Sutton Ansley is a partner in Paul, Weiss’s Washington, D.C., office and a member of the firm’s Patent Litigation practice. He focuses on Section 337 investigations before the U.S. International Trade Commission, district court patent litigation and post-grant reviews before the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office.

Sutton has represented clients in litigations involving medical devices, pharmaceuticals, genomics, wind turbine technology, turbofan engines, consumer products and packaging, oil & gas, metallurgy, computer architecture, semiconductors, smartphones, cable set-top boxes and video streaming, software, data backup and recovery, network communications and protocols, and encryption. In 2023, Sutton was recognized by the National Law Journal as one of just 40 “D.C. Rising Stars.” In 2024, he was included on Lawdragon’s “500 X – The Next Generation” list. In 2023, 2024, and 2025, Benchmark Litigation named Sutton to its “40 & Under List,” which recognizes “the best and brightest litigators across the US.”

Sutton brings an extensive and diverse skillset from years of litigating. His trial work encompasses conducting examinations of expert and fact witnesses and arguing evidentiary disputes, procedural issues and jury instructions. Sutton’s oral argument experience extends to other settings, including Markman hearings, proceedings before the Patent Trial and Appeal Board, and the Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit. His practice regularly involves brief writing, case management and crafting litigation strategy. He also counsels clients on IP licensing arrangements, particularly those integral to corporate mergers and acquisitions, and trade secret disputes.

Sutton’s representative matters have included:

a tobacco products company in multi-venue disputes with competitors over e-vapor and smoking cessation technology, including a Middle District of North Carolina patent case that resulted in a jury verdict in favor of the company and parallel proceedings before the U.S. International Trade Commission and the Patent Trial and Appeal Board;
a renewable energy company in district court litigation and inter partes review proceedings adverse to a competitor, relating to wind turbine patents;
a chemical company in district court litigation, inter partes review proceedings and Federal Circuit appeals spanning both patent and antitrust law and relating to drag reducing chemical for petroleum pipeline operations;
a pharmaceutical company in district court litigation, inter partes review proceedings and Federal Circuit appeals relating to insulin formulations and insulin delivery devices;
a life sciences company in district court litigation relating to droplet digital PCR;
a life science company in district court litigation relating to cell-free DNA testing;
various broadcast networks in litigations concerning the delivery of video streaming services;
a major technology company in district court litigation involving claims of infringement of nine patents relating to software user interfaces and cable set-top boxes;
an athletic apparel company in a district court litigation brought by a competitor accusing the company and its subsidiary of infringing 13 patents related to wearable technology and mobile fitness applications;
a data backup and recovery company regarding trade secret misappropriation in Delaware’s Court of Chancery and patent infringement in federal district court;
a software company in multi-front district court litigation and inter partes review proceedings adverse to a competitor, relating to speech recognition, computer-assisted physician documentation and transcription technology; and
a semiconductor manufacturer in separate ITC cases filed by and against a competitor that sought to block importation of televisions incorporating the client’s chipsets.

Sutton has also dedicated his time to pro bono matters, involving the safety and rights of a class of foster care children in state custody, and access to certain accommodations for deaf and hard of hearing inmates, and representing a local small-business owner in a complex legal dispute. In one case where the client faced persistent barriers to settlement, Sutton persuaded the mediator to apply pressure on the adverse party to achieve a favorable resolution.

Sutton has given talks and led panels on various legal issues from IP procedure and practice to global IP trends.