J. Steven Svoboda, Esq.
Of Counsel
email: ssvoboda@kandrip.com
direct: 510.827.5771 main: 773.570.3330 fax: 773.570.3328
Practice Groups & Technologies: Copyrights; Litigation Counseling; Patent Prep &
Prosecution; Patent Counseling & Post-Grant; Trademarks & Unfair Competition; Computers, Software, & Business Methods; Electronics, Semiconductors, & Optics; Mechanical Devices; Medical Devices
Office: San Jose
PRACTICE SUMMARY
Steven Svoboda has nineteen years of experience in the field of intellectual property, including patent and trademark rights procurement and related IP asset management, enforcement, and defense. He focuses his practice on the preparation and prosecution of patent applications in the areas of computers, software, electronics, optics, and robotics arts to secure patent rights for clients domestically and abroad in an efficient and effective manner. Mr. Svoboda advises clients in all aspects of patent portfolio management and the development and assertion of intellectual property and related strategic business considerations.
Mr. Svoboda has filed and prosecuted hundreds of patent applications in a broad array of technology fields. Representative technology fields in which Mr. Svoboda has experience include: (memory devices, mobile devices, processors, peripheral devices, analog and digital circuits, diodes, virtual operating systems, and computer architecture), computer software (data security and cryptography, wireless communications, and databases), satellites, digital signal processing, LIDAR and radar, lasers, nanotechnology, advanced materials, cellular telephone networks, digital security, automated advertising auctions, financial technology, COVID masks, networking, foldable pianos, methods for managing intellectual property licenses, biotechnology, and medical devices.
Prior to joining Klintworth & Rozenblat IP, Mr. Svoboda was with the law firms of Carmen Patti Law Group, Carr & Ferrell, and Fliesler Meyer.
Mr. Svoboda holds a B.S. summa cum laude in Physics and English from the University of California at Los Angeles, an M.S. in Physics from the University of California at Berkeley, and a J.D. cum laude from Harvard Law School. He loves music, spectator sports, and bicycling, and is rated as an expert in tournament chess.
REPRESENTATIVE PATENT PROSECUTION EXPERIENCE
Mr. Svoboda represents a wide variety of clients, including clients ranging from large fortune 500 companies and high tech start-ups, to small businesses and individual inventors. Representative clients include the following:
■ Represents one of the country’s largest military contractors, a fortune 100 company. Representation includes the preparation and prosecution of patent applications in varying technologies, such as: analog and digial circuits, diodes, computer software, satellites, LIDAR and radar, lasers, nanotechnology, advanced materials, optics, airplanes, residue-free tape for airplane applications, and digital signal processing.
■ Represented one of the country’s top technology companies, a fortune 500 company, obtaining numerous patents. Representation included the preparation and prosecution of patent applications in varying technologies, such as: analog and digial circuits, cellular telephones, computer software, LIDAR and radar, lasers, nanotechnology, optics, networking, and digital signal processing.
■ Represented Fetch Robotics. He obtained 37 patents for Fetch, which consequently was acquired in July 2021 for $305 million dollars. The Chief Executive Officer said she “was immediately impressed by Steven Svoboda's ability to identify ‘patentable elements’ of Fetch’s ideas. His strategy for building intellectual property portfolios and ability to work seamlessly with our team has enabled Fetch to obtain 29 patents (and counting) in the U.S. and abroad.” Mr. Svoboda obtained one of Fetch’s core patents after a top Silicon Valley patent law firm told Fetch that the other firm could not obtain a patent in this case.
■ Represented a premier high fidelity audio and video manufacturer. The inventor wrote to describe his work in obtaining a United States patent without any substantive office actions, ”Wow. Just wow. That is brilliant! I love your changes, understand and agree completely with every single point you made. I am blown away with your ability to understand what I was attempting to say and then translating it into the appropriate language to make the patent as strong as possible… Thanks so much for your willingness to accommodate our hectic timing. It's truly been a pleasure working with you and I hope to do so again.”
■ Represented a premier provider of cellular phone network software. He obtained six patents for this client, which consequently was acquired for an estimated $80 million dollars.
REPRESENTATIVE TRADEMARK EXPERIENCE
Mr. Svoboda has a significant amount of experience preparing, filing and prosecuting trademark applications in addition to counseling a variety of clientele on a host of trademark issues.
EDUCATION
■ University of California at Los Angeles, B.S., Physics and English, 1983
■ University of California at Berkeley, M.S., Physics, 1985
■ Harvard Law School, J.D., 1991
PRIOR LAW FIRMS
■ Carmen Patti Law Group
■ Carr & Ferrell
■ Fliesler Meyer
BAR & COURT ADMISSIONS
■ Admitted to practice law before the United States Supreme Court, 2006
■ Admitted to practice law before the Courts of California, 1994, and Massachusetts, 1991 (inactive)
■ Registered Patent Attorney before the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office, 1999