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Reed R. Heimbecher

Member

Patents are all about details—both in how patent applications are initially crafted and prosecuted to issuance, and in how issued patents are later interpreted and enforced.

But Reed Heimbecher recognizes that patents don’t exist in a vacuum and serve a number of purposes in the broader business context—as an indication of a company’s thought leadership, as a demonstration of strength to compel a new business deal or to galvanize an existing business relationship, or as a lever to drive settlement of litigation.

Reed's combination of technical acumen and a practical, business-oriented approach provides his clients with the clarity and confidence needed to maximize the value of their IP, while avoiding potential roadblocks presented by others’ IP.

Leader of the firm's IP transactions practice, Reed brings more than three decades of diverse, global experience to representing clients needing assistance with patent and trademark prosecution, portfolio management, counseling, and intellectual property due diligence.

Reed's seven years in-house, creating from the ground up and then leading the intellectual property team for an international medical device company, imbued him with a deep appreciation of the pressures and priorities faced by businesses with robust and complex technologies and IP portfolios.

Companies with such portfolios appreciate Reed's innovative approach that makes it easy for them to get a holistic view of their IP assets and to make informed decisions about how best and where best to protect and leverage them. 

Responsive and adept at delivering counsel tailored to each client's business objectives, budget, and risk tolerance, Reed leads patent and trademark prosecution efforts for companies in a wide range of industries, including medical devices, automotive mechanical systems, electronic cigarettes, superheated material processing, designer window coverings, package design and manufacture, internet and computer software/hardware, business methods, and vacuum technology.

In addition to patent and trademark prosecution, Reed also crafts meticulously researched patentability, enforceability, availability, noninfringement, and invalidity opinions, negotiates and prepares various IP-related agreements, consults on IP litigation, and performs IP due diligence for business transactions.

He has extensive experience handling reissues, reexaminations, interferences, and appeals in the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office.

“In patent matters, the 'why' of a proposed prosecution strategy or transaction often determines the 'how.' By fully understanding a client's business objectives and concerns, we can craft an approach that maximizes the likelihood of a successful, efficient, and cost-effective outcome.”
    • University of California, Hastings College of the Law, J.D., Editor in Chief, Hastings Communications & Entertainment Law Journal, American Jurisprudence Award, Trial Advocacy II, 1066 Foundation Scholarship
    • University of Colorado, B.S., with Honors, Tau Beta Pi, Sigma Gamma Tau, Merit Scholarship

  • Bar Admissions

    • Minnesota
    • Colorado

  • Court Admissions

    • U.S. Patent and Trademark Office
    • U.S. Supreme Court
    • U.S. Court of Appeals, Federal Circuit
    • U.S. District Court, District of Colorado
    • U.S. District Court, Central District of California

    • Named a "Patent Leader" by World IP Review, 2022

    • Recognized in The Best Lawyers In America® for Patent Law, 2016-Present. Copyright 2015 by Woodward/White, Inc., Aiken, SC
    • Recipient of an AV® Preeminent™ Rating by Martindale-Hubbell
    • Institute for Engineering in Medicine at the University of Minnesota, Industry Advisory Board, Member (3-year appointment commencing in 2012)
    • Association of Former law Clerks and Technical Advisors of the Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit 
    • American Intellectual Property Law Association, Member
    • American Bar Association, Section of Intellectual Property Law, Member
    • Colorado Bar Association, Intellectual Property Section
      • Vice President, Intellectual Property and Chief Patent Counsel, St. Jude Medical, Atrial Fibrillation Division, Inc.
      • Law Clerk, Hon. Giles S. Rich, United States Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit
      • Aerospace Engineer. General Dynamics/Convair Division

Contact

Minneapolis612-486-1902

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