Press Releases
CHICAGO - Brinks Hofer Gilson & Lione, one of the largest intellectual property law firms in the United States, is pleased to announce its newly-named Board of Directors for 2010. The board members are:
Thomas J. Filarski - Mr. Filarski is chair of the firm’s Chemical Group and his practice centers on litigation in patent, Hatch-Waxman, trade secret and International Trade Commission law. He represents companies in the pharmaceutical, medical device, biotech, chemical, electro-chemical and mechanical industries. He has been named to the 2010 edition of The Best Lawyers in America, is an "Illinois Super Lawyer" in Intellectual Property Litigation for five consecutive years and a "Leading Intellectual Property Lawyer" by the Leading Lawyers Network for the past three years. He was featured in the Business Edition of Leading Lawyers Network magazine in January 2009. Mr. Filarski has previously served on the firm's Board of Directors and Executive Committee, and he has spoken at patent, ITC and litigation forums, including programs sponsored by Oxford University, the University of Southern California, East China University and ACI. He recently authored the 2009 Cumulative Supplement chapter 25, "Patent Defenses," in BNA Books' 2005 Patent Litigation Series Handbook, now in its second edition. He is a charter member of the Richard Linn American Inn of Court chapter in Chicago and serves on the Board of Trustees for the Licensing Executives Society, where he held the office of secretary for the past four years and is now serving as treasurer. Mr. Filarski received his Bachelor’s degree in Chemistry from Loyola University-Chicago and his M.S. in Chemical Engineering from Michigan Technological University, Houghton, Michigan. He earned his J.D. from DePaul University College of Law, Chicago, in 1986.
Joseph H. Hetz - Mr. Hetz practices law in the areas of patent prosecution and non-infringement/invalidity opinions with a technical concentration in memory devices, Internet/e-commerce inventions, telecommunication systems, semiconductor devices and medical devices. He has prosecuted more than a 1,000 patent applications in the U.S. and international patent offices, and is one of the elite few patent attorneys ever to be involved in a public use proceeding before the United States Patent and Trademark Office. Mr. Hetz has also been involved in re-examination and re-issue proceedings and has filed numerous protests. In 2009, he was named to the “Illinois Super Lawyers, Rising Stars” list. He has served as an Adjunct Professor of Law, Patent Prosecution, at Valparaiso University School of Law in 2007 and 2008, and at Loyola University Chicago School of Law in 2009. He heads to the Northwestern University School of Law in Spring 2010 to perform Adjunct Professor of Law duties in Patent Prosecution. Mr. Hetz earned his B.S. degree in Electrical Engineering from Northwestern University in 1993, and received his J.D. from the University of Michigan School of Law in 1996.
Harold V. Johnson - Mr. Johnson’s practice includes litigation in patents, trade secrets, unfair competition and antitrust, patent prosecution and counseling in all areas of intellectual property. His primary focus is patent litigation and counseling in a wide range of disciplines including medical devices, semiconductor technology, computer hardware and software, optical storage discs automotive systems and various consumer products. Prior to joining Brinks in 1984, he was an engineer for General Electric Company in Pittsfield, Massachusetts, where he was responsible for various national defense projects, including the design, installation and support of a multiplexed computer simulation system. Mr. Johnson received his B.S. in electrical engineering from Michigan Technical University and his J.D., cum laude, from Albany Law School of Union University.
Robert S. Mallin - Mr. Mallin has litigation experience in a variety of patent and trademark cases, including first chair jury trial matters, arbitration proceedings and ITC proceedings. He has prepared for and participated in preliminary injunction proceedings and Markman hearings. He has successfully used the reexamination process in the PTO to invalidate patents and avoid costly litigation for his clients. He has further represented and counseled clients in matters involving patent holding companies. Mr. Mallin counsels clients on licensing, patentability, freedom to operate and validity matters. He also has significant patent prosecution experience, including experience in interference proceedings, patent prosecution and counseling, including the use of reexamination to invalidate a patent during litigation; providing; and licensing. He is knowledgeable in such technical areas as metallurgical processing, electromechanical inventions, mechanical inventions, chemical processing, optical fiber connectors, thermoplastic adhesives, and the automotive and biotechnology industries. Mr. Mallin received his B.S. in chemical engineering from the University of Illinois and his J.D. from Loyola University Chicago School of Law.
Mark H. Remus - Mr. Remus, whose practice focuses on intellectual property litigation, has represented Fortune 500 companies and innovative businesses in district courts throughout the U.S. since 1997, when he joined Brinks. He has successfully represented his clients in jury trials and in appeals to the Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit and the Supreme Court of the United States. He has litigation experience in the pharmaceutical, electrical, chemical and mechanical arts, and he also counsels clients on pre- and post-trial strategy. Mr. Remus has rendered a broad array of validity, infringement and enforceability opinions on patents related to many areas of technology. He is licensed to practice before the United States Patent and Trademark Office and has successfully obtained dozens of valuable patents for his clients. In 2006, Mr. Remus was named to Law Bulletin's "Forty Illinois Attorneys Under 40 to Watch" and was selected as one of the Illinois Super Lawyers’ “Rising Stars” in 2008 and 2009. Mr. Remus has lectured at several law schools, including the University of Illinois College of Law, The George Washington University Law School and The John Marshall Law School. He is a member of the American Bar Association’s Intellectual Property Law Section and Litigation Section, American Intellectual Property Law Association, Intellectual Property Law Association of Chicago, Intellectual Property Owners Association and the Richard Linn American Inn of Court. Mr. Remus received his B.S. in Chemical Engineering, with distinction, from the University of Illinois in 1994, and graduated with his J.D., cum laude, from the University of Illinois College of Law in 1997.
Gary M. Ropski - Mr. Ropski is president of Brinks and has practiced intellectual property law exclusively since joining the firm in 1976. His practice now focuses on litigation, but has included patent prosecution and litigation; trademark prosecution, including oppositions and litigation; trade dress litigation; copyright registration and litigation; trade secret litigation; right of publicity counseling and litigation; and, related unfair competition and antitrust matters in federal and state courts. He has received numerous awards, including being named as a Leading Illinois Intellectual Property Lawyer by Chambers USA for four consecutive years and one of the Top 10 Leading Lawyers for Business in Illinois by the Leading Lawyers Network. Mr. Ropski has also been recognized as an Illinois Super Lawyer in Intellectual Property Litigation and was named one of the Top 10 Super Lawyers in Illinois in 2006 and 2007. He received his B.S. in physics from Carnegie-Mellon University and his J.D., cum laude, from Northwestern University School of Law.
James R. Sobieraj - Mr. Sobieraj is chair of the firm’s Litigation Group and has more than 25 years of experience in the procurement, licensing and enforcement of intellectual property rights. He has been lead counsel in many cases involving patent infringement, ownership of patent rights, license disputes, misappropriation of trade secrets, trade dress infringement, unfair competition, false advertising, defamation, fraud and antitrust. His litigation experience includes bench and jury trials, temporary restraining orders, preliminary injunctions, Markman hearings, appeals and various forms of alternate dispute resolution. He has represented companies in a variety of technologies including analog and digital electronics, microprocessors, electrical and optical connectors, avionics, robotics, software, e-commerce, electromechanical transducers and control circuits, medical devices, pharmaceuticals, infant formula, microporous filter membranes, food sterilization, hydraulics, automotive components, carbon block filters, chemical compositions, packaging material, and various consumer goods. He was named to The Best Lawyers in America in 2007 and 2010, and has been recognized on “Illinois Super Lawyers, Intellectual Property Litigation” list every year since 2005. Mr. Sobieraj has also been listed in the Euromoney Guide to the World's Leading Patent Law Experts in 2005 and 2009, and was named a “Leading Intellectual Property Lawyer” in the Law Bulletin’s Leading Lawyers Network in 2004-2007 and 2009. He is a member of the Licensing Executives Society, currently participating as an “International Delegate,” and is a member on the Board of Directors of the Licensing Executives Society Foundation. He is also a member of the Licensing Executives Society International and has served as Vice Chair on its Dispute Resolution Committee since 2005. He is a past president of the Intellectual Property Law Association of Chicago and is active on the Board of Directors for both the National Inventors Hall of Fame, Inc., and the National Inventors Hall of Fame Foundation. He also is involved in the American Intellectual Property Law Association, Richard Linn American Inn of Court, The Lawyers Club of Chicago, the Intellectual Property Owners Association, Union League Club of Chicago, and Chicago Volunteer Legal Services. Mr. Sobieraj graduated with a B.S. in Electrical Engineering, magna cum laude, from the University of Michigan and continued his education at the University of Michigan Law School where he received his J.D. in 1982. Mr. Sobieraj is a member of Tau Beta Pi and Eta Kappa Nu honor societies and was the recipient of a University of Michigan Alumni Award presented to the “Outstanding Engineering Student” in 1979.
Mr. Hetz, Mr. Johnson and Gary M. Ropski, the firm’s president, will serve on the firm’s Executive Committee for 2010, along with chief operating officer, Bruce Weisseg, and firm counsel and shareholder, John K. Lucas.
The new group chairs include:
Craig A. Summerfield – named Chair of the firm’s Electrical & Computer Group;
James P. Naughton – named Chair of the firm’s Green Technology Group; and
Richard A. Kaplan – named Chair of the firm’s Trade Secrets Group.
Additionally, the new committee chairs are:
Marc V. Richards - named Chair of the firm’s Client Service Committee;
Vincent J. Gnoffo - named Chair of the Pro Bono Committee; and
David S. Fleming - named Chair of the Strategic Planning Committee.
Brinks Hofer Gilson & Lione is one of the largest intellectual property law firms in the United States and serves the intellectual property needs of clients around the world. Brinks has more than 180 attorneys, scientific advisors and patent agents who specialize in intellectual property litigation and all aspects of patent, trademark and copyright law. The firm also advises on issues relating to intellectual asset management, trade secret, unfair competition, and technology and licensing agreements. Brinks routinely handles assignments for companies in the electrical, chemical, and mechanical engineering sectors; the biotechnology, pharmaceutical and nanotechnology industries; and for companies whose work relates to Internet and computer technology law. The firm's trademark practice works on behalf of clients who deal in a wide variety of products and services. Founded in 1917, Brinks is based in Chicago and has five additional offices across the country, including its new office in Washington DC.
