Biography
Steven’s vast experience covers almost every aspect of IP matters. He is an experienced automotive engineer, and his technical expertise includes mechanical, electro-mechanical, electrical, and software technologies. He has prepared and prosecuted more than 350 original patent applications for mechanical and electrical devices, business and manufacturing methods, and computer-implemented systems.
Steven’s IP fortes also include negotiating and preparing technology agreements, conducting clearance investigations, and rendering opinions on patent infringement, validity, and novelty. His trademark expertise includes procuring registrations and rendering opinions on availability and registrability. Steven particularly enjoys helping inventors flesh out inventions to add value to patents and assisting clients’ designs around competitor patents. He regularly interviews patent office examiners to facilitate prosecution and has an exceptional record of appeal.
Steven has a Juris Doctor degree from Wayne State University Law School and a Bachelor of Science in Manufacturing Systems Engineering from the General Motors Institute, now Kettering University. He was named a “Rising Star” by Michigan Super Lawyers® three years in a row.
Bar Admissions
- State of Texas
- State of Michigan
- District of Columbia
- Commonwealth of Virginia
- U.S. Patent and Trademark Office
- U.S. District Court
Distinctions
- Super Lawyers® Rising Star – 2010–11, 2011–12, 2012–13
- Inventor of U.S. Patents: 6,196,682; 6,679,604; 6,857,738
Education
- Wayne State University Law School (Juris Doctor, 2001)
- Kettering University (Bachelor of Science, Engineering, 1993)
- Tau Beta Pi
- Scholar, National Society of Professional Engineers
Memberships and Associations
- American Intellectual Property Law Association
- Michigan Intellectual Property Law Association
- State Bar of Michigan, Intellectual Property Law Section
Professional Experience
- Associate at Wilmer, Cutler & Pickering (now Wilmer Hale)
- Patent agent of VanOphem Meehan & VanOphem
- Engineer at Ford Motor Company
- Intern at General Motors Corporation
- Patents in:
- Powertrain controls
- Vehicle exteriors, interiors and electronics
- Fuel cells
- Aerospace equipment
- Electric fuel pumps
- Nano-technology microscopes and software
- Speech recognition and vehicle telematics
Technology Specialties
- Mechanical and electrical devices
- Business and manufacturing methods
- Computer-implemented systems
Publications & Presentations
- “Best MODE: A Plea to Repair or Sacrifice This Broken Requirement of United States Patent Law,” published in University of Michigan Telecommunications, Technology Law Review, 2003
- “Patent Law Best Mode: Reports of Its Death Are Greatly Exaggerated,” published in Intellectual Property Today, 2012