Stephen Mason

Duties include counseling clients in protection of their intellectual property, particularly portfolio development and management at a strategic and supervisory level. My duties further include patent preparation and patent prosecution with a heavy emphasis on image processing, cloud computing, mobile computing platforms (hardware and software), network storage, social media, analytics and electronic commerce. Duties further include counseling clients in trademark and copyright protection.

Enforcement Innovations develops digital evidence-gathering technology that helps law enforcement officers detect impaired drivers and get them off of the streets. For the past four years, I have helped Enforcement Innovations develop intellectual property asset protection for their law enforcement products. I now additionally advise them on the strategic direction of their portfolio and intellectual-property-related activities and participate in the preparation and presentation of fundraising activity.

During 2012, MHKKG loaned me to Adobe as a secondee to provide portfolio analysis, asset development, and preparation and prosecution management for a set of then-recent acquisitions in the analytics and advertising space. Because of my previous in-house experience at an Internet advertising startup, I felt very much at home during the time that I spent traveling to meet with inventors, make filing decisions on inventions, and managing the drafting and prosecution of applications.

Duties included counseling clients in protection of their intellectual property, patent preparation and patent prosecution with a heavy emphasis on foreign prosecution and on continuation and RCE practice. Primary areas of technical emphasis included database software products, network hardware and software, and networked storage and security systems.

Advised a rapidly-expanding $MM (annual gross) Internet advertising startup in strategic and operational legal matters. Prepared, negotiated and reviewed confidentiality documents, licensing and contracts for sales, engineering and procurement functions, including offshore IP development. Managed outside counsel and directly negotiated dispute resolution with regulatory bodies. Directly negotiated intellectual property demand resolution.

Joined Bracewell partners in starting new firm (subsequently renamed Yudell Isidore Ng Russell PLLC), continuing prosecution duties as discussed below with a heavy emphasis on appeal practice. Assisted in merger and acquisition transactions: drafted asset purchase agreement language, performed due diligence review of contractual obligations and intellectual property assets. Performed entity creation and issuance of securities documents. Prepared and prosecuted trademark applications.

(formerly Bracewell & Patterson, LLP). Associate, 2003-2004 and Summer Associate, 2001 & 2002. Prepared patent applications: interviewed inventors, reviewed prior art, drafted descriptions and claims, and prepared drawings. Prosecuted pending patent applications: drafted claim amendments and responded to outstanding office actions. Also developed recommendations regarding continued prosecution and drafted appeal and reply briefs.

Baylor emphasizes (and I made a point to pursue) a curriculum heavy in practical courses focused on performing a broad range legal tasks, rather than on contemplating legal theory.

Terry Foundation Scholar (a full tuition and expenses scholarship). National Merit Scholar. Houston Phi Beta Kappa Alumni/Vinson & Elkins scholarship. My elective courses were concentrated in communications and signal processing, digital logic and electronics, and digital systems design.