Robert T. Pous

Robert (Bob) T. Pous is a senior counsel in the firm's Electrical and Mechanical Patent Prosecution groups with more than 30 years of practice experience. As a former Patent Examiner with the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO), Mr. Pous’ core expertise lies in patent prosecution, but he also boasts litigation and reexamination/reissue experience.

Mr. Pous is particularly skilled in the preparation and prosecution of patent applications to assure the scope of their claims is commercially significant. A mechanical technology attorney, he has worked with a wide array of technologies: medical products and devices, including stents and catheters; automotive parts, particularly transmissions, engine controls, brakes, pumps, compressors, and vehicle steering systems; geothermal power; power plant technology; and machine tools.

Mr. Pous advises clients throughout Asia and Europe as well as domestic clients on establishing and optimizing their patent portfolios, designing and implementing procedures to protect their intellectual property, and devising company-wide IP strategies and policies. He also has extensive knowledge and experience in the preparation of patentability, validity and infringement opinions.

Mr. Pous’s litigation experience includes serving as second chair in the precedent-setting Festo v. SMC case, which included two Supreme Court and five Federal Circuit decisions, two of which were en banc. Mr. Pous applies his litigation experience to his patent prosecution work, analyzing the vulnerability of certain patents in determining prosecution strategies. He also has handled reexamination and reissue cases and frequently works in cooperation with the firm’s Litigation practice group on a wide range of cases involving electrical and mechanical patent disputes.

Mr. Pous has served as an instructor for the Patent Resources Group, which offers IP legal courses, including a course to prepare for the patent bar examination. He was born in Bamberg, Germany.

Education

• University of Missouri-Kansas City School of Law (J.D.)
  • Law Review
• University of Missouri-Columbia (B.S.)
  • Mechanical Engineering

Admissions

• District of Columbia
• Virginia
• Registered to practice before the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office
• Supreme Court of the United States
• U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit
• U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia

Professional Affiliations

• American Bar Association, Section of Patent, Trademark and Copyright Law
• American Intellectual Property Law Association (AIPLA)
• District of Columbia Bar
• Virginia Bar Association

Services

• U.S. Patent Procurement (Application Drafting & Prosecution)
• Litigation

Technologies

• Electronics & Software
• Heavy Industry