Profile
Eric J. Maiers is Co-Chair of the Chicago Intellectual Property & Technology Practice at Greenberg Traurig. He is an intellectual property strategist who has purposefully developed diverse experience so that he can be clients’ go-to advisor on virtually all intellectual property matters, including all aspects of prosecution, clearance, portfolio management, litigation and transactions. He has managed patent and trademark portfolios globally, from small sets to hundreds of patents and thousands of trademarks. Eric has represented clients in Federal District Courts, the Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit, the International Trade Commission (ITC), the Trademark Trial and Appeal Board (TTAB), and the Patent Trial and Appeal Board (PTAB). Known for his practical yet aggressive IP strategies, Eric’s clients span industries such as airlines, retail, eCommerce, consumer electronics, technology, hardware, and apparel.
Concentrations
- Patent, trademark copyright, and trade secret litigation
- Patent, trademark and copyright prosecution
- Intellectual property counseling, licensing, due diligence and opinions
- Post-issuance patent proceedings, including inter partes review, post-grant review and ex parte reexaminations
- Technical areas of experience
- Business methodology, particularly in eCommerce and other Internet-related areas
- Internet of Things (IoT)
- Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Machine Learning
- LED and other lighting products
- Electrical circuits, both analog and digital, including memory controllers, temperature sensors, and amplifiers
- Computer software, including file system level software, operating system level software, application level software, application programming interfaces, graphical user interfaces, client/server applications and video codecs
- Computer hardware, including rack server design and hard drive design
- Networking systems, including both network hardware and software
- Semiconductors and their methods of fabrication
- Cellular phone hardware, software, and communication protocols
Capabilities
Experience
- Managed trademark portfolio and enforcement program for a major airline.
- Managed trademark and patent portfolios and enforcement programs for multiple national retailers and eCommerce platforms.
- Provided IP support for a multibillion-dollar bond offering.
- Obtained an early settlement in defense of a patent infringement suit relating to mobile music identification technology. Tune Hunter, Inc. v. LG Electronics U.S.A., Inc.
- Obtained dismissal of a patent infringement suit through a pre-answer motion for summary judgment. Furnace Brook, LLC v. Aéropostale, Inc., Dick's Sporting Goods, Inc., and Levi Strauss & Company
- Obtained dismissal of a patent infringement suit through a motion for summary judgment of non-infringement, followed by a per curiam affirmation by the Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit. Wi-LAN Inc. v. LG Electronics, Inc., et al.
- Obtained outright dismissals of two petitions for inter partes review before the PTAB. Universal Remote Control, Inc. v. Universal Electronics, Inc.
Recognition & Leadership
- Listed, Leading Lawyers Network, 2022-2025
- "Emerging Lawyer," 2015-2021
- Listed, World Trademark Review, Illinois, Enforcement and Litigation, "WTR 1000," 2023-2025
- Listed, Managing IP Magazine's World IP Handbook and Survey, "IP Stars: Chicago Patent Stars and Trademark Stars," 2017-2024
- Team Member, a U.S. News - Best Lawyers "Law Firm of the Year" in Trademark Law, 2020, 2022
- Listed, The Legal 500 United States,
- Intellectual Property - Trademarks: Non-Contentious, 2024
- Intellectual Property - Trademarks Litigation, 2019
- Member, American Bar Association
- Member, Illinois State Bar Association
- Member, International Trademark Association (INTA)
- Famous and Well-Known Marks Committee, 2019-2023
- Emerging Issues Committee, 2024-2025
Credentials
- J.D., DePaul University College of Law
- B.S., Electrical and Computer Engineering, University of Iowa
- Illinois
- U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit
- U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois
- U.S. District Court for the District of Colorado
- U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Texas
- U.S. District Court for the Western District of Texas
- U.S. Patent and Trademark Office