PROFESSIONAL BIOGRAPHY

Louis Wu has nearly two decades of experience in commercializing technological innovation for start-up ventures, research institutions, and established industry leaders.

His educational background includes a Bachelor of Science degree from the Department of Materials Science and Engineering at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and a Master of Science degree from the Department of Mechanical and Industrial Engineering at Northeastern University. In addition, Louis holds a Juris Doctor degree from the University of San Francisco School of Law, where he served on Law Review.

Louis has a broad base of technical knowledge. Prior to working as a patent practitioner, Louis’ academic research included rapid solidification of high-temperature superconductors and drying and sintering behavior of ceramics for semiconductor packaging applications. Later, as a staff engineer at EIC Laboratories, he carried out contract research for government and private agencies in diverse areas such as metallurgy, composite materials, single crystal growth, specialty polymers, electrochemistry, and computer simulations.

As a Duracell scientist, he invented and patented a number of battery technologies. As his work became increasingly focused on emerging technologies and patent analysis, his interest in intellectual property (IP) grew. Consequently, he decided to leverage the skills and know-how gained as a result of his success in industrial R&D and to focus on patent law. Since then, he has worked in the patent department of the Gillette Company, the consumer product leader, served as in-house counsel for leading technology companies specializing in cutting-edge microelectronics and semiconductor processing equipment, and founded his law firm specializing in IP matters.

As outside IP counsel, Louis has drafted numerous patent applications and prosecuted them to issuance. He also has significant experience in “clean up” work on existing patent portfolios to improve strategic focus and claims coverage. In addition, Louis has rendered formal and informal opinions pertaining to intellectual property issues such as patentability, validity, infringement, and freedom-of-operation.

As in-house IP counsel, Louis has developed and overseen the execution of various companies' patenting strategies. For example, Louis has managed the IP portfolios of hundreds of U.S. and foreign patents for various publically traded Silicon Valley companies. In addition, he has performed strategic IP mining services and carried out patent analysis in the context of IP valuation, acquisition, licensing, and enforcement.

For a number of smaller start-ups and privately held companies, Louis has served as general counsel. In addition to addressing IP issues, Louis has provided legal guidance on a broad range of legal issues such as those relating to domestic and international business development, technology transfer, licensing agreements, and industry standard setting organizations.

Louis is a member of the California Bar and is admitted to practice before the United States Patent and Trademark Office. Since 2006, Louis has served as an adjunct faculty member at San Francisco State University where he teaches intellectual property law. He is fluent in Mandarin Chinese and familiar with open source software issues.

The following is a partial listing of Louis’ publications and patents:

Invited Speaker, Design Patents, California Lawyers for the Arts, San Francisco, CA (2011).
Invited Speaker, Introduction to Patent Prosecution, Seminar for 34^th Annual California Paralegal Day, San Francisco, CA (2006).
Invited Speaker, Patent Infringement, The Hawaii Battery Conference, Waikoloa Beach, HI (2002).
Invited Speaker, Patenting Battery Technologies—Protecting the Overlooked, The Hawaii Battery Conference, Waikoloa Beach, HI (2001).
Author, Comment, Enhanced Damages for Willful Patent Infringement--An Issue for Judge or Jury, 33 U.S.F. L. Rev. 435 (1999).
Author, “Platinum”—The Importance of Federal Registration of a Laudatory/Descriptive Mark, 4 U.S.F. Intell. Prop. L. Bull. 17 (1999).
Co-Inventor, U.S. Patent Nos. 5,339,024 and 5,396,177, entitled Electrochemical Battery Tester.
Co-Author, Ambient Temperature Rechargeable Solid-State Batteries, Fall Electrochemical Society Meeting, Extended Abstract No. 691 (1991).