PRACTICE AREAS

  • Patent Litigation
  • Intellectual Property Litigation
  • Transactions and M&A
  • Technology Licensing
  • Corporate Law
  • Securities Law
  • Regulatory Compliance
  • Trademark Prosecution
  • Copyright

Bar Admissions

  • Texas
  • Illinois
  • District of Columbia
  • U.S. Patent & Trademark Office
  • Canadian Intellectual Property Office

 

Admissions to Courts

  • U.S. Supreme Court
  • U.S. Ct. of Appeals for the Fed. Circ.
  • U.S. Ct. of Appeals for the 9th Circ.
  • U.S. Dist. Ct. – D.C.
  • U.S. Dist. Ct. – N.D. Ill.
  • U.S. Dist. Ct. – Oklahoma
  • U.S. Dist. Ct. – E.D. Tex.
  • U.S. Ct. of International Trade
  • Supreme Court of Oklahoma
  • Supreme Court of Illinois
  • Patent Trial and Appeal Board
  • Trademark Trial and Appeal Board

 

Certifications

  • Certified Licensing Professional (LES)

 

Boards of Directors

  • SignMeUp.com, Inc. (2012–2013)
  • Ultrawave Labs, Inc. (2012–2013)

 

Education

  • J.D., Univ. of Tulsa, 1998
  • LL.M, Intellectual Property Law, The John Marshall Law School, Chicago, 1996
  • M.S., Electrical Engineering (studies), Univ. of Illinois, 1996–1999
  • B.S., Petroleum Eng., Univ. of Tulsa, 1986
  • B.S., Chem. Eng., O.R.U., 1984

 

Professional Memberships

  • Association of Corporate Counsel
  • Licensing Executives Society (LES)
  • Richard Linn American Inn of Court for IP (Chicago)

Robert P. Hart, J.D., LL.M.

Co-Founder and Partner
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Robert Hart, co-founder of AddyHart, P.C., has 30 years’ experience in private practice and as in-house counsel. He represents companies through all phases of their growth and development, and specializes in handling both routine and complex corporate and intellectual property issues. Robert’s corporate law experience includes counseling companies on entity formation, compliance and corporate governance, securities filings, transactional matters and mergers and acquisitions.

Robert has wide and deep experience in intellectual property law. With a technical background in chemical and petroleum engineering, computer science, and electrical engineering, his IP practice includes patent application drafting and related prosecution, trademark prosecution, copyright practice, and the development and implementation of trade secret programs. His clients span diverse industries, from high-technology hardware and software to consumer products in the sporting goods industry to service companies.

Robert also offers a full-service domestic and international transactional practice that includes negotiating and drafting technology licenses, master supply and manufacturing agreements, joint-venture and mergers and acquisition agreements, and contracts such as tooling, distributor, and reseller agreements.

His litigation practice includes all aspects ranging from pre-filing advice to trials and appeals in state and federal courts. He also has experience with domestic (JAMS) and international arbitrations, such as before the China International Economic and Trade Arbitration Commission (CEITEC), the Hong Kong International Arbitration Centre (HKIAC), and the International Chamber of Commerce, and he has handled breach of contract matters as well as complex patent, trademark and copyright litigations.

Robert began his career in the petroleum industry, before earning his J.D. He lectures frequently on a variety of business and legal topics. From 1994 until 2003, he co-taught Masters Classes for lawyers in Appellate Brief Writing and Appellate Advocacy at the John Marshall Law School with the Honorable Paul R. Michel, Former Chief Judge, U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit.  He has also taught trial practice for lawyers at Chicago Kent College of Law.

  • Representative Litigation

    • Sidel, Inc. et al. v. ACMI, Inc. et al. (N.D. GA 2018). Obtained a favorable settlement on behalf of plaintiffs in a patent litigation case with corresponding litigations against the same defendants in France and Italy.
    • Sidel, Inc. et al. v. Alliance Industrial Corporation (W.D. VA). Obtained a favorable settlement on behalf of plaintiffs in a patent litigation case.
    • Alliance Industrial Corporation et al. v. Gebo, Inc. et al. (IPR). Obtained a “do-not-institute” decision from the PTAB.
    • In re Fatigue Fracture Technology Tech. (Fed. Cir. 2020). Represent patent owner on appeal of an adverse decision at the PTAB on an ex partes reexamination filed on a patent related to automotive equipment.
    • Navistar Inc. v. Fatigue Fracture Tech. (Fed. Cir. 2019). Represent patent owner on appeal of an adverse decision at the PTAB in an inter partes review (IPR) filed on a patent related to automotive manufacturing process.
    • Shure Incorporated v. Clear One, Inc. (Fed. Cir. 2019). Represented patent challenger on appeal of an adverse PTAB decision relating to beamforming in microphones.
    • Sophos v. RPost (Fed. Cir. 2018). Represented patentee on appeal of an adverse district court validity decision.
    • GGEC America v. Stelle, LLC (CA 2015). Obtained a $1.27 million judgment on behalf of plaintiff in a breach of contract case.
    • Victoria Rodriguez v. Vizio, Inc. et al. (S.D. CA 2015). Obtained a dismissal with prejudice with no settlement on behalf of two of the defendants.
    • Winvic Sales, Inc. and NII Northern International Inc. v. MerchSource, LLC (N.D. IL 2013). Resolved patent infringement case on favorable terms.
    • PowerSav, Inc. v. Thermal Technology LLC (CA 2012). Litigated and obtained very favorable settlement in a breach of contract case for defendant.
    • Patent Harbor LLC v. Harman International et al. (E.D. TX 2010). Settled patent infringement lawsuit on extremely favorable terms.
    • ClearOne Communications v. Harman Professional et al. (Utah 2007). Resolved trade secret lawsuit.
    • ClearOne Communications v. Andrew Chiang et al. (D. Utah 2007). Obtained dismissal of trade secret lawsuit.
    • Traffic Information v. Alpine Electronics of America et al. (E.D. Texas 2008). Litigated and successfully settled patent infringement lawsuit.
    • Massachusetts Institute of Technology v. Harman International (D. Mass 2005). Litigated and favorably settled patent litigation with a potential damages liability greater than $30 million.
    • Harman International v. Brookstone (C.D. Cal. 2007). Litigated and negotiated favorable trademark litigation settlement including payment of monetary damages by Brookstone.
    • Harman International v. Jasco Products (W.D. Okla. 2004). Litigated patent infringement lawsuit that was resolved with a favorable royalty-bearing patent license.
    • Zeevi v. Pioneer North America et al. (C.D. Cal. 2003). Favorably settled lawsuit with a potential liability greater than $10 million.
    • Harman International v. PC Club et al. (E.D. Va. 2002). Litigated patent infringement lawsuit resulting in shutting down more than 25 infringers.
    • JBL v. Bose (S.Ct. No. 02-46; U.S. 2002). Managed litigation team on petition for writ of certiorari to the U.S. Supreme Court to review conflicting precedent relating to patent infringement doctrines.
    • Bose v. JBL (Fed. Cir. No. 02-1282 2002). Managed litigation team on appeal to the U.S. Court of Appeal for the Federal Circuit regarding the constitutional patent issue of whether the primary jurisdiction of the USPTO requires a district court to stay a co-pending patent infringement litigation.

  • Representative Transactions

    • Represented seller in a pharmaceutical asset sale.
    • Represented investor group in a $2 million debt and equity transaction.
    • Represented startup in a $2.5 million Series A preferred stock offering.
    • Represented startup in a $3 million Series A preferred stock offering.
    • Represented startup in a $2.7 million round of seed financing.
    • Represented Singaporean startup in a $300,000 seen financing round.
    • Represented startup in a $500,000 convertible note seed financing round.
    • Represented cellular service provider company’s exit sale to an Indian company.
    • Represented telecom company’s exit sale to a Canadian purchaser.