Eric Sophir

Practice Areas

Electronics, Intellectual Property

Career

Eric Sophir develops and implements strategies that obtain, protect, and monetize meaningful patents for startups to Fortune 50 companies.

An intellectual property partner with Foley & Lardner LLP, Eric counsels clients on protecting innovations gaining market share the risks and value associated with acquiring, licensing, or otherwise commercializing a patent portfolio resolving patent disputes and monetizing patents. His practice includes patent preparation and prosecution; infringement and validity analysis in patent litigation; licensing and selling; due diligence; clearance and landscape analysis; and post-grant proceedings. He also advises on prosecution strategies to better protect a product or more effectively deter competitors. His practice emphasizes portfolio development, including invention harvesting and patent filing strategies.

Eric’s focus on strategic portfolio development involves identifying and pursuing meaningful protection for innovations across various industries. Early in his career, much of this centered around fintech, insuretech, and government contracting, all of which were exploring artificial intelligence, machine learning, cloud computing, and cloud computing solutions before they were more widely adopted and when those solutions now called “AI” were aimed at “big data.” Eric’s work now also entails autonomous vehicles, computer vision, medical devices, fraud detection and authentication, chip design, semiconductors, telecommunications, e-commerce, and consumer products.

Eric has litigation experience and handles complex enforcement and defensive patent disputes at the federal district courts and Federal Circuit, as well as reexamination, reissue, inter partes review, and post grant review proceedings. This litigation counseling often includes patent portfolio development aimed at the competitor’s products. He also conducts analyses and prepares opinions regarding patent infringement, invalidity, and enforceability, as well as freedom-to-operate and design-around analysis for soon-to-be released products and services.

While studying engineering at Cornell University, Eric conducted research for Professor L. F. Eastman regarding the growth and use of gallium nitride, a III-V semiconductor. One aspect of the research was attempting to grow a semiconductor that would emit a wavelength suitable for blue light.

Industry Sector Expertise

Artificial Intelligence, Automotive, Blockchain & Digital Assets, Cloud Computing Infrastructure & Solutions, Energy & Infrastructure, Energy Transition, Health Care & Life Sciences, Innovative Technology, Manufacturing, Medical Devices, Non-Fungible Tokens (NFTs), Oil & Gas, Power & Renewables, Racial Justice & Equity, Semiconductors, Smart Manufacturing, Supply Chain, Telemedicine & Digital Health

Education