Mark D. Hammond

Mark is a patent attorney with a background in engineering. He focuses on preparing exceptional patent applications for emerging technologies in the medical device, aerospace, semiconductors, machine learning, power generation, and electronics industries. Mark minds the nuances of emerging case law surrounding patentable subject matter, which pays significant dividends when prosecuting software applications on appeal before the USPTO. He recognizes that negotiating a win at the USPTO is just as much an art as a science. This means not only sharp legal arguments on paper, but also speaking directly with high-ranking USPTO personnel to get sensitive matters in front of the right set of eyes. Mark’s patent prosecution knowledge extends beyond the U.S. market to European and Asian markets as he facilitates a large client’s worldwide IP rollout strategy.

Mark works on patent litigation support matters, which has the added benefit of sharpening his prosecution practice. Most recently, Mark dove into the details of patent invalidation and patent infringement for products in the personal transportation and electronic toy industries. This litigation experience enables Mark to complete the prosecution feedback loop by baking language into patent applications that enhances validity and enforcement.

Prior to joining Mintz, Mark worked as an associate in the San Diego office of a Seattle-based international law firm. He also worked as a summer associate with intellectual property law firms in Houston and Salt Lake City and served as a summer intern in the Madrid office of a global law firm.

In the San Diego community, Mark has assisted underprivileged inventors and entrepreneurs in protecting their inventions. He also assists underprivileged persons who seek guardianship of minors whose parents are otherwise unable to care for.

Before attending law school, Mark worked as an engineer on various DRAM products with a computer memory and computer data storage manufacturer.

As an undergraduate, Mark interned at a company that provides systems engineering services for aerospace vehicles. Through a cooperative education program, he also worked as an RF test engineer and a reliability engineer for a company that manufactures secure networked communication solutions. At the University of Utah, Mark served in an Undergraduate Research Opportunities Program assistantship and received a Merrill Engineering Scholars Fellowship.