing in disguise for our business. When other law firms told us to “just settle,” Sharif came in with a smarter plan — one that saved us tens of thousands of dollars in legal fees.”

Madison Wayne, CEO and Co-Founder, Scottsdale Pink Pedal Tours

Overview

Sharif is a trial lawyer who represents clients in some of the most complex and high-stakes intellectual property disputes in the country.

Sharif’s national practice reaches all aspects of intellectual property litigation, including design and utility patents, trademarks and trade dress, copyrights, trade secrets, and unfair competition claims. He has served as third chair in multiple federal jury and bench trials in District Courts nationwide, from Arizona to New Jersey to the U.S. Court of International Trade in New York. As a registered patent attorney, he also contributes to post-grant inter partes review (IPR) proceedings before the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office.

Sharif has experience in both enforcement and defense matters involving eight-figure jury verdicts and multi-million-dollar products and technology. His patent and trade secret litigation work spans many industries, including software and high-technology, pharmaceuticals, medical devices, chemicals, consumer products, and a wide variety of mechanical systems ranging from lawn mowers to generators. In Pharmaceutical/Hatch-Waxman matters, Sharif represents generic drug companies and has been a member of trial teams challenging “evergreen” patents. His trademark, trade dress, and copyright dispute experience include cases involving luxury fashion houses, hospitality and tourism services, viral consumer products, pet nutrition, and e-commerce sellers.

Sharif is immersed in all stages of the IP litigation life cycle, including pre-suit investigations, early motion and preliminary injunction practice, discovery and dispositive motions, Markman practice, and trial and post-trial proceedings. A determined advocate at trial, he has argued evidentiary issues and cross-examined expert witnesses, and he thrives and is at his most comfortable in the courtroom. Always eager to try a case when it’s in the client’s best interests, Sharif fights as though it’s his own business at stake.

“We hired Husch Blackwell for a complex trademark dispute, and they quickly became the biggest blessing in disguise for our business. When other law firms told us to “just settle,” Sharif came in with a smarter plan — one that saved us tens of thousands of dollars in legal fees.”

Madison Wayne, CEO and Co-Founder, Scottsdale Pink Pedal Tours

Industries

Services

Education

  • J.D., Arizona State University Sandra Day O'Connor College of Law
    • cum laude
    • Jurimetrics, The Journal of Law, Science, and Technology, Note & Comment Editor
  • B.S., University of California, Santa Barbara
    • Pharmacology

Admissions

  • U.S. Court of Appeals, Federal Circuit
  • U.S. District Court, District of Arizona
  • U.S. District Court, Eastern District of Wisconsin
  • U.S. Court of International Trade
  • U.S. Patent and Trademark Office
  • Arizona

Professional Memberships and Certifications

  • Federal Bar Association, Phoenix Chapter
  • State Bar of Arizona, Intellectual Property Law Section

Languages

  • Arabic, conversational
2025 Pro Bono Contributor
Experience
  • Represented a consumer products company in a high-profile three-week patent and trademark infringement jury trial in the District of Arizona. Prevailed at trial with an eight-figure patent and trademark infringement verdict, including a jury finding of willful infringement and alter ego liability.
  • Represented a generic pharmaceutical company in a patent infringement trial in the District of New Jersey. The trial related to the company's attempt to market a generic version of a targeted therapy kinase inhibitor approved for use in treating certain differentiated thyroid cancers, kidney cancers, including a type of kidney cancer called advanced renal cell carcinoma (RCC) (in combination with other treatments), and hepatocellular carcinoma.
  • Represented a consumer products company in a week-long tariff classification trial at the U.S. Court of International Trade in New York. Cross-examined expert witnesses and obtained favorable evidentiary rulings that provided a roadmap for parties litigating against government agencies attempting to shield testimony under the deliberative process privilege.
  • Represented and successfully defended an auto e-commerce company as lead counsel in a copyright infringement action in the Central District of California. Prompted voluntary dismissal of the complaint after moving to dismiss and defeated an application to enjoin the company's sales and operations.
  • Represented a tourism and hospitality group as lead counsel in a trademark infringement action in the District of Arizona. Crafted a multi-front defense strategy that achieved a favorable settlement for the client that was over 95% lower than plaintiff's opening demand.
  • Pending: Representing a global luxury fashion house in a copyright infringement litigation in the Northern District of Ohio involving various apparel and home goods lines.
  • Ongoing: Representation of American distributors of orthotic and prosthetic products in patent infringement litigation before the Eastern District of Tennessee concerning multi-articulating myoelectric prosthetic hand technology.
  • Pending: Representing a North American power generation leader in patent litigation over portable dual-fuel generator technology in the Central District of California and Eastern District of Wisconsin.
  • Pending: Representing a global outdoor power equipment company in a patent infringement litigation in the Western District of North Carolina involving dual-blade lawn mower technology.
  • Pending: Representing inventors of one-tap digital contact exchange technology in a patent infringement litigation against a "Magnificent Seven" tech company in the Western District of Texas and IPR proceeding at the USPTO.
  • Pending: Representing a global energy technology and oilfield services company in a trade secret litigation in the Southern District of Texas involving proprietary software.
  • In a previous patent prosecution role, drafted and prosecuted patents for a Fortune 100 aerospace and defense manufacturer, performed due diligence investigations for a Fortune 500 international mining company, and drafted patents for a major university's technology-transfer and commercialization group.
Outside the Office

Sharif and his fiancée (also an attorney) enjoy traveling and spending time with their dogs, an energetic Aussie (Ahsoka) and a gangly “Supermutt” cattle dog (Vinny).

Community Leadership

Sharif is an active member of the Rotary Club’s Phoenix Arcadia Chapter, where he has served on the board and as membership chair since the summer of 2024.