Kevin J. Fournier is an intellectual property lawyer with over 35 years of experience. He started his IP career as a patent examiner at the United States Patent and Trademark Office. Kevin worked at two law firms as a patent lawyer before moving in-house at IBM. Kevin spent almost 25 years at IBM, providing legal advice and counsel to IBM businesses on matters ranging from patent prosecution to IP transactions, licensing and policy work for standards setting IP. While at IBM, Kevin made extensive use of Patent Cooperation Treaty and made numerous filings at the United States Patent and Trademark Office, the European Patent Office, and the United Kingdom Intellectual Property Office. At IBM, Kevin focused in high-tech fields of AI, blockchain, quantum computing, semiconductors and computer hardware architecture.

Kevin’s practice focuses on patents, including patentability assessments, patent prosecution, licensing, opinions and enforcement; technology related contracts including IT consultancy, bespoke software development, patent licenses, software licenses, technology/know how licenses, joint development agreements, M&A transactions, and related IP audits and due diligence (especially with regards to potential investments); freedom to operate analysis (determining what patents exist in a given field and how they may impact a client’s product launch); technology landscaping (which specific fields and sub-fields have already been covered by others’ R&D efforts – white space analysis); IP dispute resolution; open source software studies; and standards-setting body IP issues.

Admissions

United States Patent and Trademark Office

European Patent Office

Massachusetts State Bar

District of Columbia Bar

Education

The George Washington Law School, J.D. (1992)

University of Maine, B.S., Electrical Engineering (1983)