312-616-5600 (phone)
312-616-5700 (fax)
Chicago Office
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Related Practices
- Litigation
- Patents
- Trade Secrets and Unfair Competition
- Electrical, Computer and Software Technologies
- Pharmaceutical and Chemical Technologies
- Mechanical Technologies
- Intellectual Property Transactions
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 is active in all aspects of intellectual property law, focusing on litigation, client counseling and prosecution relating to patents and trade secrets. A member of the trial bar, he has more than 20 years of experience in litigating patent, trade secret, and trademark matters for both property owners and respondents. His litigation experience spans such diverse technologies as manufacturing technology for building materials, video game systems, filter technologies, outdoor clothing, polymers for various applications, light bars for emergency vehicles, polymeric films for labels, gene sequencing devices, machine vision, etc. He also counsels international companies with large intellectual property portfolios.
Mr. Thompson has served as Secretary and 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 speaks at various conferences.
Professional Affiliations
- Intellectual Property Owners Association (IPO), Litigation Committee - Vice Chair
- American Intellectual Property Law Association (AIPLA), Trade Secret Committee
Articles and Publications
- Eley O. Thompson & Michael J. Brandt, Trade Secret Owners Lack Federal Protection, Chicago Daily Law Bulletin, Jan. 16, 2012
Honors
- Named in the Illinois Super Lawyers list, Intellectual Property Litigation
- 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
- AV® Preeminent™ Peer Review Rated (Highest Rating) – Martindale-Hubbell
Representative Matters
- Represented a drywall manufacturer in asserting that multiple defendants misappropriated trade secrets and other proprietary information. Shortly before trial was to commence, the parties entered into an agreement providing that Mr. Thompson’s client would receive $105 million and would grant a fully paid-up license for the use of certain technologies.
- Defended a pump manufacturer against claims of patent infringement. A judgment of non-infringement was obtained through trial.
- Litigated fundamental patents establishing the video game industry. The inventor of such patented technology has since been inducted into the National Inventors Hall of Fame.
- Represented an outdoor clothing company in multi-district litigation relating to trademark, cyber-squatting, and various other unfair competition claims. After presenting a motion for summary judgment and proving that the opposing party had destroyed compelled documents, the case settled.
- Defended a label film manufacturer against claims of patent infringement and successfully obtained summary judgment of non-infringement for the client.
- Represented a drywall manufacturer in successfully obtaining a Temporary Restraining Order (TRO).
- Represented a specialty chemical manufacturer in asserting its patent rights. After successfully proving through an evidentiary hearing that the accused infringer had fabricated evidence, the Court found that there had been fraud on the court.
Speaking Engagements and Presentations
- “The Rising Importance Of Trade Secrets In The Age Of WikiLeaks,” VPP Conference, Mainz, Germany October 20, 2011
- “Make Me An Offer I Can’t Refuse – Litigation Alternative Fees,” IPO Annual Meeting, Los Angeles, September 12, 2011
- “Tips On The Unexpected In Formulating Trade Secret Damages,” AIPLA Spring Meeting, San Francisco, May 13, 2011
- “Putting Out The Trade Secret Firestorm With A Clean Room,” IPO Annual Meeting, Chicago, September 14, 2009
Bar Admissions and Registrations
- District of Columbia, 1993
- Illinois, 1990
- Registered to practice before the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office
Courts
- U.S. Supreme Court
- 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
