Shawn O’Dowd focuses his practice on patent prosecution, counseling, inter partes reviews, and litigation. He has extensive experience before the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office, helping clients navigate all aspects involved in the preparation and prosecution of patent applications.

Recognized as a leading patent professional by Intellectual Asset Management magazine in 2018, Shawn has represented clients ranging from start-ups to Fortune 500 companies in the transportation, automotive, construction, energy, and financial services industries. His practice covers a variety of electrical and computer technologies from microprocessor system design and bus architecture to semiconductor chip fabrication and Internet applications.

Shawn was previously a partner in the Washington, D.C., office of Kenyon & Kenyon LLP, which eventually became part of Hunton Andrews Kurth LLP. With nearly three decades of experience, Shawn has successfully represented his clients in the following matters:

• A multinational automotive manufacturer in prosecuting numerous patent applications before the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office. Over two years, his client was awarded more than 500 patents.
• A computer hard drive manufacturer in multi-district patent infringement suit involving disk drive technology and a separate suit involving computer tape drives.
• An e-commerce corporation in analyzing, evaluating and counseling on thousands of patents and patent portfolios.
• A manufacturer and supplier of microscopy instruments and solutions in litigation involving atomic force microscopy.
• A global medical technology leader in an arbitration proceeding involving patents related to optical scanning and analysis of mammography films.
• A multinational corporation and technology company in a patent infringement lawsuit over localized oxidation of semiconductor in chip fabrication and bar code scanning.
• One of the largest electronic design automation corporations in prosecuting its patent applications before the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office.

Shawn has represented a number of clients — including an international software company, a national banking institution and a start-up security company — in the development and management of their patent portfolio. He also provides client counseling on licensing, patent procurement, patent portfolio categorization, and other intellectual property matters.

Earlier in his career, Shawn worked as a systems engineer intern on the TRIDENT submarine’s command and control system, and was a research assistant in IBM’s intellectual property law department. He earned his Juris Doctor degree from The George Washington University Law School, and a Bachelor of Science degree in electrical engineering from Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University.

Shawn is based in the firm’s Washington, D.C., office, and is a member of the American Bar Association, American Intellectual Property Law Association and the Intellectual Property Owners Association.