Mechanical Engineering Intellectual Property Consulting

Summary of Services

• Supporting the Full IP Lifecycle

  • Exponent mechanical engineers investigate technical issues related to all types of intellectual property disputes, including pre-suit investigations, initial filings, Markman hearings, district court motions, jury and bench trials, America Invents Act (AIA) inter-parties' reviews, exclusion orders, and preliminary injunctions.

  • Our engineers employ the latest computer-aided tomography (CT scanning), material analysis, mechanical testing, and computer modeling to "peer inside" devices and structures to understand intellectual property issues hidden within.
  • Our engineers apply sophisticated videographic and animation technologies, including live fly-throughs of three-dimensional computer-aided design (CAD) models, to present complex data effectively in a courtroom or a boardroom.
  • Exponent mechanical engineers provide clear and well-written expert declarations and reports. We present oral testimony in claim construction hearings, trials, arbitrations, Interference Proceedings, and before the International Trade Commission (ITC) and Patent Trial and Appeal Board (PTAB).

• Trademarks, Copyrights & Trade Dress

  • Exponent mechanical engineers offer a broad range of consultations on design patents and issues related to trade dress. As part of infringement analysis, our technical staff helps to identify functional aspects of designs and trade dress and works with our Human Factors and Data Sciences practices in the interpretation of visual or psychological responsiveness to a design.

• Trade Secret

  • Aided by years of real-world experience, Exponent's mechanical engineers work in multidisciplinary teams to address issues associated with industrial trade secret disputes. Our testing and analysis, including computer-aided design (CAD) file analysis, has resulted in key insights into whether a particular design was derived from another, gives the practitioner an advantage, or whether a device or process was easily ascertainable without access to confidential information.

• Valuation of Intellectual Capital

  • Exponent mechanical engineers provide consultation to businesses that seek to understand the value of intellectual property.
  • We perform technical due diligence for investors or their representatives (e.g., venture capitalists or investment bankers) as they seek to determine the value of a target firm's intellectual property, such as a portfolio of patents. Our clients use this advice during license negotiations and for purposes of corporate mergers and acquisitions.