KIM & STEWART - Key Persons
Donald Marra joined Kim & Stewart in 2020. Donald prosecutes patent applications in the computer arts across a wide array of technologies. Prior to becoming a patent practitioner, Donald studied computer science and computer engineering, performing successive internships at Hewlett Packard Enterprise in software engineering and ASIC verification.
Education
• J.D., University of Pennsylvania Carey Law School, 2020
• B.S. (summa cum laude), Computer Science, University of the Pacific, 2015
• B.S. (summa cum laude), Computer Engineering, University of the Pacific, 2015
Fred is a former NASA research scientist, who applies his deep scientific background to helping some of the world's best-known technology brands build and protect their intellectual property portfolios. While some attorneys struggle to speak the language of the technology sector, Fred is fluent in all areas of high technology, especially semiconductor memory devices and system level software. A graduate of Georgetown University Law Center, Fred began his legal career at Foley & Lardner and Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom, before taking his talents to a boutique patent law firm.
In 2018, Fred established Kim & Stewart to focus on delivering quality to his clients. In his patent practice, Fred seamlessly blends his legal and technological training to successfully represent multinational companies in diverse technical fields. Fred's deep relationships within the technology industry have fostered a burgeoning technology practice in both Silicon Valley and Asia.
Traveling to Asia on a regular basis, Fred provides critical counseling to one the world's top 20 U.S. patent issuers, managing over a thousand patent applications in his client's portfolio. He has also developed a process to improve the quality of the company's U.S. patent filings while at the same time decreasing their costs significantly. Fred also helps Silicon Valley technology companies develop their patent portfolios. He plays an active role in patent portfolio development and decision-making processes, drawing on both his Ph.D. and his patent expertise to help clients evaluate inventions and maximize patent portfolio value. For one such company, he successfully developed a patent portfolio including several pioneering patents in the social networking space.
Michael's practice focuses on patent drafting and prosecution in a variety of technology areas including semiconductor devices, consumer electronics, and chemistry-related matters.
Michael has a technical background covering chemical engineering, chemistry, and semiconductor manufacturing processes. He received a Ph.D. based on his research in the area of catalyst diffusion in chemically amplified photoresists. He worked as research scientist at an Austin-based technology startup company in the area of nanoimprint lithography before attending law school. In law school, Michael was a staff editor for both The Texas Intellectual Property Journal and The Review of Litigation.
Prior to establishing Kim & Stewart, Michael was an associate at Patterson & Sheridan LLP, where he drafted patent applications for clients ranging from some of the largest global corporations to sole inventors. He also has prepared invalidity and infringement opinions for clients in the oil & gas technology area and conducted IP due diligence for M&A deals in the semiconductor manufacturing technology area.
Education
• J.D. (with Honors), The University of Texas School of Law
• Ph.D., Chemical Engineering, The University of Texas at Austin
• B.E. (summa cum laude), Chemical Engineering, Vanderbilt University
Robert Brush joined the firm in 2020. He practices patent, copyright, and trademark law with an emphasis on patent prosecution, portfolio management and client counseling. Robert prosecutes patent applications in the electrical, computer, and mechanical arts across a wide array of technologies. Robert provides client counseling on patent matters, including patent licensing, validity/invalidity opinions, and infringement/noninfringement opinions.
Prior to joining the firm, Robert provided in-house counsel for a large information technology company, gaining valuable portfolio management experience. Other areas of intellectual property practice include trademark preparation and prosecution, as well as copyright counseling for online content creators, including navigation of the Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA).
Robert enjoys video games, golf, and spending time with his wife and twins.
Education
• J.D., Seton Hall University School of Law, 2001
• B.S., Electrical and Computer Engineering, Rutgers University, 1998
Ryota is an extremely rare Japanese-English bilingual US patent attorney. Ryota can seamlessly work with both native-English and native-Japanese inventors to find the core concept in their inventions. Ryota's diverse technical expertise, stemming from his academic background in mechanical engineering and electrical and computer engineering, combined with his extensive legal experience at a general practice law firm and an IP boutique law firm, uniquely enables him to address various technical and legal problems for clients. One of his clients includes a Japanese pharmaceutical company that highly appreciates his expertise in developing a strong patent portfolio in the US based on inventions made by Japanese inventors.
Prior to joining Kim & Stewart, Ryota was an associate at Sheppard, Mullin, Richter & Hampton LLP, where he built valuable patent portfolios for clients ranging from Silicon Valley start-ups to Fortune 500 companies. He also handled freedom-to-operate analysis in the field of medical devices, including endoscopes and ultrasound probes, as well as providing IP litigation support and IP due diligence support in M&A deals. Ryota was also an associate at Patterson & Sheridan, LLP, where he primarily handled patent procurement in the field of complex semiconductor device structures and functions and image forming devices. In Japan, Ryota started his career as an IP associate at Canon, Inc., where he obtained substantial IP insights through his patent portfolio development work for its R&D department, primarily in the fields of imaging (e.g., OLED and X-ray digital imaging), optics, and semiconductor manufacturing devices.
Education
• J.D., University of Houston Law Center
• M.S., Electrical and Computer Engineering, University of Arizona
• B.S., Mechanical Engineering, Keio University
Job Titles:
- Electronics Engineer
- Technical Advisor
In both US and Japan, Shige has experience in patent prosecution, client counseling, and opinion matters in the fields of electrical and software engineering and business methods. He also has experience in helping startup companies develop and execute on their IP strategies worldwide.
Prior to joining Kim & Stewart, Shige was a technical advisor at Patterson & Sheridan, LLP, where he handled patent procurement in the field of semiconductor device structures and functions and image forming devices. Shige also worked in the same capacity at Osha Liang, LLP's Tokyo office and Silicon Valley office, where he helped Japanese companies in prosecuting their patent applications in both Japan and the U.S. Before engaging in the patent practice in the U.S., he was an associate at Itoh International Patent Office and focused on patent prosecution in the field of telecommunications, factory automation, optic technologies, software technologies, printers, and business methods.
Prior to becoming a patent practitioner, Shige was a software engineer for IBM Japan, working primarily in designing, implementing, and testing software for communication devices and car navigation systems. He has engaged in several worldwide development projects as a project leader, an engineer, and a frequent inventor.
Education
• M.S., Information Processing, Nara Institute of Science and Technology