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Overview

Keith Wood is a Principal at Hamilton Brook Smith Reynolds and an experienced intellectual property practitioner with more than 25 years of practice in U.S. and international patent law.

His work focuses on patent prosecution, post-grant proceedings, and strategic intellectual property counseling, with particular emphasis on Inter Partes Review (IPR) proceedings before the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO).

Keith received his undergraduate degree in Physics from Harvard University, where he developed a strong foundation in analytical reasoning and applied scientific research. This technical training informs his sophisticated approach to patent prosecution and enables him to address complex legal and technical issues arising in patent litigation and administrative proceedings. He draws upon his extensive prosecution experience to provide careful, well-reasoned analysis in support of both contentious and non-contentious IP matters.

Keith advises clients on the acquisition, development, and management of patent rights across multiple jurisdictions, including the coordination of large and technically diverse patent portfolios. His practice includes counseling start-ups, universities, and multinational companies on the creation of patent portfolios that align with long-term research, development, and commercialization objectives. He has represented clients in numerous IPR proceedings before the Patent Trial and Appeal Board (PTAB), applying a methodical and evidence-driven approach informed by his deep familiarity with USPTO practice.

Post-Grant Proceedings and Appellate Experience

Keith is a member of the firm’s IPR and litigation teams and has participated in multiple successful IPR proceedings involving technologies deployed by a multinational networking and telecommunications company, as well as proceedings involving an American multinational automobile manufacturer. He has also contributed to several appeals in, and presented oral argument before, the United States Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit. In recognition of his analytical rigor and effectiveness in post-grant advocacy, Keith was ranked in the Top 250 Best Performing Attorneys (Patent Owner) in Patexia’s 2023 PTAB Intelligence Report.

Intellectual Property Strategy and Due Diligence

Keith’s practice further encompasses intellectual property strategy and due diligence in connection with corporate acquisitions and venture capital investments. He advises clients on portfolio valuation, freedom-to-operate considerations, and the strategic integration of utility patents, design patents, and trademarks. He also conducts competitive landscape analyses and portfolio monitoring to support informed decision-making and strategic positioning.

Technical Scope

Keith has patent experience across a broad range of technologies, including semiconductor manufacturing, graphene-based materials, microfluidics, medical devices, acoustics, optics, sensor systems, filtration technologies, speech-recognition software, telecommunications, battery material simulation software, pharmaceutical release-rate prediction, electroporation devices, nanotube materials, nanopore manufacturing, fuel cells, wind energy, and clean energy technologies.

Professional Leadership

Keith serves as Vice President of the Boston Intellectual Property Law Association (BIPLA) and previously served as the association’s Treasurer, a member of the Board, and as Co-Chair of the BIPLA’s International and Foreign Practice Committee, reflecting his sustained engagement with international IP policy and practice. He has also served for several years as Committee Chair of the Energy Special Interest Group of the MIT Enterprise Forum of Cambridge, contributing to interdisciplinary dialogue at the intersection of technology, entrepreneurship, and intellectual property.

Experience

Representative Litigation Matters before the Patent Trial and Appeal Board and United States Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit:

  • Member of litigation team that represented a university spinoff patent owner in successfully obtaining denial of institution of multiple Inter Partes Review (“IPR”) petitions filed at the Patent Trial and Appeal Board by an American multinational automobile manufacturer.
  • Member of litigation team that represented a large telecommunications company patent owner in responding to a series of Inter Partes Review (“IPR”) petitions filed at the Patent Trial and Appeal Board by a multinational networking and telecommunications company.
  • Member of litigation team handling a Motion to Amend (MTA) in an IPR before the Patent Trial and Appeal Board.
  • Member of litigation team in multiple appeals before the United States Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit with successes related to remands to the Patent Trial and Appeal Board in view of the Arthrex appointments clause constitutional case.

Representative Patent Prosecution Matters:

  • Represented an acoustics company in evaluating and expanding its patent portfolio.
  • Represented an optical medical device company in developing its patent portfolio.
  • Prosecuted patent applications directed to advanced technologies such as microfluidics, graphene, and nanopores for several major universities.
  • Prosecuted patent applications related to fluid filtration and electrostatic chucks for semiconductor manufacturing client.
  • Prosecuted complex software patent applications for small companies, large companies and universities.
  • Assisted foreign counsel with obtaining U.S. national stage protection of their foreign clients’ patent portfolios.
  • Prosecuted patent applications for diverse technologies, including mechanical systems and laser sensors.
  • Prosecuted U.S. and foreign patent portfolios for companies in fields such as medical devices and very low temperature refrigeration.

Representative Strategic Counseling Matters:

  • Conducted IP due diligence for successful acquisition of a privately held acoustics company.
  • Conducted IP Due diligence for successful acquisition of a sensor company by Japanese multinational electronics company.
  • Counseled clients on the importance of design patent and trademark protection as valuable additions to their overall IP protection and patent portfolios.
  • Conducted IP due diligence related to investments and public offering of a medical device manufacturer.
  • Counseled numerous companies on patentability matters across many technology sectors.
  • Performed competitive assessments and monitoring of IP portfolios for clients interested in strategic growth and positioning of their businesses.

Credentials

Bar Admissions

  • U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit
  • U.S. District Court, District of Massachusetts
  • U.S. Patent and Trademark Office
  • Massachusetts

Education

  • A.B. in Physics, Harvard College
  • J.D., Boston College Law School

Speaking Engagements

Professional Associations

  • American Intellectual Property Law Association
  • Boston Intellectual Property Law Association (BIPLA) 
    • 2025 - 2026 - Vice President
    • 2024 - 2025 Treasurer
    • 2023 - 2024 Board Member
    • Past co-chair of the International and Foreign Practice Committee
  • MIT eForum of Cambridge, Past Committee Chair, Energy Special Interest Group (Energy SIG)

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