Headquartered within steps of the USPTO with an affiliate office in Tokyo, Oblon is one of the largest law firms in the United States focused exclusively on intellectual property law.
1968
Norman Oblon with Stanley Fisher and Marvin Spivak launched what was to become Oblon, McClelland, Maier & Neustadt, LLP, one of the nation's leading full-service intellectual property law firms.
Outside the US, we service companies based in Japan, France, Germany, Italy, Saudi Arabia, and farther corners of the world. Our culturally aware attorneys speak many languages, including Japanese, French, German, Mandarin, Korean, Russian, Arabic, Farsi, Chinese.
Oblon's professionals provide industry-leading IP legal services to many of the world's most admired innovators and brands.
From the minute you walk through our doors, you'll become a valuable part of a team that fosters a culture of innovation, client service and collegiality.
The United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) issued final rules implementing the inventor's oath or declaration provisions of the America Invents Act (AIA) on August 14, 2012.
June 1, 2023 - In-Person in Tokyo
Eric W. Schweibenz is a partner, Chair of the Litigation practice group, and is Chair of the ITC Litigation practice group. With extensive legal experience, Mr. Schweibenz also counsels clients in all fields on a full range of trademark and copyright law issues.
His extensive experience in complex litigation includes representing both domestic and foreign companies and their U.S. affiliates and subsidiaries across diverse technologies, including automotive and hybrid electric vehicles and components thereof, medical devices, semiconductors, gas turbine engines, liquid crystal display innovations, and oil and steel production. Mr. Schweibenz has handled several Section 337 ITC investigations, patent and trademark infringement and antitrust actions, Section 146 actions, patent interference cases, and assists with inter partes review proceedings and ex parte reexaminations at the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO).
A skilled litigator, Mr. Schweibenz has particular experience relating to successfully defending companies from non-practicing entities. He has also developed specialized experience in the area of electronic discovery and its complexities, as well as trial preparation. Taking a team approach, he works collaboratively with his clients and other firm members knowledgeable in the particular technology at issue to obtain the best results for his clients.
In his counseling role, Mr. Schweibenz analyzes and drafts licensing and technology sharing and transfer agreements as well as collaborative research and development agreements. Mr. Schweibenz also offers guidance on litigation avoidance, risk management, and post-litigation strategies.
Mr. Schweibenz regularly monitors litigation to evaluate how decisions may impact his clients and their industries. He also is a founder of, and actively manages and contributes to the firm’s legal blog devoted exclusively to Section 337 investigations before the ITC – the ITC 337 Law Blog. The site is the leading blog of its kind and provides insights about the ITC’s daily activity and significant decisions. In this role, Mr. Schweibenz stays intimately familiar with all ITC investigations, the decisions, and their implications and, as a result, he is frequently quoted in media regarding Section 337 issues, including articles in the Economist, the Wall Street Journal, Law360, and the National Law Journal.
Before joining the firm, Mr. Schweibenz was an associate at another Alexandria, Virginia intellectual property firm and the Washington, D.C. office of a major international general practice law firm.