Stephen takes a holistic approach to intellectual property, providing clients with comprehensive strategies on IP issues impacting their businesses.
Stephen is an IP strategist who often serves as clients’ first point of contact. He litigates IP issues, oversees patent and trademark portfolios, and advises on a wide variety of IP matters, leveraging IP law to solve business issues. Stephen regularly represents international clients and is highly knowledgeable about how U.S. IP law applies to foreign companies. Over the course of his career, his strategies have protected billions of dollars’ worth of client sales.
Stephen’s work includes IP protection, defense, and enforcement—in other words, any IP need a client might have. In addition to overseeing IP teams, he also assembles and manages teams to address additional legal matters for clients, from corporate transactions to real estate. A respected thought leader, he frequently publishes and presents on IP topics.
Stephen has appeared in many dozens of contested matters in federal district courts and courts of appeals throughout the country, as well as administrative bodies such as the International Trade Commission (ITC), the PTAB, and the TTAB. He has a proven track record of successfully litigating cases with hundreds of millions of dollars at stake. Formerly a software engineer and IT consultant, Stephen excels at breaking down complex concepts to educate and tell persuasive stories, whether to a court, an examiner, or to an opposing party.
Stephen has prepared and prosecuted thousands of patent applications in a wide range of technologies, including software, medical devices, industrial machinery, artificial intelligence (AI), control systems, networking, cryptography, robotics, aerospace, autonomous vehicles, blockchain, power storage/generation (batteries), green technology, fashion, materials, food science, biotech/pharma, and consumer products. His trademark practice includes a vast array of trademark enforcement and anti-counterfeiting policing for brand owners in industries such as fashion, software, biotech, and consumer products. He is regularly engaged for opinion work, including for non-infringement and invalidity issues, as well as licensing and IP due diligence for mergers and acquisitions.
Prior to joining the firm, Stephen practiced at several IP boutiques—the source of his unusually broad experience for a Big Law attorney. His work across the IP spectrum means he has numerous tools for solving business problems and takes a truly holistic view of clients’ IP issues. Stephen is a better litigator thanks to his prosecution experience, which helps him understand the nuts and bolts of the patents and trademarks at issue—and his perspective as a litigator helps him secure more strategic and valuable IP protection.