Picture of R. Devin Ricci

R. Devin Ricci

Partner

Phone: 504.293.6523
Fax: 504.585.3051

devin.ricci@keanmiller.com
Download VCard Print This Profile

Devin represents all types of businesses regarding owning, monetizing, and safeguarding their intellectual property. He obtains and secures IP rights and litigates federal court disputes involving patents, trademarks, copyright infringement, and trade secret misappropriation. Among his clients are single inventors, artists, major oil companies, renewable energy companies, universities and research institutes, technology businesses, and service providers of all kinds involved in all stages of the commercial lifecycle.

As a registered patent attorney, Devin drafts and prosecutes U.S. patent applications and coordinates with international counsel for the prosecution of PCT applications to obtain foreign patent rights. He conducts patent prior art searches and provides design around opinions, non-infringement opinions, and freedom to operate opinions. Devin has helped clients secure and maintain patents in over 40 countries. Devin conducts trademark screening searches and prosecutes state, federal, and international trademark applications. He currently manages a selection of domestic and international client IP portfolios and drafts and negotiates critical IP licenses, assignments, and sales of IP assets.

Distinct from his IP practice, Devin also advises on the legalities of pipeline servitudes and expropriation rights. He negotiates, documents, and closes complex servitude agreements with landowners to obtain rights of way for pipeline projects and litigates expropriation suits to ensure and secure those rights. His highly focused experience includes conducting due diligence reviews of client and third-party servitude rights affecting industrial site projects and proven skill in negotiating and implementing letters of no objection (LONO’s) for pipeline and utility installation and crossings.

Each area of Devin’s practice is distinct yet interconnected. He approaches IP law with a keen eye for spotting issues and identifying risks. Moreover, his in-depth understanding of energy law and appreciation of the needs of each client bolster his persuasive contract negotiation, strong advocacy skills, and depth of aptitude for creative problem-solving.

Devin is a go-to advisor for energy, e-commerce, and other businesses across Louisiana because he is dedicated to safeguarding profitability through thoughtful development and vigilant protection tactics. Devin's clients return time and time again because of his ability to offer a distinctive blend of legal acumen and business pragmatism that is juxtaposed against an immersive understanding of the law and a litigator’s training and perspective.

Representative Experience
  • Representation of an e-commerce platform and affiliated BBQ grill manufacturing entity in all matters of intellectual property as well as in a joint sale of businesses to a private equity group
  • Representation of international oilfield operator in the defense of trade secret misappropriation and breach of contract claims related to software
  • Representation of an online marketing company in litigation alleging trade secret misappropriation, unfair trade practices, and breach of contract related to software
  • Representation of an artist in lawsuit asserting claims of copyright infringement against professional wrestler and international professional wrestling promotion entity
  • Representation of a major oilfield services provider in defense of allegations of patent infringement, trade secret misappropriation, and various business torts
  • Representation of a software development company in claims of trade secret misappropriation and unfair trade practices
  • Representation of a product manufacturer in trademark infringement litigation
  • Representation of publication companies in claims of copyright infringement related to advertisements
  • Representation of an engineering company in claims of copyright infringement
  • Representation of a national engineering company in response to allegations of trade secret misappropriation and copyright infringement related to use of schematics
  • Representation of numerous clients in the prosecution of patent rights in the United States Patent and Trademark Office, including a national oil and gas company, chemical companies, nanotechnology companies, three Louisiana universities, a national oceanographic institute and research facility, a major hunting industry manufacturer, companies providing services to the oilfield and energy sector, a manufacturer of BBQ and grilling equipment, an off-shore rig company, start-up companies, and independent investors
  • Representation of energy services company in asserting claims of patent infringement
  • Representation numerous companies in trademark opposition work (both asserting and in defense) in front of the Trademark Trials and Appeals Board 
  • Representations of toy manufacturer and separately an apparel company in claims of trade dress infringement
  • Representation of non-profit in claims of trademark infringement
  • Representation of collegiate test preparatory company in claims of copyright infringement and trade dress misappropriation
  • Representation of clients in the successful prosecution and maintenance of trademark applications in Louisiana, in the United States Patent and Trademark Office, and internationally through the Madrid Protocol and Madrid Agreement
  • Representation of clients in the successful prosecution and maintenance of patent applications in Louisiana, in the United States Patent and Trademark Office, and internationally through the Patent Cooperation Treaty
  • Representation of clients in the enforcement and defense of infringement actions by and against clients in the banking industry, oil and gas industry, recreational outdoors industry, and the hunting and outdoor recreation industry, for claims of patent infringement, trademark infringement, trade secret misappropriation, copyright infringement, among others
  • Conducted due diligence and drafted and negotiated IP contracts, including license agreements and contracts of sale or assignment, for clients of all sizes ranging from independent inventors to national corporations
  • Provided design around analysis and freedom to operate opinions on third-party patent rights for clients in numerous industries
  • Representation of startup companies in assessing and formulating strategies for addressing their IP needs, including the representation of an educational startup in trademark and copyright matters and the representation of a video game creator in copyright, trademark, and licensing matters
  • Representation of authors, artists, graphic designers, and poets in securing copyright registration
  • Representation of independent inventors in obtaining patent rights and the eventual sale and license of these rights to companies
  • Representation of a major oilfield company in litigation alleging trade secretion misappropriation, breach of contract, and various business torts
  • Represented clients in pipeline matters, including a global oil and gas company in negotiations and expropriation matters to obtain rights of way for large-scale pipeline project, a multi-national oil and gas company in negotiation of rights of way and construction agreements for installation and management of pipelines around its facility, and the conduction of a due diligence review for a multi-national oil and gas company’s pipeline assets to aid in creation of a commitment letter to obtain financing for a proposed project
  • Registered, monitors, and maintains international trademark portfolios in over 50 countries
  • Intellectual property due diligence in mergers and acquisitions
Education

  • LSU Law Center, J.D./B.C.L., magna cum laude, 2012
    • Member, Order of the Coif
    • Advocate and Board Member, Trial Advocacy Program
    • Recipient, William Crowne Scholar
  • Université Jean Moulin (Lyon III), Comparative Law, 2010
  • Louisiana State University, B.S., Biochemistry, cum laude, 2009
    • Student Researcher, Lab of Professor Vincent Licata
    • Student Body Senator, Basic Sciences

Admissions
  • Louisiana
  • Texas
  • United States Patent and Trademark Office
  • All Louisiana Federal District Courts
  • Southern District of Texas
  • Western District of Texas
  • United States Court of Appeals, Fifth Circuit
  • United States Court of Appeal, Federal Circuit
Memberships
  • Member, Baton Rouge Bar Association
  • Member, Louisiana State Bar Association
  • Member and Past Chair, Young Lawyers Divisions, American Bar Association
  • Member, Intellectual Property Division, American Bar Association
  • Member, Committee on Science and Technology, American Bar Association
  • Member, American Chemical Society
Articles, Publications and Presentations
Recognition
  • Best Lawyer," Copyright Law, The Best Lawyers in America, 2024
  • "Top Lawyer," New Orleans Magazine, 2023
  • "Band 1," Louisiana Intellectual Property, Chambers USA, 2023
  • "Rising Star," Louisiana Super Lawyers, 2016-2022
  • "Leadership in Law," New Orleans CityBusiness, 2022 and 2023
Community Service
  • Member, Chair, Super Region Committee, 2022, SoLa, 2019 to present
  • Founding Director and Secretary, Louisiana Pet Pantry (non-profit)
Super Lawyers
R. Devin Ricci Super Lawyers