Rob Faris

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Rob Faris is widely respected for his creative problem-solving and his passion to understanding how things work.

To protect your company’s most valuable technology, you need a patent lawyer you can trust who (1) genuinely wants to help you and will work hard for you, (2) conscientiously approaches each task with creativity and determination, (3) enjoys people and working with others, (4) has a deep intellectual curiosity about how things work, (5) is a good writer and communicator, (6) appreciates the tremendous potential value of patents and how to make them useful business tools and “battle ready” for litigation, and (7) has the experience and depth of knowledge to help solve your hardest IP problems.

For over 35 years, Rob has been helping clients achieve their IP goals. Rob’s intellectual curiosity to learn how things work is a constant motivation in his life’s activities.  He’s fascinated by electronic circuit design, antenna radiation patterns, high performance computer architectures, encryption, visual computing, artificial intelligence, communications protocols, aeronautical control systems, network discovery and protocols, digital rights management, internal combustion engine management, virtual reality, sensor technology, and more.  On many weekends, you can find Rob rebuilding a boat engine carburetor, repairing an oil pump, reprogramming a handheld radio or trying a new recipe for an IPA.

Rob has devoted his career to crafting strategic patent disclosures that communicate complex concepts in simple understandable ways.   Rob believes patents should be written for various audiences including patent examiners, federal judges and juries, investors and potential adversaries/competitors.  Many patents Rob has drafted and/or prosecuted have been asserted in litigation or licensing.  See for example:

Rob brings to patent drafting and prosecution his long experience in what works and does not work when asserting patents.  Although not a trial lawyer, Rob has always been fascinated by the complexities of interfaces between complex technology and decision-making in the federal courts and administrative agencies. He has been part of trial teams in Texas, California, Virginia, Washington, Delaware, Ohio, North Carolina, Georgia and Pennsylvania and the International Trade Commission. In these cases, Rob was privileged to work alongside some of the finest trial lawyers in the United States. Rob’s typical role in these cases involved working with expert witnesses and developing cross-examination.

Rob has helped a diverse range of clients from large multinational corporations to high tech startups to independent inventors. Rob represents high tech clients from all over the world including Europe, South America, Japan, China and the United States. 

Rob is an Eagle Scout and Scoutmaster who is dedicated to the power of teams and the critical importance of strong values and diversity.  He has co-authored a book “Working the Patrol Method: A Scout Leader’s Guide to Youth Leadership Training” that has made an important contribution to how to teach our young men and women to be leaders.  His goal has been to train America’s future leaders, one scout at a time.

Experience

  • Drafting and prosecuting patents since 1983
  • Patents Rob drafted and/or prosecuted have been widely licensed
  • Participated in four jury trials and several ITC hearings
  • Licensing agreements and counseling
  • Patents
    • Preparation and Prosecution
    • Post-Grant Proceedings
    • Due Diligence
    • Domestic and Worldwide Portfolio Management
    • Enforcement
    • PTAB Practice
    • Opinions & Counseling
  • IP Litigation
    • Patents
    • IPRs, PGRs, CBMs, Reexams, and Derivations
    • Trade Secrets
    • Copyright
  • Copyright
    • Counseling
    • Clearance and Registration
  • IP Transactions, Agreements, and Trade Secrets
    • Licensing, Sales, and Assignments
    • Non-Disclosure Agreements
    • Due Diligence
    • IP Audits
  • Virginia
  • District of Columbia
  • U.S. Patent and Trademark Office
  • U.S. Supreme Court
  • U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit
  • U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit
  • U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia
  • U.S. International Trade Commission
  • B.S.E.E. in Electrical Engineering, University of Connecticut , 1981
  • J.D., summa cum laude, University of Notre Dame Law School, 1983
  • Washington DC Best Lawyers 2018 and preceding years
  • IEEE; ACM; NESA; ARRL

Get To Know Rob

Where can you be found outside the office?

On the hiking trail.

What's your greatest accomplishment?

Working with my wife of 30+ years to build our family.

What inspires you?

Kindness.