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Mark T. Stephenson
Partner Indianapolis
- E mstephenson@taftlaw.com
- T (317) 713-3597
- F (317) 713-3699
Summary
Mark is a registered patent attorney who provides intellectual property counsel to a wide variety of clients ranging from publicly traded, multinational companies to startups and individual inventors. With a broad experience base, he provides assistance and strategic guidance in the development of patent portfolios, both in the US and abroad. Given his ability to pivot to new technologies, Mark is also adept at on-boarding portfolios and seamlessly working with clients to achieve their business objectives.
Drawing upon his breadth of experiences Mark has coordinated patent coverage and directed foreign counsel in various jurisdictions around the world including China, Europe, India, Japan, Canada, United Kingdom, Brazil, and Singapore, and has served as U.S. counsel for applications in-bound from foreign-based clients. Mark also assists clients in assessing potential competitive threats as well as identifying promising patenting opportunities.
Prior to private practice, Mark worked for several years as an aerospace engineer at the NASA Dryden Flight Research Center (now NASA Armstrong) located at Edwards Air Force Base, Calif. While at NASA, he gained experience with a variety of feedback control system architectures, control system design techniques, fault detection and failure accommodation schemes, linear and nonlinear model development and analysis, simulations and V&V activities including hardware and aircraft-in-the-loop. Mark worked on a variety of flight projects either as a project engineer or as a technical reviewer. For many years he worked on the autonomous X-43A hypersonic vehicle, during which he served as NASA Dryden's Lead Flight Controls Engineer.
While at Purdue University, Mark was a member of the Tau Beta Pi - National Engineering Honor Society as well as Sigma Gamma Tau - National Aerospace Engineering Honor Society.
All Service Areas
All Industries
Education
- The University of New Hampshire School of Law (2005)
- Purdue University (1995)
B.S., Aeronautical and Astronautical Engineering
Admissions
- Federal - United States Patent and Trademark Office
- State - Indiana
Notable Matters
Representative Experience
- Performed freedom to operate studies with in-house engineering and legal teams
- In-depth patent prosecution experience including pre-filing search, office action advocacy, and appeals
- Drafted and reviewed IP provisions in nondisclosure agreements, purchase agreements, and joint venture agreements
- Audited patent portfolio for company spin-off
- Provided counseling to client regarding rogue inventors
- Developed patent strategy in light of competitor activities
Technical experience
Electrical/Computer Engineering
- Electric motor and electric generation systems
- Switchgear
- Power electronics
- Battery charging devices
- Fuel cells
- Software
Mechanical Engineering
- Refrigeration systems
- Diesel engines
- Turbochargers
- Medical devices
- Lubrication systems
- Locks and door closers
- Fuel injectors
- Bearings
- Coatings
Aerospace Engineering
- Nozzle systems
- Gas turbine engines
- Aircraft structures
- Targeting systems
- Composite structures
Data Science
- Machine learning and other Artificial Intelligence
- Application Program Interfaces
- Database development
- Web scraping
Control Engineering
- Autonomous vehicles
- Automatic controls
- Actuation systems
- Robotic systems
Other
Business Methods, including bid quote automation, distributed vehicle rental networks, and reward programs
News
Taft IP Growth Continues News
Taft Welcomes Four Intellectual Property Lateral Partners
Professional Affiliations
- American Intellectual Property Law Association
Member
- Indianapolis Bar Association
Member