For over 30 years, Mary Lou has assisted clients with patent preparation and prosecution, copyright registration and portfolio management.  She has particular experience with computer-related technologies and systems relating to imaging, video applications, medical systems, mobile applications, virtual currency, and other platforms (cloud based, SaaS), bio/chemical analyses and processing including bioinformatics and medical diagnostics, machine learning, alternative energy, social networks and associated operations, and electro-mechanical matters, with and without a software component.  Mary Lou's practice also includes preparing infringement opinions and conducting due diligence directed to computer and software technologies.  She advises on open source software licenses and other software licensing agreements.

Mary Lou is a software engineer with experience in numerous programming languages, data analyses and software/application design.  She is familiar with various data structures, compression/ decompression techniques, encryption technology, blockchain, digital signal processing, artificial intelligence/neural networks, machine learning, pattern matching, bioinformatics, video gaming and computer network/Internet technology.

Her approach with clients is to learn their business goals and then strengthen their positions in their industry by developing strong intellectual property strategies. 

Mary Lou’s work in patenting technology spans many technology innovations and leading companies in their fields.  For Lotus Development Corporation, Mary Lou developed one of the early spreadsheet patents in that industry.  Working with Digital Equipment Corporation, she procured one of the earlier patents on fonts for printer applications that became critical in their business.  Mary Lou has worked on patents for technologies such as an artificial pancreas for diabetics and educational systems for autistic children.  She also obtained patents for some of the first speech-to-text translation technologies.  Mary Lou’s patent prosecution work includes prosecuting a U.S. patent on Fast Face Detection by Viola-Jones, which is an authority in the digital image processing field, and prosecuting early U.S. patents for the Alta Vista search engine, which was the precursor of the Google search engine.

Outside of the firm, Mary Lou has contributed to the Boston Patent Law Association (BPLA), Licensing Executive Society (LES), the Asian American Law Association of Massachusetts (AALAM) and various start-up accelerator programs.  She has been an active supporter of the MIT Enterprise forum by mentoring start-ups and giving patent presentations to numerous audiences at MIT.   Mary Lou is a volunteer presenter and member-supporter of the Tau Beta Pi Engineering Honor Society.  Mary Lou presented at the Association of University Technology Manager (AUTM) conferences in 2016 and 2017.   She is a frequent speaker on the topic of the benefits of patents in an Open Source environment.  Mary Lou enjoys the opportunity to speak at local events that show the roles women can play in business careers.  She has spoken to many Girl Scout Groups, school groups and women’s groups.  In 2018, Mary Lou received the distinction of Best Lawyers in America® 2019 for her patent law expertise.

Publications

• The answers to all the patent problems in HBO’s ‘Silicon Valley’, Boston Business Journal, May 28, 2015

• Prepared combined software-hardware use license with service agreements for a corporate maker of chemical and bio-tech manufacturing process equipment and components.
• Counseled a major computer industry corporation on use of open source software components and effects for future software product release, upgrade download and access to supporting libraries/files.

• Patents
• Design Patents
• Copyrights
• Licensing
• Counseling
• Trade Secrets

• Computer Software
• Computer Hardware
• Electrical Engineering
• Mobile
• Network Infrastructure
• Mechanical Engineering
• Chemical Engineering
• Bioinformatics
• Blockchain
• Telecommunications
• Medical Devices
• Internet of Things
• Clean Technology

• University of Colorado, B.S. in Applied Math and Computer Engineering
• University of New Hampshire School of Law (formerly the Franklin Pierce Law Center), J.D.

Articles

• Open Source Software Solutions (Part 3): Educating your Employees about Open Source Software Issues, Hamilton Brook Smith Reynolds, December 2, 2016
• Open Source Software Solutions (Part 2): Understanding Open Source Software License Trigger Points and Resulting Obligations, Hamilton Brook Smith Reynolds, October 28, 2016
• Open Source Software Solutions (Part 1): Getting to Know the Open Source Software in Your Products, Hamilton Brook Smith Reynolds, October 4, 2016

IP News Alerts

• Court Rules That Design Patent Scope Can Be Limited By Prosecution History, Hamilton Brook Smith Reynolds Alert, January 17, 2014
• U.S. Supreme Court Copyright Non-Infringement Ruling Results in Global Expansion of the First-Sale Defense, Hamilton Brook Smith Reynolds Alert, April 3, 2013

• "Strategies to Reap the Benefits of Software Patents in an Open Source Software Environment" Hamilton Brook Smith Reynolds Webcast, March 29, 2018
• "Strategies to Reap the Benefits of Software Patents in an Open Source Software Environment" 2017 Black Duck FLIGHT Conference, Boston, MA, November 8, 2017
• "Innovating Outside the Patent: Copyrights, Trademarks and Software" Association of University Technology Managers’ (AUTM) Eastern Region Meeting, Boston, MA, October 3, 2017
• “Smart Cyber Security, Patent and Trade Secret Protection for Startups,” MIT Enterprise Forum of Cambridge/Hamilton Brook Smith Reynolds Lecture, Cambridge, MA, November 17, 2016
• “Strategies for Commercial Software Developers Using Open Source Code in Proprietary Software,” Hamilton Brook Smith Reynolds Webcast, October 4, 2016
• “Which U.S. Patent Applications Are Getting Granted,” Association of University Technology Managers’ (AUTM) Eastern Region Meeting, Philadelphia, PA, September 29, 2016
• "Block Chain Innovations are Changing the Digital World," Hamilton Brook Smith Reynolds Webcast, March 30, 2016
• “Engineering & Intellectual Property Law,” Tau Beta Pi 2015 Convention, Providence, RI, October 29, 2015
• “What Not to Patent: Steps for Strategic IP,” MIT Enterprise Forum of Cambridge Webinar, October 22, 2015
• “10 Intellectual Property Considerations for Protecting Your Company’s Innovations,” MIT Enterprise Forum of Cambridge/ Hamilton Brook Smith Reynolds Lecture, Cambridge, MA, October 14, 2015
• "Strategies for Managing Open Source Software," Hamilton Brook Smith Reynolds Lecture, Cambridge, MA, May 20, 2015
• "Intellectual Property Strategies for Start-ups," Hamilton Brook Smith Reynolds Lecture, Boston, MA, September 25, 2014
• "The Revival of the Design Patent - A Look at Design Patents and the Implications of Apple v. Samsung," Hamilton Brook Smith Reynolds Lecture, Waltham, MA, April 24, 2013
• "A Better Plan for Software Technology Rights", WPI Lecture, Worcester, MA, January 31, 2013
• "Monetizing Your Business Assets Through Patents, Trademarks and Copyrights", Hamilton Brook Smith Reynolds Webcast, November 15, 2012
• "Software: To Patent or Not To? Algorithms and Automation as Patentable Subject Matter", Hamilton Brook Smith Reynolds Lecture, Waltham, MA, November 8, 2012
• "Monetizing Your Business Assets Through Patents, Trademarks and Copyrights", SBANE Lecture, Waltham, MA, October 3, 2012

• American Bar Association
• Boston Patent Law Association
• Association of University Technology Managers
• Licensing Executives Society
• Massachusetts Bar Association
• Tau Beta Pi, the National Engineering Honor Society

• Firm's Client WPI Licenses Technology To Apprendis, a MassChallenge Participant more
• Firm is Coaching Sponsor of 2010 New England Venture Summit more
• Firm is Coaching Sponsor of 2009 New England Venture Summit more
• Firm is Platinum Sponsor of WEST Event "Acquiring IP From Universities" more

• Ten Hamilton Brook Smith Reynolds Attorneys Recognized as Best Lawyers in America® 2019 more
• Ronald Demsher Joins Hamilton Brook Smith Reynolds more

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