DAVIDSON BERQUIST JACKSON + GOWDEY - Key Persons
Job Titles:
- Member of the Bars of Virginia
Aldo Noto concentrates his practice in the area of domestic and international intellectual property rights, including patents, trade secrets, copyrights, and trademarks, with an emphasis on contested matters. He is a recognized industry leader in software patent portfolios -- the development, procurement, sale, litigation, and licensing of software patent portfolios.
Having worked at highly regarded international law firms, Mr. Noto brings over 25 years of big law firm experience to bear on solving client's intellectual property problems. His litigation experience includes intellectual property rights litigation in the "Rocket Docket" Eastern District of Virginia, Eastern District of Texas, before the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office and U.S. International Trade Commission, as well as the Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit. In addition to litigation, Mr. Noto's work includes patent portfolio development, management and exploitation, licensing, technology agreements, and providing opinions and advice regarding patentability, freedom to practice, infringement, and validity issues. His experience includes both patent prosecution as well as proceedings before the Patent Trial and Appeal Board (PTAB).
His industry focuses include electronics, telecom, digital media, interactive television, e-commerce, computer and business methods. His software patent portfolio experience includes a string of successful development and monetizations totaling $100's of millions including the following portfolios: Discovery Communications' cable television portfolio sold to Comcast, Daniel Egger's Software Rights Archive (SRA) internet page searching portfolio asserted against Google, Telequip's (TQP) encryption portfolio, Bascom's (DSS) social media linking portfolio, Discovery Communications' electronic book portfolios, Strikeforce's two factor authentication portfolio and others going as far back as the development and prosecution of CyberOptics' portfolio for detecting an object in continuous motion and its ultimate sale in 1994 to Yamaha.
Mr. Noto served as an adjunct law professor for Marymount University's Masters Program, teaching Computer Law from 1992-2000. From 2000-present, he has taught "Software and Business Method Patents: Procuring and Enforcement" at Patent Resources Group, Inc., the leading provider of CLE in patent law. He frequently writes and presents on the topic of software patents and intellectual property law for leading industry forums and publications.
In 2015 and 2016, Mr. Noto was recognized as a Washington, D.C., "Super Lawyer" by Super Lawyers. He was also named "One of the World's Leading Patent Practitioners" in Intellectual Asset Management magazine's IAM Patent 1000: The World's Leading Patent Practitioners (2014-2015).
Education
Mr. Noto earned an LL.M. in Intellectual Property and his J.D., with honors, from George Washington University. He received a B.S. in Mathematics and Computer Science from the State University of New York, and a B.S. in Electrical Engineering from the U.S. Coast Guard Academy. Mr. Noto was an active duty U.S. Coast Guard Officer from 1985-1990 and made arrests for drug offenses on the high seas.
Mr. Noto is a member of the bars of Virginia and the District of Columbia and is admitted to practice before the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office, the United States Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit and the Fourth Circuit as well as the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia.
Job Titles:
- Founding Partner
- First - Chair
- Founding Partner of Davidson Berquist Jackson & Gowdey
Don Jackson is a founding partner of Davidson Berquist Jackson & Gowdey, LLP. Mr. Jackson has more than 14 years of experience in all aspects of patent law, including patent litigation, client counseling, patent prosecution, and trademark litigation. Mr. Jackson's current practice involves all aspects of intellectual property litigation, with a particular emphasis on electrical, electronic, and computer litigation.
Experience
Mr. Jackson has served as first-chair on patent infringement actions. He has participated in several Markman claim construction hearings both with and without witnesses. His professional experience also includes prosecuting patent applications, drafting licenses for patents, copyrights and trade secret technology, and analyzing patents for infringement, validity and enforceability. Mr. Jackson has litigated patent infringement cases involving technology as diverse as telecommunications, integrated circuit design and fabrication, computer networking systems and methods, optical sensing systems, biotechnology manufacturing processes, and asphalt production processes and devices. Prior to founding DBJG, Mr. Jackson was a partner in an intellectual property law firm also located in Arlington, Virginia from 2000 through March 2003. After graduation, Mr. Jackson worked for defense contractor in Baltimore, Maryland involving advanced airborne radar, sensing and surveillance systems.
Education
J.D., 1998, George Mason University B.S. Electrical and Computer Engineering, 1989, University of Tennessee
Job Titles:
- Fish & Neave As an Associate
- Member of the Bars of Pennsylvania
Eric D. Kirsch graduated from Johns Hopkins University with a B.S. in Electrical Engineering. As an Electrical Engineer, Eric wrote software for BDM Corporation in Columbia, Maryland and designed electronics for General Electric's Space Division located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
Eric then attended Law School at the University of Pittsburgh, where he became Notes and Comments Editor of the Law Review and graduated cum laude.
Following graduation, Mr. Kirsch spent several years in private practice before becoming an Assistant District Attorney for the Philadelphia District Attorney's Office, where he tried serious felony cases before judges and juries as a member of the Habitual Offender Unit.
Eric then joined Fish & Neave as an associate, where he worked on a variety of patent infringement cases. Eric joined Cooper & Dunham as Of Counsel, and shortly thereafter, became a partner at Cooper & Dunham in New York City. As a partner at Cooper & Dunham, Eric participated in patent infringement trials, performed Markman Hearings, Motions in limine, Summary Judgment Hearings and won in District Courts and at the Federal Circuit.
Eric joined Nikon Corporation in Tokyo as IP Chief Counsel, where he led many patent litigation defense and assertion defense teams, drafted a number of complex licenses, and gave Nikon advice concerning complex, cross-border U.S. IP matters.
Eric joined Davidson Berquist Jackson & Gowdey, LLP as a partner in 2021.
Eric is a member of the bars of Pennsylvania (inactive) and New York. Eric is also admitted to practice before the U.S. Patent Office, the District of Arizona, the Eastern District of Pennsylvania, the Southern and Eastern Districts of New York, the Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit, and a certified foreign attorney in Japan.
Gregory A. Krauss focuses on patent litigation in federal courts and the Patent Trial and Appeal Board, trademark prosecution in the United States Patent and Trademark Office, and trademark litigation in federal courts and the Trademark Trial and Appeal Board. His clients include intellectual property owners in a variety of industries, including defense contractors, trade associations, food and beverages, pharmaceuticals, medical devices, computer devices and components, computer networks and more.
Prior to joining the firm in late 2012, he had a successful solo practice from 2010-2012; was a partner at McDermott Will & Emery LLP from 2000-2010; and was an associate and partner at Carr Goodson Lee & Warner, P.C. from 1988-2000.
Greg has a Bachelor of Science in Chemical Engineering from the University of Notre Dame (1984) and a Juris Doctor from Delaware Law School of Widener University (1988).
Job Titles:
- Founding Partner
- Senior Counsel
Mr. Davidson is senior counsel in the Firm's Litigation Group. He has wide-ranging experience in both in-court and out-of-court litigation practices for high-technology clients. He has been rated by his peers with the "AV" rating, indicating the highest level of excellence.
The subject matters involved in Mr. Davidson's multiple decades of litigations have been diverse, and include network switches, asphalt mixers, cellular telephone technologies, Global Positioning Systems, video games, vending machine controllers, office power systems, plate stackers, business forms, sweeteners, amorphous metal security detectors, and others. He has worked with the firm's clients on computer architectures, communication protocols, analog and digital video switches, control systems, video compression techniques, optical systems, telecommunications, cellular radio circuits, magnetic resonance imagers, semiconductor designs, automotive electronics, video signal compensation algorithms, financial business methods, area networks, database designs, memory utilization techniques, luminance on wafers, electronic monitors and gauges, smart cards, digital and analog signal processors, data security systems, auto-focus systems, diagnostic systems, non-linear signal processors, filters, video game systems, and others.
Mr. Davidson is originally from the Gulf coast community of Seminole, Florida. He has an electrical engineering degree from the University of South Florida, where he was inducted into the Omicron Delta Kappa national honor society and the Tau Beta Pi engineering honor society. After school, he was employed as an electrical engineer at Honeywell, designing missile technologies in the Military Avionics Group. He received his law degree from the University of Florida and began practicing law at the 100 year old firm of Cushman Darby and Cushman in Washington, D.C. There, Mr. Davidson became one of the youngest attorneys in the firm's history to be offered a full equity partnership. Later, he developed a unique law firm business model that he and his fellow founding partners used to start and grow the Davidson Berquist Jackson & Gowdey firm. The firm was recognized as "one of the great litigation secrets in the area of patent law." He is admitted to practice in Virginia and Florida, as well as before the United States Supreme Court and many other federal courts.
Mr. Davidson is recognized as a significant author in the field of intellectual property, especially as it relates to the role of intellectual property in business decision-making. He wrote several articles published by IEEE that forecasted the future of software patenting. He wrote the leading textbook on business management of intellectual property, co-edited a text on Intellectual Property on the Internet, and contributed to a substantial U.S. Patent Practice textbook that was translated and published in both English and Korean.
James D. Berquist ("Jay") graduated from the University of Missouri with a B.S. in Mechanical Engineering in May 1985. While in school, Jay worked as a Cooperative Engineer for the Union Electric Company in St. Louis, Missouri, at their Callaway Nuclear Power facility. After graduation, Jay worked for General Dynamics in their Fort Worth aerospace defense group, specializing in the field of advanced aircraft development. Jay worked for General Dynamics from May 1985 until his departure for law school in August 1986. While still a law student, Jay worked as a law clerk at the trial firm of Carson, Coil, Riley, McMillian, Levine and Veit in Jefferson City, Missouri.
Jim Wilson is a partner with Davidson Berquist Jackson & Gowdey. Jim handles complex intellectual property matters, drawing on his experience in patent and trade secret litigation, appellate practice, and patent prosecution.
Jim began his intellectual property career in 1992 at the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (PTO). Jim has studied electrical and computer engineering hardware and software systems in cases involving smartphones, Internet systems, telecommunications, computer networking, integrated circuits, semiconductor packaging, batteries, LED, and laser technologies. Jim has represented petitioners and patent owners in more than 70 inter partes review (IPR) proceedings before the Patent Trial and Appeal Board (PTAB).
Jim's extensive experience at the U.S. International Trade Commission includes:
-Light-Emitting Diodes and Products Containing Same, Inv. No. 337-TA-784 (represented respondent)
-Wireless Communication Devices and Systems, Components Thereof, and Products Containing Same, Inv. No. 337-TA-775 (represented complainant)
-Electronic Imaging Devices, Inv. No. 337-TA-726 (represented respondent)
-Short Wavelength Semiconductor Lasers and Products Containing Same, Inv. No. 337-TA-627 (represented complainant)
-Equipment for Telecommunications or Data Communications Networks, Including Routers, Switches, and Hubs, and Components Thereof, Inv. No. 337-TA-574 (represented complainant)
-Digital Image Storage and Retrieval Devices, Inv. No. 337-TA-520 (represented respondent)
-Integrated Repeaters, Switches, Transceivers, and Products Containing Same, Iv. No. 337-TA-435 (represented respondent)
Jim earned a B.S. in Electrical Engineering from Penn State University and a J.D. from American University, each with honors. Jim is registered to practice before the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office and is a member of the bars of Virginia and the District of Columbia. Jim is admitted to the United States Supreme Court, the Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit, and the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia.
Prior to joining Davidson Berquist, Mr. Gowdey practiced all aspects of intellectual property law for both domestic and international clients. Mr. Gowdey has extensive experience litigating intellectual property cases before juries in the federal court system, as well as cases at the International Trade Commission. He has argued before the Supreme Court in Holmes v. Vornado, a case dealing with the jurisdiction of the Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit (CAFC), and has an appellate practice including numerous arguments at the United States Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit, as well as the 4th, 5th and 10th Circuits. Peter also has extensive experience in developing intellectual property strategies, client counseling, conducting intellectual property audits and valuing intellectual property rights, and in developing and obtaining intellectual property rights for clients. Mr. Gowdey was an Examiner in the electrical arts with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office and, between 1970-75, was Associate Patent Counsel with Burlington Industries, Inc. where he specialized in licensing and related negotiation efforts, patent litigation and prosecution in mechanical, textile and machinery control areas. Since 1975, Mr. Gowdey has litigated in a variety of areas including: various automotive components, polyurethane foam, textile products and processes, solid state devices, control systems including circuitry, pharmaceuticals and a variety of manufacturing processes. Mr. Gowdey has lectured on a variety of patent and patent litigation subjects for a number of years in the United States, Japan and Europe. Mr. Gowdey has been a lecturer with the Patent Resources Group (PRG) having developed and lead the Patent Litigation Course, as well as counseling at the Advanced Patent Application and Amendment Writing Workshop. He has also lectured on patent litigation at the Georgetown University National Law Center, and on international trade at George Washington University. He has been an Adjunct Professor at the George Mason University School of Law since 1995 where he teaches patent litigation.