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Jeffrey J. Phillips is a partner in the firm’s Houston office who focuses on intellectual property matters involving a wide range of technologies, including oil and gas technologies, chemical processes and catalysts, mechanical systems, and computer and software related technologies.
Mr. Phillips’ litigation experience includes both patent enforcement and patent defense in federal courts throughout the United States, including extensive experience in the Eastern District of Texas. Mr. Phillips has successfully led patent litigation teams and obtained summary judgments and favorable settlement terms on behalf of his clients. Mr. Philips has also successfully prosecuted complex patent and trademark cases before the U.S. Patent & Trademark Office, including appeals to the Board of Patent Appeals and Interferences and the Trademark Trial and Appeal Board. In addition, Mr. Phillips also counsels clients on important IP issues, such as advising on patent portfolio management, preparing opinions relating to a company’s ability to sell its products and/or practice its valuable technology, preparing pre-acquisition intellectual property due diligence assessments, and structuring and negotiating technology licensing agreements and joint development agreements.
Prior to his legal career, Mr. Phillips held many technical and project management positions within Exxon Mobil Corporation supporting the petrochemical and refining business groups. His responsibilities included worldwide technical and operations support for chemical plants and refineries, facilities planning for large-scale grassroots and debottleneck projects, and R&D planning for the final development and rollout of new technologies. Mr. Phillips is a co-inventor of U.S. Patent No. 6,855,858 entitled “Method of Removing Dimethyl Ether from an Olefin Stream,” assigned to ExxonMobil. Mr. Philips’ prior experience as a chemical engineer complements his legal experience, providing clients with an incisive and practical understanding of the refining and petrochemical industries.
Representative Matters
- Avocent Redmond Corp. v. Rose Electronics, et al. Counsel for Rose Electronics in patent infringement suit in the United States District Court for the Western District of Washington concerning KVM switch technology. Case stayed pending reexamination of three patents by PTO. Also counsel for Rose Electronics as intervenor in related Avocent Redmond Corp. v. United States, which is currently pending in the Federal Court of Claims.
- Wacoh Company v. Chrysler LLC, et al. Counsel for Ford Motor Company in patent infringement suit in the United States District Court for the Western District of Wisconsin concerning air bag systems having accelerometer sensors. Case transferred to E.D. Michigan and dismissed.
- Ronald A. Katz Technology Licensing L.P. MDL. Counsel for Whirlpool and Hilton Hotels in patent infringement suits originating in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Texas concerning interactive voice response systems used for customer service call centers. Obtained favorable settlements for both clients.
- Iron Grip Barbell Company, Inc. v. USA Sports, Inc. Counsel for USA Sports in patent infringement suit in the United States District Court for the Central District of California concerning patents for weight plates used with fitness equipment. Obtained summary judgments of no infringement as to the first patent and invalidity as to the second patent.
- C I Host, Inc., et al v. Everyones Internet Ltd. Counsel for Everyones Internet in alleged defamation suit in the United States District Court for the Northern District of Texas against an internet service provider. Obtained dismissal without prejudice under the federal Communications Decency Act prior to answering complaint.
- Constellation IP, LLC v. Allstate Corp., et al. Counsel for Countrywide and Hilton in patent infringement suit in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Texas concerning computer-generated sales presentation systems. One client dismissed with prejudice. Case stayed pending reexamination of patent by PTO.
- Halliburton Energy Systems, Inc. v. Weatherford International, Inc., et al. Counsel for Weatherford in patent infringement suit in the United States District Court for the Northern District of Texas concerning composite downhole tools. Case is pending.
- National Oilwell, L.P. v. Helmerich & Payne, Inc. Counsel for National Oilwell in declaratory judgment action in the United States District Court for the Southern District of Texas regarding patents for transportable drilling rigs. Obtained favorable settlement.
- Phoenix Licensing, LLC v. Chase Manhattan Mortgage Corp., et al. Counsel for Countrywide in patent infringement suit in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Texas for automated systems for transacting marketing and sales of financial products. Case is pending.
- Video Products, Inc. v. Rose Electronics. Counsel for Rose Electronics in patent infringement suit in the United States District Court for the Northern District of Ohio concerning patents for KVM switch technology. Obtained favorable settlement.
Honors and Awards
Mr. Phillips was recognized as a “Rising Star” by Texas Monthly magazine in 2008 and 2010 and as a “Professional on the Fast Track” by H Texas magazine in 2009.
Activities
Mr. Phillips is member of the Houston Bar Association, Houston Intellectual Property Law Association, Houston Young Lawyers Association, American Institute of Chemical Engineers, American Chemical Society, and is a fellow of the Texas Bar Foundation.
Education
Mr. Phillips received a B.S. in Chemical Engineering, with high honors, from the University of Texas in 1995 and a J.D., magna cum laude, from the University of Houston Law Center in 2002, where he was elected to the Order of the Coif and was an articles editor for the Houston Law Review.
Speeches and Publications
“Clean Air Never Smelled So Bad: Union Oil Co. of California v. Atlantic Richfield Co.” Houston Law Review 38 (2002).
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