Joseph F. Hetz

Shareholder

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Joseph F. Hetz
Shareholder
Overview

"I understand where the true value of a patent lies and prosecute with that in mind.”

For 23 years, Joe Hetz has represented clients of all sizes, from Fortune 500 companies to start-ups, and has prosecuted over 3,500 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 systems, digital farming, data privacy and encryption, computer systems and peripherals, industrial sensors, communications systems, 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.

Practice Groups
Education
  • J.D.,
    University of Michigan Law School, 1996
  • B.S., Electrical Engineering, with Distinction and Departmental Honors,
    Northwestern University, 1993
Bar Admissions
  • Illinois
  • U.S. Dist. Court, N.D. Illinois
  • U.S. Patent & Trademark Office
Area of Focus
Technical Background
  • Analog Electronics
  • Business Methods
  • Digital Electronics
  • Semiconductors
  • Software
Experience | Legal

Brinks Gilson & Lione, Chicago, Illinois
Shareholder, January 2003-Present
Associate, September 1996 – December 2002
Summer Associate, Summer 1994 and 1995

Management Positions
Board of Directors, 2010-2011, 2014-2015, 2018-2019
Executive Committee, 2010
Assistant Secretary, 2019
Strategic Planning Committee, 2012-2017
Docket Oversight Committee, 1996-Present (Chair, 2003-2005)

Experience | Teaching

Northwestern University School of Law
Adjunct Professor of Law
Patent Prosecution, Spring 2010-Spring 2014

Loyola University Chicago School of Law
Adjunct Professor of Law
Patent Prosecution, Spring 2009 

Valparaiso University School of Law
Adjunct Professor of Law
Patent Prosecution, Fall 2007 and 2008

Forward Thinking
Representative Matters

Representative Contested Matters

  • Inter Partes Review (IPR) Nos. IPR2014-00411/434 (U.S. Patent Nos. 8,426,813 and 8,193,496) and IPR2015-00065 (U.S. Patent No. 8,426,813).  Represented Petitioner challenging patents directed to chemical leak inspection system and methods for performing inspections and detecting chemical leaks using an infrared camera system.
  • Director-Initiated Reexamination Nos. 90/006,633 and 90/006,634.  Represented Patent Owner against challenges by the Director of the USPTO on early patents covering Internet browsers.
  • Public Use Proceeding for Patent Application No. 08/746,360.  Represented Petitioner in a public use proceeding challenging a patent application directed to medical ultrasonic imaging using native tissue harmonics.
Press Releases & Events
June 25, 2019
Brinks is a "repository of trust for leading innovators," Says IAM Patent 1000

CHICAGO—Intellectual property law firm Brinks Gilson & Lione is a “repository of trust for leading innovators when infringement issues loom large,” according to Intellectual Asset Management (IAM) magazine’s annual guide to leading private practice patent professionals and firms in the world’s key jurisdictions, the IAM Patent 1000: The World’s Leading Patent Professionals.

October 24, 2018
Brinks' Gary Ropski Named #1 Leading IP Lawyer in Illinois; Laura Beth Miller Named to Top 100 Leading Women Business Lawyers

CHICAGO—Brinks shareholder Gary M. Ropski has been named the #1 Leading Intellectual Property Lawyer in Illinois and  Laura Beth Miller has been recognized among the Top...

June 08, 2018
Brinks Gilson & Lione an "International Player," Says IAM Patent 1000

CHICAGO—Intellectual property law firm Brinks Gilson & Lione is an “international player” and a “top IP boutique” having just “opened its office in Shenzhen, China,” according to Intellectual Asset Management (IAM) magazine’s annual guide to leading private practice patent professionals and firms in the world’s key jurisdictions, the IAM Patent 1000 2018–The World’s Leading Patent Professionals.

July 13, 2017
Brinks Gilson & Lione a "Top Boutique," Says IAM Patent 1000

CHICAGO—Intellectual property law firm Brinks Gilson & Lione is a “top U.S. boutique” and a “Chicago IP stalwart” with “deep reservoirs of prosecution and litigation experience,” according to Intellectual Asset Management (IAM) ...

June 06, 2017
Legal 500 Recognizes Brinks Gilson & Lione as Top U.S. Patent Prosecution Firm for Ninth Consecutive Year

CHICAGO—Intellectual property law firm Brinks Gilson & Lione has been recognized for the ninth year in a row as a top U.S. firm for patent prosecution, including for re-examination and post-grant proceedings, by The Legal 500 United States 2017...

February 09, 2017
Twenty Brinks Gilson & Lione Attorneys Named Illinois Super Lawyers for 2017

CHICAGO—Twenty attorneys at intellectual property law firm Brinks Gilson & Lione have been named to the 2017 ...

June 01, 2016
Intellectual Asset Management Ranks Brinks Gilson & Lione "At the Top of the IP List"

CHICAGO—National law firm Brinks Gilson & Lione is “at the top of the list” again this year for intellectual property according to IAM Patent 1000 2016—The World’s Leading Patent Professionals, Intellectual Asset Management (IAM) magazine's guide to leading private practice patent professionals and firms.

January 12, 2016
Twenty-two Brinks Gilson & Lione Attorneys Listed in Illinois Super Lawyers 2016, Three Named Rising Stars

CHICAGO—Twenty-two attorneys at intellectual property law firm Brinks Gilson & Lione have been named to the 2016 ...

January 20, 2015
Illinois Super Lawyers Lists 24 Brinks Gilson & Lione Attorneys for 2015, Names Two Rising Stars
CHICAGO—Twenty-four attorneys at Brinks Gilson & Lione, one of the nation's largest intellectual property law firms, are named to the 2015 Illinois Super Lawyers list by Super Lawyers, a rating service that lists lawyers from more than ...
October 23, 2014
Brinks' Gary Ropski Named #1 Leading IP Lawyer in Illinois; 59 Brinks Attorneys Named Leading Lawyers for 2014-2015
CHICAGO—Gary M. Ropski, a shareholder at intellectual property law firm Brinks Gilson & Lione and the firm's past president, has been named the #1 Leading Intellectual Property Lawyer in Illinois by Leading Lawyers, and fifty-nine ...
June 16, 2014
"Look No Further Than Brinks," Say Editors at IAM, Firm Receives High Recognition in IAM Patent 1000, 13 Attorneys Named Stars
CHICAGO— Each year, Intellectual Asset Management magazine's IAM Patent 1000—The World’s Leading Patent Practitioners spotlights best-in-class patent prosecution, licensing and litigation practitioners and firms, and this year ...
Honors
  • Leading Patent Practitioner, Intellectual Asset Management magazine's "IAM Patent 1000: The World’s Leading Patent Practitioners," 2014-2019
  • Leading Intellectual Property Lawyer, Leading Lawyers Network, Law Bulletin Publishing Company, 2010-2019
  • Illinois Super Lawyers, Intellectual Property, 2009-2019; Rising Stars, 2009-2012
Affiliations
  • AIPLA (American Intellectual Property Law Association)
  • CARPLS (Coordinated Advice & Referral Program for Legal Services) 
    Board of Directors, 2013-2019
  • IPLAC (Intellectual Property Law Association of Chicago)
    Vice-Chair of the U.S. Patents Committee, 2012-2014
    Pro-Bono Steering Committee Representative, 2013-2014
  • IPO (Intellectual Property Owners Association) 
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