Over the past 50+ years, Larry S. Nixon has appeared in more than 200 U.S. patent enforcement litigations and has prepared and/or prosecuted thousands of U.S. and international patent applications.
Larry S. Nixon co-founded Nixon Vanderhye in 1985 with the vision of building a firm of first-class lawyers dedicated to intellectual property law. He served as the firm’s President until 2017, leading it to achieve recognition as one of the nation’s premier firms for patents, trademarks, copyrights, and litigation. Today, as a firm Shareholder, Larry applies his extensive engineering background to guide his active patent prosecution and patent litigation practice. His clients include individuals, startup companies, and well-known multinational corporations.
A registered USPTO patent attorney, Larry is inspired by new inventions and their creators’ visions. He enjoys meeting with inventors and working with them to develop strategies to prosecute patents and protect their IP. In the litigation arena, Larry continues to advocate on behalf of firm clients and makes regular appearances as an expert witness in federal court proceedings. He brings particular experience in:
- Computer Hardware & Software
- Communications
- Electrical Circuits
- Avionics
- MRI Equipment
- Mechanical
- Medical Devices
- Consumer Products
Larry’s interest in technology began as a teenager when he learned the Morse code, got an amateur “Ham” radio license, and took correspondence courses in mathematics from the University of Illinois. Following his high school graduation, he enrolled at UI’s Urbana-Champaign campus and earned bachelor’s and master’s degrees in electrical engineering.
While working his way through college, Larry was employed in engineering-related technological pursuits during the school year and summers. Upon earning his B.S.E.E., he spent one summer at the Lawrence Radiation Laboratories, now known as Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, designing and reducing to practice a demonstration laser communication link. He also taught advanced electronics to UI undergraduates and supervised an undergraduate electrical engineering laboratory course while in graduate school.
Larry worked as a Patent Engineer at General Electric, then as an officer in the U.S. Army supervising computer programmers at the Pentagon, before deciding to pursue a career in law. While attending Georgetown University Law Center, he worked as an Associate at the law firm of Cushman, Darby & Cushman in Washington, D.C.
In 2012, Larry received UI’s Distinguished Alumni award. In an interview filmed on the university’s campus, he reflected on how he combined his passion for engineering and the law throughout his long career.
Experience
- Assisted in the defense of Control Data Corporation (Sperry Rand v. Control Data, D. Md. 1970). During the course of the litigation, met some of the pioneers in computer technology, including J. Presper Eckert, John W. Mauchly, and John V. Atanasoff.
- Prepared and prosecuted patent applications covering many MRI inventions for clients such as the University of California, Diasonics, Toshiba, and Canon.
- Prosecuted U.S. patent applications covering a wide range of wired/wireless communications inventions on behalf of foreign-based companies such as British Telecommunications.
- Virginia
- District of Columbia
- U.S. Patent and Trademark Office
- U.S. Supreme Court
- U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit
- U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit
- U.S. Court of Appeals for the 4th Circuit
- U.S. Court of Appeals for the 1st Circuit
- jd, Georgetown University, 1971
- M.S.E.E., University of Illinois, 1966
- B.S.E.E. in Bronze Tablet, University of Illinois, 1965
- University of Illinois Electrical & Computer Engineering Distinguished Alumni Award (2012)
- The Best Lawyers in America
- Chambers USA
- Legal 500
- Premier IP Lawyers
- Virginia Super Lawyers
- Bronze Tablet, University of Illinois
- Eta Kappa Nu
- Phi Kappa Phi
- Tau Beta Pi
- Presenter, “Patentability of Computer-Related Subject Matters” The Royal Institute in London for Chartered Institute of Patent Agents, May 23, 2002.
- Presenter, “Recent Changes to U.S. Patent Law, Prior Art Date of Published Applications,” “Inter Partes Reexamination,” and “Recent Changes in U.S. Doctrine of Equivalents,” Seminar at Shiga International Parent Office, Nov. 16, 2001.
- Co-Presenter, “Obviousness and Best Mode: What Can Defendants Do to Win With Them Today?” Practising Law Institute – Patent Litigation 1997, Nov. 18, 1997.
- Co-Presenter, “Obviousness and Best Mode: What Can Defendants Do to Win With Them Today?” Practising Law Institute – Patent Litigation 1996, Nov. 15, 1996.
- Presenter, “Preparing and Prosecuting a Patent to Win in Litigation,” Practising Law Institute – Winning Strategies in Patent Litigation 1995, Nov. 16-17, 1995.
- Co-Presenter, “Nintendo v. Atari Games: Lessons Learned From Winning Counsel: What Worked, What Didn't Work and What was Decisive,” The Seventh Annual Advanced Computer Law Institute, Georgetown University Law Center, Washington, D.C., March 10-11, 1994.
- Presenter, “Practice under the New Interference Rules,” joint meeting of the American
- Intellectual Property Law Association, District of Columbia Bar and Virginia State Bar, Jan. 15, 1985.
- Presenter, “Protection of Computer Processes and Machines,” Indiana State Bar Association, March 30, 1984.
- Presenter, “How to Prepare and Prosecute a Chemical Patent Application Involving Microprocessor Controlled Apparatus,” American Patent Law Association, Feb. 7, 1984.
- Presenter, “Protection of Intellectual Property Rights in the United States for Computer-Aided Processes, Machines, and Audio-Visual Displays,” Chartered Institute of Patent Agents in England, April 22, 1983.
- Presenter, “Patentability of Computer Software in the United States,” Institute of International Studies, London, April 2, 1974.
- Co-Author, “Claim Construction Post-Teva: 1st Year Of Fed. Circ. Review,” Law 360, March 9, 2016.
- Co-Author, “Software Can Be Patented,” IEEE Potentials, pp. 21-22, October/November 1997.
- Co-Author, “Legal Politics,” IEEE Potentials, pp. 25-27, October/November 1997.
- Author, “Protection of Intellectual Property Rights in the United States for Computer-Aided Processes, Machines and Audio-Visual Displays,” Law Technology Press, Part I January 1985, Part II February 1985.
- Author, “Protection of Intellectual Property Rights in the United States for Computer-Aided Processes, Machines and Audio-Visual Displays,” The Chartered Institute of Patent Agents, May 1983.
