John M. Schafer draws on his engineering and military background to help clients protect current and future product lines by identifying and mitigating intellectual property risks and securing intellectual property rights.
While his practice focuses on patent matters in the electrical and mechanical arts, Jay has also represented clients in trademark, trade secret, and unfair competition matters. Having worked with a diverse group of clients ranging from start-ups to global corporations, Jay understands how to his focus his efforts to meet each client’s individual needs.
Jay has experience handling intellectual property matters in a wide variety of fields, including medical devices, bamboo flooring and paneling, network-connected devices and appliances, light-emitting diodes, high-voltage electrical systems and components, electrical safety equipment, telecommunications, speech recognition and synthetic speech software, semiconductor devices, microelectromechanical systems, and industrial powertrain components.
He counsels clients developing new products and improvements to existing lines, working with in-house counsel and engineers to assess intellectual property risks and evaluate potential mitigation strategies.
To this end, he prepares freedom-to-operate opinions and advises clients on how to protect newly-developed intellectual property. Jay also provides due diligence support and negotiates licenses and agreements for transactions involving intellectual property rights.
Jay has extensive experience in resolving intellectual property disputes as well, representing clients in litigation, inter partes reviews at the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office, § 337 investigations at the U.S. International Trade Commission, and international arbitration.
Drawing on his military training, Jay works with clients to develop and hone litigation strategies during all phases of the disputes. He also develops and prepares non-infringement and invalidity contentions, drafts claim construction and dispositive motion briefs, works closely with expert witnesses, and manages all aspects of discovery.
Prior to attending law school, Jay served in the United States Navy. During a 40-month tour as a watch officer on the fast-attack submarine USS MIAMI, he directed the ship’s operations, supervised the reactor plant, and managed divisions responsible for maintaining the ship’s communication systems, reactor plant fluid and mechanical equipment, and reactor plant chemistry and radiological controls.
Education :
- J.D., Michigan State University College of Law, 2011, magna cum laude
- B.S.E.E., University of Michigan, 2003
Bar Admissions :
- Illinois
- U.S. Patent and Trademark Office
Cost
Rate : $$$
