Stephen Hall advises clients in the areas of intellectual property and technology matters. Stephen has an active trial practice litigating patent infringement, trademark infringement, copyright infringement, trade secret misappropriation, and technology issues in state and federal courts. He also works closely with established and emerging technology companies in preparing and negotiating software and technology contracts, license agreements, and managing open source software issues. In addition, he has an active patent and trademark prosecution practice, assisting clients in developing, protecting, managing, and exploiting their intellectual property.

Stephen is also actively involved with a variety of entrepreneur organizations, acting as an advisor and mentor to early stage startups. This involvement keeps Stephen informed of the unique issues and challenges that startups face and helps him guide those businesses as they grow and mature.

Stephen draws from his experience as both a litigator and prosecutor in developing comprehensive and cost-effective IP strategies. His prosecution experience helps him develop litigation strategies in defending intellectual property assets, such as patents, trademarks, and trade secrets, and attacking third party intellectual property. Similarly, his experience in litigation helps him prosecute intellectual property applications in a way that minimizes potential risks when they are later enforced. 

Stephen’s practice is focused in three primary areas:

Stephen has handled a wide variety of patent infringement matters, including cases involving weather systems, medical devices, synthetic vectors, consumer goods, computer systems, communication systems, and pharmaceuticals. He has also represented clients in various copyright and trademark infringement cases, as well as trade secret misappropriation cases. Additionally, his litigation practice includes representing clients in patent proceedings before the Patent Trial and Appeal Board (PTAB) trademark oppositions and cancellations before the Trademark Trial and Appeal Board (TTAB) and other alternative tribunals such as ICANN. He has also advised and represented government contractors in bid protests.

Stephen has an active transactional practice where he counsels clients in the use, acquisition, development, and licensing of intellectual property rights. His transactional practice includes:

• Preparation and negotiation of license agreements, including patent licenses, trademark licenses, and copyright licenses
• Preparation and negotiation of joint research, development, and collaboration agreements
• Preparation and negotiation of software and IT contracts, both for vendors and users
• Conducting intellectual property audits to identify, protect, and commercialize valuable IP
• Advising clients on intellectual property issues arising out of government contracts
• Advising clients on the use and management of open source software issues

Stephen frequently prosecutes patent and trademark applications before the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO). In addition to the various patents and trademarks Stephen has successfully prosecuted, his practice also includes:

• Preparing, advising, and counseling clients and businesses in developing intellectual property portfolios
• Preparing patentability opinions advising clients and businesses of the potential scope of patent protection available for their ideas, inventions, and products
• Preparing infringement opinions and validity opinions advising clients on the potential liability, level of protection, or enforceability associated with issued patents
• Conducting inter partes review, post-grant review, and covered business method review before the USPTO

Bar Admissions

• Alabama, 1998

• United States Court of Appeals, 11th Circuit
• United States Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit
• United States Patent & Trademark Office
• United States District Court, Northern District of Alabama

Education

• University of Alabama School of Law, J.D., 1998, summa cum laude; Hugo Black Scholar; Order of the Coif; Alabama Law Review, Senior Editor, 1997
• Auburn University, B.S., Civil / Environmental Engineering, 1995, magna cum laude