Mark J. Patterson

Of Counsel

Mark Patterson has over 40 years of experience counseling clients in the protection, management, and enforcement of intellectual property rights, including patent and trademark prosecution and licensing. As a former electronics design engineer, Mark works regularly with complex electronic, computer, and electro-mechanical technologies. He has managed patent and trademark portfolios for clients with significant domestic and global operations. Mark began his legal career as a litigator and for 30 years tried numerous cases and argued appeals in both state and federal courts. He was an adjunct professor at Vanderbilt Law School and has provided expert witness services in a variety of intellectual property disputes. He applies all of this experience in providing cost-effective, strategic IP advice to businesses throughout the U.S.

Affiliations

American Intellectual Property Law Association
International Trademark Association
Nashville Bar Association
Tennessee Bar Association
Tennessee Intellectual Property Law Association

Rankings & Recognition

Best Lawyers® Nashville’s “Lawyer of the Year” awards: 2012, 2014 (IP Litigation); 2013, 2015 (Patent Litigation); 2016 (Patent Law); and 2017 (Trade Secrets Law)
Best Lawyers in America – Intellectual Property 2011-2022
BusinessTN Magazine as one of Tennessee’s Top 150 Lawyers, 2008–2010
Nashville Post as one of the 101 Top Attorneys in Nashville, 2011
National Law Journal as one of 2012 Tennessee’s Top Lawyers
Thomson-Reuters Mid-South Super Lawyers List, 2006–2021

Experience

CAREER HIGHLIGHTS

Assisted clients in obtaining over 450 U.S. patents.
Manages the domestic and international patent and trademark portfolios for industry leaders in power electronics, high-efficiency lighting, renewable energy systems, and vehicle service equipment.
Negotiated and drafted worldwide patent licenses for a cutting-edge portfolio of digital power patents.
Successfully represented clients in several critical patent and trademark disputes.
Taught courses in patent law, trademark law, trade secret law, and patent prosecution at Vanderbilt Law School 1986 – 2013
Designed analog and digital circuits and communications systems for Motorola as a senior electronics design engineer from 1973 to 1977.

REPRESENTATIVE PATENTS

9,941,784 Power factor correction current sense with shunt switching circuit
9,913,354 Unpowered tuning interface circuit for an LED driver
9,913,346 Surge protection system and method for an LED driver
9,913,335 LED driver circuit with three level step dimming interface
9,894,718 Constant current source LED driver circuit with self-clamped output
9,893,609 Method to operate a resonant converter at a characteristic frequency of the power stage
9,866,145 Control of leakage currents in systems with a plurality of parallel inverters
9,844,118 AC LED driver circuit
9,842,683 Bobbin and E-core assembly configuration and method for E-cores and EI-cores
9,837,920 Commutation current steering method in a zero volt switching power converter using a synchronous rectifier
9,837,913 Control method to avoid capacitive mode switching for resonant converters
9,352,727 Automated Tire Inflation Apparatus
9,064,389 Intelligent Sensor for an automated inspection system
9,225,692 Method and system for protected transmission of files
9,200,976 Sonar method and apparatus for determining material interfaces in wheel servicing equipment

Presentations & Publications

PRESENTATIONS

CLE Panelist on “Recent Developments in Copyright Law,” Nashville Bar Association, 2002
Panel Member—Use of Expert Witnesses in Patent Cases, Tennessee Intellectual Property Law Association, 2002
Panel Member—Ethical and Legal Aspects of Patents, Copyrights, Trademark and Trade Secrets, Professional Development Seminars, 2002
Annual Convention of the Post Card and Souvenir Distributors Association, 1991, 1995, 2001
Williamson County Bar Association CLE Seminar on Intellectual Property Issues in Commercial Transactions, 2000
Belmont University Peer Learning Forum, Patent Protection for Business Methods, 2000
Tennessee Bar Association CLE seminar on the Uniform Trade Secrets Act, 2000
Guest lecturer for graduate students, Vanderbilt University School of Engineering, Management of Technology program, 1995–2001

PUBLICATIONS

Contributing author to MacLean, Tennessee Legal Forms Computer Law and Patent Forms, West Publishing Co., St. Paul, MN

Outside the Office

Mark Patterson is a true Renaissance man, with his knowledge ranging from the most nutritious red wine to ham radio equipment and protocols.