Stephen C. Durant practices in the area of intellectual property law with a focus on obtaining and structuring patent portfolios and counseling on intellectual property law issues in support of business strategies, litigation and corporate finance transactions. Mr. Durant has served as primary outside patent counsel for numerous high technology clients. Mr. Durant continues to personally prepare and prosecute patent applications and supervises and leads teams of patent specialists on behalf of clients in high-tech industries, including computer software, optics, business methods, wireless communications, computer architecture, electronic circuits, chip design software, network switching technologies, holography, motion picture animation and MEMS.

Admitted to practice in California and before the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office, Mr. Durant is a 1981 graduate of Cornell Law School and a 1978 graduate of the University of Notre Dame (B.S.E.E.).

Areas Of Practice

Intellectual Property Law
Patent Prosecution
Patent Reexaminations
IP Counseling
IP Litigation
IP Portfolio Management
IP Transactions

Professional Activities

Silicon Valley Intellectual Property Law Association
- President, 1995
American Intellectual Property Association
- Arbitration and Mediation Committee
Intellectual Property Owners
- Arbitration and Mediation Committee
-- Subcommittee Chair for Seminars
San Francisco Intellectual Property Law Association
American Bar Association
Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers
Early Neutral Evaluator (Patent Cases), U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California
- 1995-present

Admissions

California
U.S. Patent and Trademark Office

Education

Cornell Law School, J.D., 1981
University of Notre Dame, B.S.E.E., 1978

Selected Publications

Co-Editor, Electronics and Software Patents, Law and Practice, Second Edition, published by Bureau of National Affairs, Inc., Washington, D.C., 2005 (Co-editor of first edition, 1999)
"Patents in Cyberspace: Implications of Recent Federal Circuit Decisions," The Computer Lawyer, January 1995
"Patent Protection for Computer User Interfaces," The Computer Lawyer, May 1989
Co-author, "Protection for the Appearance of Useful Articles Under a Patent Approach," American Bar Association, Section of the Patent Trademark and Copyright Law, 1982 Summary of Proceedings, Appendix, pp. 194-201

Selected Speaking Engagements

"Prosecuting a Patent That Holds Up in Litigation," Practising Law Institute's Patent Litigation 2008, San Francisco, September 23, 2008
"Fundamentals of Patent Prosecution 2008: A Boot Camp for Claim Drafting and Amendment Writing," Practising Law Institute, San Francisco, July 2008
"Patent Litigation-Preparing and Prosecuting a Patent That Holds Up in Litigation," Practising Law Institute, San Francisco, September 2005, 2006 and 2007
"Preparing Patent Legal Opinions-Opinions of Counsel as a Defense to Willfulness," Practising Law Institute, San Francisco, October 2003 and 2004
"How Patents Can Protect Software-Practical Tips for Compiling a Software Patent Portfolio," Law Seminars International, San Francisco, August 6, 2004
"Software Patents and IP Issues in the Internet," Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FICCI), New Delhi, India, March 1, 2004
"Patenting Software and Computer Related Inventions," hosted by CII, Bangalore, India, March 2, 2004
"Patent Practice in the Aftermath of Festo-Preparation and Prosecution of Patent Applications," Practising Law Institute, San Francisco, September 2002
"E-Commerce and Shifting Balances in Patent Law," IEEE Communications, July 2000
"Patent Protection for Inventions that Use Mathematical Algorithms," Intellectual Property Section of the State Bar of California, 18th Annual Intellectual Property Law Institute, November 6-7, 1993
"Patent Protection for Computer User Interface Technology," Intellectual Property Section of the State Bar of California, Intellectual Property Tactics and Strategies for Software, May 18, 1990
"Effective Use of Means Plus Function Elements in Patent Claims," AIPLA 1990 Basic Computer and Electronic Practice Seminar, Newark, New Jersey, 1990