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Dr. Loots is a partner in the San Francisco office. His practice focuses on client counseling, opinion and due diligence work, and patent preparation and prosecution in the chemical and molecular biology arts. He is also a member of the firm’s Post-Grant Proceedings group and has assisted clients in developing IPR strategies in the biotechnology space.
Dr. Loots assists startup companies in developing their core IP portfolios and mapping paths for their core products to proceed through the various patent landscapes that are relevant to their technological areas. Dr. Loots also actively manages and assists Fortune 500 companies with managing and developing strategies for their key technologies. Dr. Loots also represents clients in diagnostics, stem cell technologies, medical devices, next generation sequencing, amplification technologies, and the large molecule space (including antibodies and protein engineering).
Dr. Loots obtained his Ph.D. in Molecular and Cell Biology from U.C. Berkeley, with an emphasis on neuroscience and biophysics. His research focused on the structure/function relationship of ion channel gating and involved engineering various ion channels so that various fluorescent probes could be attached to observe the structural rearrangements of the ion channel as it passed through its various states. Dr. Loots attended Boalt Hall (U.C. Berkeley) for his law degree and has an undergraduate degree in chemistry.
- Named one of the "World's Leading Patent Professionals" in the Patent 1000 guide by Intellectual Asset Management (IAM) magazine for Prosecution (2015-2023). In the 2019 guide, he was noted as a “sought-after prosecutor, opinion giver and due diligence deliverer”.
- Named "IP Due Diligence Attorney of the Year in California" in Corporate INTL Global Awards in 2014.
- Named to the 2013 and 2014 "Northern California Rising Stars" lists by Super Lawyers magazine for his intellectual property practice.
Quoted in "Will Inter Partes Review Go Away? Supreme Court Weighs Fate," Pink Sheets (November 2017)
Quoted in "How Comprehensive Do IPR Decisions Have To Be?," Pink Sheets (November 2017)
Quoted in "Acorda's MS drug Ampyra strikes lawyers' debate over defence argument for Kyle Bass IPR challenge," BioPharm Insight (April 2016).
Quoted in "Second-round IPR institution success for Kyle Bass on Acorda’s Ampyra fuels lawyer debate on refiling strategy," BioPharm Insight (April 2016).
Quoted in "Biosimilars could follow route of authorised generics though technical, market hurdles draw timeline uncertainty," BioPharm Insight (March 2016).
PTAB Limits Scope Of Estoppel To Not Include Grounds Denied As Redundant (September 2015).
Quoted in "Kyle Bass’ IPR challenges could see some success due to nature of patents challenged - analysis," BioPharm Insight (May 2015).
Loots, E., Taylor, K. Lessons From The 1st Biopharma Inter Partes Reviews, Law 360 (April 2015).
Loots, E., Taylor, K. Garmin International, Inc. v. Cuozzo Speed Technologies, LLC—First IPR Decision Reviewed by Federal Circuit, JD Supra (February 2015).
Quoted in "Biologic innovators require proactive strategies to counter potential IPR challenges from biosimilar firms - lawyers", BioPharm Insight (2015).
Quoted in "FDA's First Biosimilar Approval Greeted With Optimism; Naming, Pricing Still Issues", Pharmaceutical Law & Industry Report, Bloomberg BNA (March 2015).
Quoted in "SCOTUS: Human Genes Cannot Be Patented. Is This the End or Beginning of Genetic Research?", JD Supra Legal Perspectives (June 2013).
Quoted in "Association for Molecular Pathology v Myriad: Attorneys React", BiotechBlog (May 2013).
Quoted in "High court ruling pushes schools to secure patents", San Francisco Business Times (January 2012).
But-for Therasense: a discussion of the possible impact of the 'but-for' standard in Therasense. Intellectual Property and Entertainment Law Committee Newsletter. Vol. 3, Issue 1 (October 2011).
Loots, E. The 2001 Written Description Guidelines and Gene Claims, 17 Berkeley Tech. L. J. 117 (2002).
Gandhi, Clark, Loots, Pralle, Isacoff. 2003. The orientation and molecular movement of a k(*) channel voltage-sensing domain. Neuron. 40(3): 515-25.
Guerrero, G., Siegel, M., Roska, B., Loots, E., and Isacoff E.Y. 2002. Tuning FlaSh: Redesign of the Dynamics, Voltage Range, and Color of the Genetically Encoded Optical Sensor of Membrane Potential. Biophysical Journal. 83:3607-3618.
Loots, E., and Isacoff, E.Y. 2000. Molecular Coupling of S4 to a K Channel’s Slow Inactivation Gate. Journal of General Physiology 116:623-636.
*Gandhi, C.S., *Loots, E., and Isacoff, E.Y. 2000. Reconstructing maps of K+ channel rearrangements from local protein motions. Neuron. 27:585-595.
Loots, E., and Isacoff, E.Y. 1998. Protein rearrangements underlying slow inactivation of the Shaker K+ channel. Journal of General Physiology 112:377-389.
Speeches & Seminars
Palindromic Patent Rights? The complexities of the CRISPR Patent Landscape; UC Riverside, April 2017
Offensive and Defensive Post Grant Strategies; Berkeley Center for Law and Technology, January 2017
Cost-Saving Techniques, Legal Updates & Best Practices for Obtaining and Managing Patents Worldwide, Knobbe Martens Seminar in conjunction with Oyen Wiggs Green & Mutala LLP, Michalski · Hüttermann & Partner Patent Attorneys mbB, and Beijing East IP Ltd., May 2016
USPTO’s After Final Consideration Pilot: Tips to Reach Allowance, Intellectual Property Owners Association (IPO) Webinar Series on Current Topics in IP, November 2015
Evolving Obstacles and Opportunities in the U.S. Market, NZBIO Annual Conference, September 2015
The Evolving World of Biosimilars, 2015 CALBIO Conference, March 2015
Information Technology and Biotechnology: New Pieces to the Patent Puzzle, Knobbe Martens IP Impact Silicon Valley Seminar, November 2014
Gene Therapy Ascending? Today's Advancements Over Past Hurdles, BIO Investor Forum, October 2014
Intellectual Property Essentials and Value Creation, Ag Innovation Showcase, September 2014
The Most Powerful Tool in Your Arsenal: Using Inter-Partes Review at the PTO to Revamp Branded and Biosimilar Litigation Strategies, ACI Biosimilars Conference, June 2014
Can I Still Get a Patent on That? Best Practices for Protecting Innovations in the Software, High Technology and Biotech Industries, IP Impact Silicon Valley Seminar, September 2013
Commercializing University Research and the "America Invents Act", Berkeley Postdoc Entrepreneur Program (BPEP), September 2013
Preparing for Biosimilars: Key Points for Participating in the U.S. Regulatory Framework, Knobbe Martens Webinar Series, July 2013
Best practices following the implementation of the America Invents Act, QED at QB3 Seminar, May 2013
A Practitioner's Guide to Recent Developments in Patent Term Adjustment (PTA), The AIA Technical Corrections Act, AIPLA, May 2013
Patent Term Adjustment: Latest Developments, IPO's IP Chat Channel, January 2013
A Diagnosis for Diagnostics, BIO Investor Forum, San Francisco, October 2012
Maximizing Value...Protecting and Paying for IP, NZBIO, New Zealand, March 2012
Monetizing Your Intellectual Property: Protecting Ideas that Generate Income, Immunology (American Association of Immunologists), April 2011
Engineering Your Way Through Biotechnology, Chinese Institute of Engineers/USA-SF 32nd Annual Conference, March 2011