Adeel S. Akhtar is a partner in our San Francisco office. He has extensive experience in patent protection, and other forms of intellectual property protection, for high technology industries.
Adeel’s practice includes strategic patent procurement, general counseling on infringement and licensing issues, pre-litigation studies, intellectual property due diligence studies and related negotiations for mergers and acquisitions. He also frequently conducts in-house seminars to assist clients in identifying and prioritizing patentable inventions.
Adeel focuses on complex technologies, including software, data processing, and electronic devices such as sensors, imagers, displays, MEMS and integrated circuits. He has particular expertise in the semiconductor field, including:
Integrated circuit fabrication flows
Semiconductor device physics
Circuit layout
Scaling techniques
Chip packaging
Semiconductor processing equipment (ancillary systems, such as sensory systems, wafer handling systems, and metrology)
Basic processes developed for the equipment, such as deposition processes (including spin-on deposition, CVD, PVD and ALD), etching, annealing, oxidation, and photolithography
Outside of these specialty areas, Adeel also represents a number of clients in a broad range of other technologies, such as industrial chemicals, agricultural machinery, temperature control systems, drug delivery platforms, water purification, seismic reinforcement, sporting equipment, and web services.
Adeel joined the firm in 1994 and became a partner in 1999.
Harvard Law School, J.D.
Dalhousie University, B.S., Physics
State Bar of California
U.S. Patent and Trademark Office
Chemical, Industrial & Materials
Automation & Robotics
Building Construction
Building Products & Materials
Chemical Engineering
Electrical
Instrumentation
Roofing
Semiconductors
Electrical, Semiconductor & Computer Technology
Electronics & Semiconductors
Healthcare Information Technology
Software & IT
Energy
Desalination
Drinking Water Treatment
Energy Conservation
Green Transportation
Hydropower
Lighting
Solar Power
Wind Power
Fashion & Beauty
Sunglasses
Medical Devices & Procedures
Ablation Technology
Catheters & Probes
Drug Eluting & Drug Delivery Devices
Imaging
Infusion Pumps
Nephrology & Dialysis Equipment
Robotics
Transportation & Vehicles
Aerospace & Space Technology
Air conditioning / Heating systems
Batteries
Electronics (Audio / Video, Communication, Navigation, Security)
Design Patents
Due Diligence
Global Portfolio Management
Infringement Risk
Inter Partes Review (IPR)
IP Strategy
IP Transactions and Agreements
Licensing
Opinions Counseling
Patent Strategy & Prosecution
Patentability
Post-Grant
PTAB Overview
Tech Transactions
U.S. Patent Prosecution
Adeel has been honored multiple times for his legal accomplishments:
- Named one of the “World’s Leading Patent Professionals” in the Patent 1000 guide for transactions and prosecution by Intellectual Asset Management (IAM) magazine (2016-2023). The 2023 guide noted Akhtar “has a flair for high-level strategic matters and is a discerning choice for those seeking robust patent protection in the semiconductor field.”
-
Named a “Leading Litigator – IP Litigation, esp. Patent” in the 2022 edition of Lawdragon’s “500 Leading Litigators in America” guide
- Recognized as one of 30 “Favorite IP Lawyers” by in-house counsel of leading companies in the 2016 BTI “Client Service All-Stars” report for delivering outstanding client service.
- Named to Lawyers of Color’s 2014 and 2015 “Power List”
American Bar Association (ABA)
American Intellectual Property Law Association (AIPLA)
San Francisco Intellectual Property Law Association (SFIPLA)
Canadian American Bar Association (CABA)
