Partner
Lionel has argued dozens of Markman hearings. He has directed the discovery for numerous complex cases and disputes, and he has taken or defended over 250 depositions. He also has briefed and argued numerous patent/IP appeals at the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit.
With experience in the preparation of over 1,950 patent applications, Lionel also oversees the creation and management of large corporate patent portfolios. He has organized and managed numerous large domestic and foreign patent portfolios. His prosecution experience covers an array of technologies, including those related to the financial services, electrical, aerospace, and automotive industries.
Lionel's practice includes litigation, patent applications, and opinion work related to business methods, computers, software, and electrical and mechanical devices (including medical devices, especially medical device software applications). He has also directed numerous ex parte and inter partes patent reexamination proceedings, including almost 100 "defensive reexaminations" used during litigations. As one of the first to challenge a patent via the inter partes review (IPR) procedure, he has led the filing of nearly 150 IPR petitions and covered business method (CBM) petitions.
Lionel has particular insight into patent disputes involving government contracts, including patent infringement claims under 28 U.S.C. § 1498, with extensive experience with numerous cases before the U.S. Court of Federal Claims. He holds Public Trust clearance, and previously held Top Secret and Code Word clearances.
Lionel routinely lectures to bar associations and aviation groups on patent law issues related to aircraft, rotorcraft, soaring, skydiving, and lighter-than-air technologies. He is an active and current airplane and helicopter pilot (and occasional glider and balloon pilot), and he counsels many aviation and aerospace companies on IP issues. Lionel also has extensive experience with drone, UAV, and UAS technologies.
As a Fulbright Scholar, Lionel participated in a visiting scholar program at the Max Planck Institute in Munich, Germany, focusing on the study of foreign and international patent, copyright, and competition law.
Lionel and his wife are alpine mountaineers, skydivers, and adventurers. Of the Seven Summits (the highest peaks of the seven continents), they have summited six (Mt. Kilimanjaro in Africa in 1999; Mt. Elbrus in Russia in 2002; Mt. Aconcagua in South America in 2002; Mt. McKinley in North America and Mt. Vinson in Antarctica in 2004; and Mt. Kosciuszko in Oceania in 2007) and plans to finish the seventh of the Seven Summits, with Mt. Everest scheduled for 2026. Lionel is an experienced skydiver (with over 1250 relative-work formation skydives) and holds numerous skydiving world records. He and his wife are scheduled on an early commercial space flight, with World View, in 2024/2025.
Lionel works with leading innovators across technology markets including automotive, robotics, and artificial intelligence. Lionel has extensive experience with both front end and back end features of mobile apps, including applications of object-oriented design, HTML5 architecture, the Angular, Apache Kafka, and MICRON frameworks, and BIAN. He has represented Boeing in patent matters relating to aircraft software products; represented Bosch both in patent enforcement and in the defense of multiple patent infringement lawsuits related to various electronic and mechanical technologies; defended various LG entities in multiple patent infringement lawsuits, primarily in the E.D. Texas, involving electronic, mechanical, and telecommunication technologies; and defended Sony in multiple patent infringement lawsuits in the E.D. Texas, N.D. California, and C.D. California, involving electronic, software, and mechanical technologies, as well as in arbitration issues before the Japan Commercial Arbitration Association (JCAA). He has also represented the U.S. Postal Service (USPS) and governmental entities in protecting, defending, and enforcing mechanical, electronic, and software innovations.
18-2003, Fed. Cir., Judges Newman, Prost, Chen
6:11-cv-00278, E.D. Tex., Judges Davis, Love
1:11-cv-00930, -00931, D. Del., Judge Sleet
2:13-cv-11407, -11410, E.D. Mich., Judges Duggan, Roberts, Grand, Randon
1:20-cv-01907, N.D. Ga., Judge Grimberg
IPR2017-01938, -01939, -01940, 01941, PTAB, Judges Margolies, Easthom, Zado
2:12-cv-00042, E.D. Tex., Judges Folsom, Gilstrap, Schneider, Craven
3:13-cv-01296, D. Or., Judges Hernandez, Acosta
4:08-cv-04567, N.D. Cal., Judges Wilken, Laporte, Larson
337-TA-666, ITC, Judge Gildea
1:20-cv-00510, D. Del., Judge Wolson
1:23-cv-00005, D. Del., Judge Wolson
IPR2023-00333, -00334, PTAB
22-2062 , Fed. Cir.
IPR2021-00417, -00418, -00419, PTAB, Judges Galligan, Repko, White
Ericsson Inc. v. TCL Communication Technology
18-2003, Fed. Cir., Judges Newman, Prost, Chen
Stragent, LLC v. BMW of North America, LLC
Defended BMW against Stragent in a patent infringement case involving voice recognition technology that resulted in dismissal with prejudice after a favorable claim construction order.
6:11-cv-00278, E.D. Tex., Judges Davis, Love
Beacon Navigation, GmbH v. BMW of North America, LLC
Successfully obtained transfer of patent infringement lawsuit from D. Delaware to E.D. Michigan (and, later, a stay of litigation) on behalf of BMW in cases involving GPS tracking and interface technology.
1:11-cv-00930, -00931, D. Del., Judge Sleet
2:13-cv-11407, -11410, E.D. Mich., Judges Duggan, Roberts, Grand, Randon
Liberty Access Technologies Licensing LLC v. ASSA ABLOY AB et al.
2:22-cv-00507, E.D. Tex., Judge Gilstrap
2:22-cv-0318, E.D. Tex., Judge Gilstrap
1:23-cv-00756, N.D. Ill., Judge Kocoras
IPR2023-00815, -00816, -00817, PTAB
337-TA-1267, ITC, Judge Bhattacharyya
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Aerospace Manufacturing and Design“Lionel is always focused on winning a case. He manages the most complex litigation easily and is excellent at working under pressure. Lionel’s presence is comforting for the client and frightening for the adversary. In short, he enjoys fighting and winning.”
Intellectual Asset Management Patent 1000
"Lionel Lavenue is an extremely smart and experienced lead partner. A great patent attorney with impressive technical competences. Our outside impression is that he leads his case teams extremely well, and his staff enjoy working with him. We certainly do."
The Legal 500 U.S.
“James Barney, Lionel Lavenue and Doris Johnson Hines have all engaged in Section 337 investigations recently and are three of the best all-round patent litigators on deck.”
Intellectual Asset Management Patent 1000
“Lionel is always focused on winning a case. He manages the most complex litigation easily and is excellent at working under pressure. Lionel’s presence is comforting for the client and frightening for the adversary. In short, he enjoys fighting and winning.”
Intellectual Asset Management Patent 1000
"Lionel Lavenue is an extremely smart and experienced lead partner. A great patent attorney with impressive technical competences. Our outside impression is that he leads his case teams extremely well, and his staff enjoy working with him. We certainly do."
The Legal 500 U.S.
“James Barney, Lionel Lavenue and Doris Johnson Hines have all engaged in Section 337 investigations recently and are three of the best all-round patent litigators on deck.”
Intellectual Asset Management Patent 1000
Award/Ranking
Managing IP Americas Awards 2024: Finnegan Shortlisted for Nine Awards, Including Firm of the Year Managing IP Americas Awards 2024: Finnegan Shortlisted for Nine Awards, Including Firm of the Year
March 12, 2024
Managing Intellectual PropertyCommentary
Whose Money? Patentee, Accused Infringer, and Firm’s Litigation Funder Fighting for Slice of Settlement Whose Money? Patentee, Accused Infringer, and Firm’s Litigation Funder Fighting for Slice of Settlement
February 29, 2024
IAMPress Release
Finnegan Secures Another Patent Victory for BMW Group in the District of Delaware Finnegan Secures Another Patent Victory for BMW Group in the District of Delaware
February 27, 2024
Commentary
BMW Drops Fight with Arigna Over Integrated Circuit Patent BMW Drops Fight with Arigna Over Integrated Circuit Patent
February 6, 2024
Law360Press Release
Finnegan Secures Third Straight Victory for BMW Group Against Patent Assertion Entity Finnegan Secures Third Straight Victory for BMW Group Against Patent Assertion Entity
February 6, 2024
Commentary
How We Won: Finnegan Shakes Off Patent Litigator for BMW How We Won: Finnegan Shakes Off Patent Litigator for BMW
August 24, 2023
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