Bob Carlson

Bob concentrates his practice on intellectual property strategy, counseling and litigation in federal trial and appellate courts nationwide. With over two decades of partner-level experience in patent, trademark, copyright and trade secret matters, Bob is well versed in acquisition, enforcement and management of a client’s IP portfolio.

Bob began his legal career in 1982 with a Colorado firm, defending industrial clients in technical product liability litigation. In 1991 Bob moved his practice to a national patent law firm based in Seattle. As a partner in the firm, he represented Fortune 500 clients, regional technology companies, and startups in a variety of industries including wireless telecommunications, consumer electronics, forest products, and manufacturing.

In addition to litigation and alternative dispute resolution, Bob’s practice includes client counseling on intellectual property licensing, strategies for asserting and defending intellectual property claims, formal legal opinions regarding patent infringement and validity matters, IP due diligence investigations and intellectual property acquisition.

Bob is a regular speaker before industry groups and IP organizations on patent and trademark topics and is a guest lecturer to students in the University of Washington’s Foster School of Business Technical MBA program. As chair of the Amicus Committee of the Federal Circuit Bar Association, Bob co-authored Supreme Court amicus briefs in Markman v. Westview Instruments and Pfaff v. Wells Electronics. Bob is also active in the American Bar Association, American Intellectual Property Law Association, Washington State Patent Lawyers Association, and the Licensing Executive Society.

Bob spent eight years as an on-air volunteer reader for the Washington Talking Book and Braille Library Evergreen Radio Reading Service, broadcasting live readings of local and regional printed news media to vision-impaired and physically disabled listeners.