Mark A. Lauer, Partner

Mark has worked as a patent attorney for about fifteen years, specializing in patent litigation, licensing and prosecution, about ten years ago co-founding the business that later became Silicon Edge Law Group LLP. He has experience in a broad range of electrical, mechanical and optical technologies, including computer networking and storage, computer hardware and software, transducers, memory and buses, media and disk drives, and active optical devices. In addition to litigation, licensing and prosecution, Mark has handled patent reexaminations, patent interferences, validity opinions, infringement opinions, international patent prosecution and trademark prosecution.

Notable litigations for which Mark was the lead attorney include:

Alacritech v. Microsoft, U.S. District Court, Northern District of California, C04-02057 RMW (antitrust, unfair competition) – obtained favorable settlement on eve of preliminary injunction hearing by turning Microsoft’s attempt to de-certify Alacritech’s products into a risk to the continued viability of Microsoft’s Certification program.

Alacritech v. Microsoft, U.S. District Court, Northern District of California, C04-03284 JSW (patent infringement) – obtained (within six months) an injunction prohibiting Microsoft from releasing the next version of Windows (now known as Vista), based on a previously untested claim of a patent written by Mark.  Negotiated three-way license with Microsoft and Broadcom Corporation prompted by injunction order, obtaining license fees while allowing Microsoft to proceed with claimed features in Vista, Alacritech to partner with Microsoft, and Alacritech to license others. 

Clients Mark has worked with include Alacritech, Atmel, Censtor, LG Electronics, Rambus, Read-Rite, SDL, Western Digital and Zylog. 

Mark graduated magna cum laude from Thomas Jefferson School of Law, where he earned American Jurisprudence Awards for Contracts and Corporations, was awarded the Wall Street Journal Outstanding Student Award, and worked as a Judicial Extern for U.S. District Court Judge John S. Rhoades. His undergraduate degree is from UC Davis in physics and economics.