Atty. Timothy M. "Tim" Murphy

Atty. Timothy M. "Tim" Murphy

Tim’s extensive experience includes patent office litigation matters such as patent interference proceedings, Inter Partes Review and reexamination proceedings. He has shaped and executed winning strategies in patent litigations.

Boston Boston 40 yrs experience 40 year
Call (617) 439-2000 Book Appointment

Profile Summary

About Timothy M. "Tim" Murphy at a glance

Timothy M. "Tim" Murphy is a ip attorney based in Boston, Massachusetts, practicing at Nutter McClennen & Fish LLP. They have 40+ years of legal experience, licensed to practice since 1986. Admitted to practice in New York, New York State Bar Association (1986), California, The State Bar of California (1987), and Massachusetts, Massachusetts Bar Association (1988). Educated at Columbia University (J.D., 1985) and Columbia University (B.S., 1985). Recognitions include Best Lawyers in America — Litigation - Intellectual Property (2026), Best Lawyers in America — Patent Law (2026), and Best Lawyers in America — Additional Areas of Practice: (2026). Serands clients in Boston, MA and the surrounding metropolitan area.

Verified attorney profile · Updated June 2026

About

Tim’s extensive experience includes patent office litigation matters such as patent interference proceedings, Inter Partes Review and reexamination proceedings. He has shaped and executed winning strategies in patent litigations. In helping clients achieve their business goals, Tim devises strategies for maximizing the value of patent portfolios for litigation, licensing or acquisition. He develops and implements strategies for protecting his clients’ key technologies and for avoiding allegations of infringement.

By working closely with clients to understand their business goals and inventions, Tim has developed intellectual property portfolios that have provided significant value to our clients. Tim has worked with clients of all sizes, and he takes a special interest in protecting the intellectual property portfolios of our clients as they grow.

The technologies that Tim has handled are wide-ranging and include: mechanical and electromechanical devices, such as electric motors, scanners and plotters, printing press technology, IV delivery systems, blood-processing equipment, surgical instruments, diagnostic equipment, HVAC, and clean room systems; hardware and software inventions, such as image-processing systems, sound-processing systems, magnetic-resonance imaging, various types of tracking devices, remote-control devices, file servers, and web-based business methods; as well as recombinant proteins, antisense oligonucleotides, and a variety of pharmaceutical matters.

Tim has also worked with clients to help ensure their products do not infringe third-party patents. He has decades of experience conducting clearance studies where the competitor’s patent was determined to be invalid, or where the client’s product was determined not to infringe.

In other situations, Tim has provided guidance to clients to successfully design around competitors’ patents. Tim also has a great deal of experience preparing clearance opinions, when necessary for protecting clients from charges of willful patent infringement.

Representative cases include:

  • Kotowski et al. v. Mastronardi et al.
    Board of Patent Appeals and Interferences
  • McGuire et al. v. Schmieding (lead attorney)
    Board of Patent Appeals and Interferences
  • Thompson et al. v. Normand et al. (lead attorney)
    Board of Patent Appeals and Interferences
  • In re U.S. Patent No. 6,835,887 (Activision Publishing, Inc.), In re U.S. Patent No. 6,369,313 (Activision Publishing, Inc.), In re U.S. Patent No. 6,225,547 (Konami Digital Entertainment Co., Ltd.)
    Inter Partes Reexamination Proceedings, USPTO
  • University of Western Australia, v. Academisch Ziekenhuis Leiden (lead attorney)
    Patent Trial and Appeal Board
  • Ivera Medical Corp. v. Catheter Connections, Inc.
    United States District Court for the Southern District of California
  • Catheter Connections, Inc. v. Ivera Medical Corp.
    United States District Court for the District of Utah
  • Softspikes, LLC et al. v. MacNeill Engineering Company, Inc.
    Trisport, Ltd. et al. v. MacNeill Engineering Company, Inc. et al.
    United States District Court for the District of Delaware
  • MacNeill Engineering, Inc. v. Trisport, Ltd.
    United States District Court for the District of Massachusetts
  • HP Hood LLC v. Stremicks Heritage Foods LLC
    United States District Court for the Southern District of California
  • Comair Rotron v. Papst Licensing Gmbh
    United States District Court for the District of Columbia
  • Comair Rotron v. Nippon Densan Corporation and Nidec Corporation
    United States District Court for the District of Connecticut
  • Comair Rotron, Inc. v. Matsushita Electric Corporation of America et al.
    United States Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit
    United States District Court for the District of New Jersey
  • B. Braun Medical, Inc. v. Abbott Laboratories
    United States Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit
    United States District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania
  • Network Appliance, Inc. v. BlueArc Corporation
    United States District Court for the Northern District of California
  • Precision Engineered Systems v. v Printex Products Corp.
    United States District Court for the District of the Western District of New York
  • Amgen, Inc. v. Hoffman-La Roche Inc.
    United States District Court for the District of Massachusetts
  • APP Pharmaceuticals, LLC v. Ameridose, LLC
    United States District Court for the District of New Jersey
  • Linotype-Hell AG v. Intergraph Corporation
    United States District Court for the District of Massachusetts

Previously, Tim worked in New York and California in the legal department of a large, multinational computer manufacturer.

https://www.nutter.com/people-Timothy-M-Murphy

Practice Areas Explained

Timothy M. "Tim" Murphy's Areas of Practice

Each practice area below reflects the types of cases Timothy M. "Tim" Murphy handles, with a brief overview of what that area of law covers.

Intellectual Property

IP attorneys protect inventions, brands, and creative work through patent prosecution, trademark registration, copyright, and trade-secret enforcement.

Timothy M. "Tim" Murphy is one of 106,079 ip attorneys indexed nationally. Browse ip attorneys in Massachusetts →

Jurisdictional Context

Why local counsel matters in Massachusetts

Practicing law in Massachusetts. Legal matters in Massachusetts are governed by state-specific rules of civil and criminal procedure, statutes of limitations, and substantive law. Cases originating in Boston are typically filed in the local municipal court or the appropriate Massachusetts state district court, depending on subject matter and amount in controversy. An attorney licensed in Massachusetts brings working knowledge of local procedural deadlines, judicial practices in this andnue, and the substantive law that applies to cases brought here. Out-of-state attorneys generally cannot represent clients in Massachusetts courts without local counsel or pro hac vice admission.

Looking for additional Massachusetts attorneys? Browse all attorneys in Boston or all attorneys in Massachusetts.

Frequently Asked

Common questions about Timothy M. "Tim" Murphy

Where is Timothy M. "Tim" Murphy's law office located?
Timothy M. "Tim" Murphy's law practice is located in Boston, Massachusetts. The firm is Nutter McClennen & Fish LLP. You can contact the office directly through this profile page.
What practice areas does Timothy M. "Tim" Murphy handle?
Timothy M. "Tim" Murphy focuses on ip. Each practice area listed reflects experience handling cases of that type in Massachusetts.
How long has Timothy M. "Tim" Murphy practiced law?
Timothy M. "Tim" Murphy has 40+ years of legal experience and has been licensed since 1986.
Where did Timothy M. "Tim" Murphy go to law school?
Timothy M. "Tim" Murphy earned their education at (J.D., 1985); (B.S., 1985).
How can I contact Timothy M. "Tim" Murphy for a consultation?
You can contact Timothy M. "Tim" Murphy directly through this profile page. Click "Ask the Attorney" to submit a question, or "Schedule a Consultation" to book a meeting. Most claimed-profile attorneys respond within one business day.
What awards or recognition has Timothy M. "Tim" Murphy received?
Timothy M. "Tim" Murphy's notable recognition includes: Best Lawyers in America — Litigation - Intellectual Property; Best Lawyers in America — Patent Law; Best Lawyers in America — Additional Areas of Practice:; Best Lawyers in America — Litigation - Patent; Best Lawyers in America — Awards:.

Education

J.D.
Columbia University
- 1985
B.S.
Columbia University
- 1985

Awards

Best Lawyers in America — Litigation - Intellectual Property
- 2026
Best Lawyers in America — Patent Law
- 2026
Best Lawyers in America — Additional Areas of Practice:
- 2026
Best Lawyers in America — Litigation - Patent
- 2026
Best Lawyers in America — Awards:
- 2026
Best Lawyers in America — Selected by peers for inclusion in
- 2026
Best Lawyers in America — Tim was selected for inclusion in
- 2026
Best Lawyers in America — Super Lawyers
- 2026
Best Lawyers in America — for 2005-2007 and 2010-2020 for intellectual property.
- 2026
Best Lawyers in America — Tau Beta Pi
- 2026
Best Lawyers in America — , as well as a law degree.
- 2026

Bar Admissions

New York, New York State Bar Association
Admitted: 1986
California, The State Bar of California
Admitted: 1987
Massachusetts, Massachusetts Bar Association
Admitted: 1988

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