David R. Clonts focuses on intellectual property litigation and strategic counseling.
Mr. Clonts is active in all aspects of intellectual property protection, with a particular focus on, and experience in, electronics, software, computer technology, medical devices, networks and the Internet, telecommunications systems and protocols, and business methods. In these fields he has litigated patent issues, provided strategic intellectual property guidance and counseling, licensed intellectual property and managed intellectual property aspects of corporate transactions.
Mr. Clonts’ recent litigation experience includes—
- defending one of the world’s largest semiconductor memory chip manufacturers against patent infringement claims to a take-nothing jury verdict in New Jersey. The case was named in the National Law Journal’s 2007 “Defense Hot List.”
- defending one of the nation’s top broadband communications providers in three patent cases to favorable settlements, two in the Eastern District of Texas
- representing successfully patentee against competitor for patent infringement of radar detector patent
- representing successfully plaintiff in a multimillion-dollar patent suit regarding encryption technology in garage door openers. Case settled in favor of our client on the eve of trial.
- representing indemnity defendant in litigation and successfully obtaining indemnity following settlement of set-top cable-box technology patent
- representing plaintiff alleging infringement of patent related to blades for use in microkeratomes, ophthalmic devices used in LASIK. Settled favorably to client, with defendant exiting the business.
- defending client against patent infringement claims regarding answering-machine technology. Case settled on terms favorable for client.
Mr. Clonts also has provided strategic advice and counseling to Fortune 500 companies on a variety of intellectual property issues. He focuses on long-term counseling relationships with clients, including—
- advice, counseling and litigation to one of the top ophthalmic medical device companies for over 15 years, focusing on refractive medical devices, lasers and lenses
- strategic counseling and opinion work for one of the nation’s top telecommunications service providers for nearly 10 years, focusing on mobile telephony, network systems and business methods
- counseling, strategic transaction analysis, and patent litigation for one of the nation’s top broadband providers for over five years, focusing on network technology, routing and content delivery.
Mr. Clonts frequently speaks and writes on intellectual property matters, authoring “The Federal Circuit Puts the Willfulness Back into Willful Infringement,” Intellectual Property & Tech. L.J. (Dec. 2007) and a chapter in Understanding the Laws Behind Patents: Leading Lawyers on Managing Patent Portfolios, Infringement, and Capitalizing on Patent Strategies (Aspatore Books 2006). Mr. Clonts has been ranked in Chambers USA: America’s Leading Lawyers for Business from 2005–2011 and Chambers Global: The World’s Leading Lawyers for Business in 2007–2010.