Joseph (Joe) Swan has practiced in the areas of intellectual property and transactional law since 1992, representing a variety of clients from Fortune 500 companies to start-ups. His practice primarily focuses on patent law and includes: preparing and prosecuting utility and design patent applications; successfully appealing Examiner decisions (before both the USPTO’s Patent Trial and Appeal Board and the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit); conducting patentability investigations and patent analyses; and preparing noninfringement opinions. In addition to securing patents, Joe also has significant experience in preparing and negotiating a variety of patent and technology-related agreements, including licenses, assignment agreements, software-development agreements, and nondisclosure agreements.

His technical areas of expertise include:

• Video and image processing
• Signal processing
• Imaging devices
• Printers and scanners
• Wireless communications
• Computer systems
• Mobile devices
• Software
• Internet services
• Integrated circuits
• Artificial intelligence and machine learning

Prior to his legal career, Joe worked as an engineer for Hughes Aircraft in Southern California, first as a systems engineer on the turret stabilized platform for the forward-looking infrared system of the A-6E Intruder aircraft, then as a software developer, implementing radar signal-processing algorithms on a proprietary pipeline signal processor, and finally, managing the overall development and testing of a radar-based tracking system on the Stealth bomber. Also while there, Joe was selected for the company’s corporate fellowship program, pursuant to which he rotated through different departments within the company, each focused on a different area of technology, and also earned his Master’s degree in electrical engineering, with a specialization in signal and image processing, from the University of Southern California (USC). Eventually, Joe left Hughes to earn his law degree from Columbia University School of Law. He began his legal career as a corporate and real estate transactional attorney with top national law firms. Then, merging his technology background, his corporate experience, and his devotion to helping clients create value, Joe transitioned his practice to patent prosecution and patent/technology-related transactions.

PROFESSIONAL MEMBERSHIP

• California Lawyers Association – IP section

PUBLISHED APPELLATE DECISION

• In re Maatita, 900 F.3d 1369 (Fed. Cir. 2018)