Mr. Mueller represents U.S. and overseas clients in proceedings at the USPTO, and has had significant relationships with law firms and companies in Japan throughout his career. His practice focuses on U.S. and international patent and trademark prosecution including reexaminations and interferences, infringement and validity opinions, and counseling clients with respect to IP acquisition, portfolio management and business strategies.

Technology Areas

• Chemical
• Mechanical
• Light Electrical Fields

Education

• Central Michigan University, Mt. Pleasant, MI
  • B.S., Chemistry, magna cum laude, 1979
• George Washington University, Washington, D.C.
  • J.D., with honors, 1983

Bar Admissions

• United States Patent and Trademark Office
• American Bar Association
• Virginia(currently associate status)
• District of Columbia
• Minnesota State Bar

Experience

U.S. and international patent and trademark prosecution including reexaminations and interferences, infringement and validity opinions, and counseling clients with respect to IP acquisition, portfolio management and business strategies. Practice areas include a wide range of chemical, mechanical and light electrical fields such as semiconductor devices and processing, pharmaceutical agents and delivery systems, coating compositions and methods, medical equipment, display systems and components, etc. Mr. Mueller represents U.S. and overseas clients in proceedings at the USPTO, and has had significant relationships with law firms and companies in Japan throughout his career. At a former firm, Mr. Mueller prepared the successful reexamination requests of the "turmeric" and "basmati" U.S. patents on behalf of the Indian government.

Presentations

• Enablement - Paper and lecture presented at the American Intellectual Property Law Association Advanced Chemical Prosecution Workshop
• Selected Issues in U.S. Patent Practice -Paper and lecture presented in Japan
• Proving Invention Dates - Paper and lecture presented in Japan
• Current Issues in U.S. Patent Practice - Paper and lecture presented in Japan
• Inter Partes Reexamination - Paper and lecture presented at the Minnesota Intellectual Property Law Association program on the American Inventor Protection Act
• Ownership of Inventions - Paper and lecture presented in Japan
• China: Land of Change, Challenge & Opportunity; Minnesota Emerging Technologies Council, St Paul, MN.
• Patent Prosecution after Festo - Paper and lecture presented in Japan
• U.S. Claim Drafting - Paper and lecture presented in Japan
• Doctrine of Equivalence Under Post-Festo Federal Circuit Cases - Paper and lecture presented in Japan
• Exhaustion of US Patent Rights - Implications for Enforcement and Licensing

Honors & Distinctions

• Martindale Hubbell AV-rated, 1993 to present
• Minnesota Super Lawyers List, 2008 to 2018
• Distinguished Alumni Award, Central Michigan University’s College of Science and Technology, in recognition of outstanding personal and professional achievements as a graduate of Central Michigan University, 2010

Professional Affiliations

• American Bar Association
• American Intellectual Property Law Association
• District of Columbia Bar Association
• Japan Intellectual Property Association
• Member of Central Michigan University College of Science and Technology Alumni Advisory Committee
• Minnesota State Bar Association
• Minnesota Intellectual Property Law Association
• Virginia State Bar