For over 20 years, Joe Hetz has represented clients of all sizes, from Fortune 500 companies to start-ups, and has prosecuted over 2,500 patent applications. Joe is known for his creative, value-added approach to helping clients develop portfolios that can be monetized or otherwise used to satisfy strategic needs, all while meeting budget. His patents have gained national media attention for their broad scope and have generated millions of dollars in licensing fees.
Joe focuses his practice on patent prosecution with a technical concentration in memory devices, portable media players, computer systems and peripherals, digital cameras and printers, industrial sensors, communications systems, encryption technology, and Internet/e-commerce/business method inventions. In addition to prosecution before the U.S. and international patent offices, Joe has been involved in re-examination, re-issue, and inter partes review (IPR) proceedings and is one of a handful of patent attorneys to have ever been involved in a public use proceeding.
Joe has been recognized by his peers and clients as a leader in his field, being named a “Super Lawyer,” a “Leading Lawyer,” one of the world’s top 1,000 patent practitioners by Intellectual Asset Management magazine, and an attorney with notable experience in reexamination, reissue, and IPR proceedings by The Legal 500. In addition, Joe was appointed as an adjunct professor of patent prosecution, most recently at Northwestern University School of Law. Joe has also served on the Firm's Board of Directors for several years.