Knobbe Martens Olson & Bear, LLP is pleased to announce that partner Paul Stewart has been selected by The National Law Journal as one of just 50 “Intellectual Property Trailblazers” featured in its 2016 second annual list of attorneys who impacted copyright law, patent law, or made pivotal improvements in intellectual property law.
Stewart represents clients in all types of intellectual property disputes involving a vast array of technologies and products, including medical devices, semiconductor processing, computer systems, computer software, and telecommunications. Stewart’s cases have also involved representing clients in non-technical disputes relating to trademarks, trade dress, and copyrights.
The publication was looking for “legal professionals who have moved the needle in the intellectual property space.” Stewart was chosen based on his successful representation of a dozen major law firms as amici curiae in Maling v. Finnegan Henderson Farabow Garrett & Dunner LLP (Mass. 2015). The issue in the case was whether a law firm has a conflict of interest when it represents two clients seeking to obtain patents in the same field of technology. The Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court’s opinion borrowed heavily from the language and reasoning presented in Stewart’s amicus brief and concluded that it was not a conflict of interest for a firm to represent both clients in these circumstances. The Massachusetts court thus validated the long-standing and widespread practice among U.S. patent lawyers as to representation of clients in the same technology area.
In its “IP Trailblazer” profile of Stewart, The National Law Journal highlighted his extraordinary leadership on the issue. The court ruling preserves the ability of patent firms to continue developing expertise in technologies by representing more than one client in a technological area. This enables clients to retain patent prosecutors who have the technology experience that the clients need.
You can read The National Law Journal’s profile of Paul Stewart here
About Knobbe Martens
With over 300 lawyers and scientists nationwide, Knobbe Martens Olson & Bear LLP dedicates its practice to all aspects of intellectual property law including litigation. Consistently ranked among the top intellectual property firms worldwide, Knobbe Martens serves a diverse group of clients from multinational corporations to emerging businesses of all stages. Headquartered in Orange County, California, Knobbe Martens also has offices in San Diego, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Silicon Valley, Seattle and Washington, D.C. More information about the firm can be found at www.knobbe.com.