Eley O. Thompson Law Professional

312-616-5600 (phone)
312-616-5700 (fax)
Chicago Office

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Related Practices

Education

George Mason University, J.D., 1990

Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, B.S. in Electrical Engineering, 1987

Eley O. Thompson

Member

Mr. Thompson focuses his practice on patent litigation and client counseling. A member of the trial bar, he has represented clients as first chair trial counsel. His litigation experience spans such diverse technologies as polymers for various applications, manufacturing technology for drywall, light bars for emergency vehicles, polymeric films for labels, gene sequencing devices, video game systems, machine vision, industrial products, environmental safety products, semiconductor manufacturing, pumps for paper pulp, and hydraulic tappets. His cases have advanced important areas of the law and he has been quoted by such news services as Reuters. He also counsels international companies with large intellectual property portfolios.

Mr. Thompson has served as secretary and a member of the board of the firm and he presently serves on the firm’s marketing committee. He is actively involved in the legal community and bar associations.

Professional Affiliations

  • Intellectual Property Owners Association (IPO) (Litigation Committee)
  • American Bar Association, Litigation and Patent Sections

Honors

  • AV® Preeminent™ Peer Review Rated (Highest Rating) – Martindale-Hubbell
  • Selected by peers as a Leading Lawyer in Intellectual Property Law – Leading Lawyers Network
  • Listed among the Top Lawyers in Illinois in Intellectual Property Law – Chicago Lawyer

Representative Matters

  • USG v. Willoughby, 06 CV 5890 (N.D. Ill.) (TRO granted relating to trade secrets and settlement followed)
  • Ciba v. Hercules et al., 04 CV 294 (D. Del.) (patent infringement settled during appeal)
  • Ciba v. Zinkan Enterprises, Inc., 68 U.S.P.Q.2d 1150 (S.D. Ohio) (settled after court found fraud by opposing party)
  • Federal Signal v. Rontan, 04 CV 22266-22 (D.S.C.) (patent infringement settled during discovery)
  • Avery v. UCB, 95 CV 6351 (N.D.Ill.) (granting summary judgment of noninfringement), aff’d indirectly, Avery v. FLEXcon, 2001 WL 811834 (Fed. Cir.)
  • Avery v. UCB, 1998 WL 703647 (N.D.Ill.) (piercing attorney/client privilege), featured in the National Law Journal
  • Avery v. UCB, 1997 WL 441313 (N.D.Ill.) (dismissing parent company)
  • Ahlstrom v. Goulds Pumps, 92 CV 6411 (W.D.N.Y) (noninfringement holding after trial), aff’d w/o opinion, 119 F.3d 17 (Fed. Cir.)
  • Ahlstrom v. Goulds Pumps, 1992 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 14344 (W.D.N.Y.) (addressing complex transfer issues)

Bar Admissions and Registrations

  • District of Columbia, 1993
  • Illinois, 1990
  • Registered to practice before the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office

Courts

  • U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit
  • U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois
  • U.S. District Court for the Western District of Wisconsin
  • U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Wisconsin