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.
Bar Membership Other Than Virginia
Education
-
Roger Williams University School of Law
(J.D.)
-
West Chester University
(B.A.)
Admissions
- District of Columbia
- Maryland
- Supreme Court of the United States
- U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit
- U.S. Court of International Trade
- U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia
- District of Columbia Court of Appeals
- Court of Appeals of Maryland
- U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan
Accolades
- Best Lawyers in America - Patent Law (2020-2024)
- Managing IP Magazine named 'IP Star' (2022)
- Intellectual Asset Management (IAM) Patent 1000: The World’s Leading Patent Practitioners, named to its list of the top 1000 patent attorneys in the world; recognized in the National - International Trade Commission (ITC) category for his ITC litigation work and in the Washington, D.C. Metro Area for his patent Litigation work (2014, 2015, 2016, 2019, 2020, 2021 and 2022)
- Member of the Japan-America Society of Rhode Island
Professional Affiliations
- American Bar Association
- Federal Bar Association
- Federal Circuit Bar Association
- ITC Trial Lawyers Association
- American Intellectual Property Law Association
Services
Technologies
Counseling & Strategic Advice
IP Transactions
Litigation
PTAB Proceedings
Start-Up
Technology Transfer
Trademark & Designs
U.S. Patent Procurement (Application Drafting & Prosecution)
