Polsinelli’s Electrical Engineering and Computer Science practice includes over 50 attorneys as well as paralegals, patent agents and scientists. Professionals in the practice have extensive experience in all aspects of complex patent prosecution for clients ranging from startups to Fortune 100 companies. As a subset of the larger Intellectual Property group at Polsinelli, members of the practice are also regularly involved in patent litigation, licensing and due diligence related to investments, mergers and acquisitions and other transactions. Multiple Polsinelli attorneys in this practice area have received individual national recognition in the IAM Patent 1000, and the team as a whole received a national ranking in both Patent and Technology Law from U.S. News & World Report 2022 “Best Law Firms.” We were also included on three of Juristat’s 2021 reports for having one of the best track records against difficult examiners, ranking No. 4 on the list of firms that most often prosecuted in front of difficult examiners, and named one of the Top Patent Firms in 2021 for exceptional performance in the USPTO’s Technology Center 2400: Computer Networks, Multiplex, Cable and Cryptography/Security.

Attorneys and professionals in the practice are equipped with technical experience and background to assist clients in strategically developing a patent portfolio covering any electrical engineering or software-based technology, both nationally and/or internationally. The members of the group also regularly work in areas that cross into other disciplines. Additionally, members of the group frequently obtain international IP protection on behalf of our clients using a trusted network of foreign associates. We filed 3,885 foreign patent applications in the past five years. Primary jurisdictions include WIPO, EPO, Canada, Australia, China, Japan and India.

Representative technologies handled by the practice include:

• All aspects of standards-based technology such as video compression, audio compression, and wireless technologies (LTE, WiFi, W-CDMA, 4G, 5G, etc.)
• Cloud computing technologies
• Virtualization
• Network components
• Content delivery networking
• Telecommunications technologies
• Vehicle technologies
• Network security technologies
• Speech processing
• Photonic waveguide choke joints
• Microelectronics
• Data storage
• Methods of fabricating superconducting circuitry
• Various technologies for refueling satellites in space
• Financial and payment technologies
• Encryption  

Our approach to client service includes not only understanding the technology itself but also how it fits into our clients’ overall business objectives. We believe the best client service exists in three parts, ability, availability, and affability. We know many are able to do the job and many are available to do the job, but who is affable? Who will make the experience enjoyable through a common interest or experience?

Our practice is diverse in almost every way, including technical backgrounds, degrees, experiences, ethnicity and gender. For example, 50% of the team is ethnically diverse, and 33% are women (almost all of whom are very active in our Women in IP (WIP) activities). The varied interests and experiences of our team members include:

• A former Senior Patent Examiner for the USPTO, who used their background in music composition to help a leading technology company secure patents for its music creation and studio software;
• Developers of our own in-house patent drafting tool, PatentCAD (patent pending);
• A named inventor on two issued patents for magnetic heads used in tape drivers; and
• An avid gamer who has used their interest in retro computing to advise work related to inventions involving signal processing concepts.

At Polsinelli, we believe that diversity in thought, experience, and people is what a law firm should be.