Experience

Jake Vilhauer joined this firm in February of 1971, and became a partner in 1974.

He is a member of the Oregon State Bar Association and is admitted to practice before the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office.

His other admissions include U.S. District Court for the District of Oregon; U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit; and U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit.

He has practiced intellectual property law in this firm for a wide variety of companies which manufacture mechanical and electrical industrial equipment of various types, as well as sports-related products.

Before joining this firm, he worked for a major international lift truck manufacturing company.

For his entire career, Jake has practiced principally in the fields of patent procurement, patent enforcement, patent infringement defense, patent opinions, technology transfer, licensing and joint technology development. He has been continually selected by his peers for inclusion in The Best Lawyers in America, Oregon Super Lawyers, and Portland's Best Lawyers.

He has served on numerous occasions as an expert witness in litigations with respect to patent infringement, invalidity, damages and licensing issues.

His principal U.S. and foreign patent procurement experience includes the technical areas of:

Lift truck load handling attachments
Semiconductor wafer probes and probe stations
Excavating and construction equipment
Electronic locks
Industrial paper cutting machinery
Permanent magnet electric motors
Hybrid automotive drive systems
Automobile transporting systems
Firearms and ammunition
Refrigerated transporting systems
Wood waste recycling processes
Domestic sewage treatment systems
Debit card packaging

His principal transactional experience includes negotiation and drafting of agreements of the following types:

Domestic and international technology licensing
Technology acquisitions
Joint technology developments
Technology consulting
Confidentiality
Value-added reselling
Joint patent ownership
Technology offers
Joint patent defenses
Infringement settlement

His patent enforcement experience includes:

Successful U.S. litigation and resultant industry-wide licensing of firearm and ammunition patents
Successful multiple U.S. litigations enforcing patents on semiconductor wafer probe stations
Successful U.S. litigation and resultant industry-wide licensing of compound archery bow patent
Successful foreign litigations enforcing lift truck load handling attachment patents
Successfully resisting patent reexamination proceedings in U.S. Patent and Trademark Office filed by accused infringers
Successfully resisting patent opposition and nullity proceedings in foreign countries filed by accused infringers.

His patent defense experience includes successful defense of infringement claims and litigations, and the preparation of noninfringement opinions, with respect to U.S. and foreign patent disputes in the fields of: